Castor oil
Castor oil's healing properties
How to make and use castor oil packs
Castor oil has been used for thousands of years as a cure for numerous ailments. It is best known as a laxative, but today is mostly used on the skin because of its potential toxicity if taken internally.
Castor oil is an under-rated remedy. Edgar Cayce used it as one of his famous cures.
Castor oil's healing properties
- antibiotic
- inflammation - soothes and reduces
- skin circulation - increases
- detoxification of / elimination from tissues and organs under the skin
- healing of tissues and organs under the skin
- liver - stimulates
- pain relief
- digestion - improves
- lymphatic circulation - increases
- beautiful skin - claimed by many users
- better, deeper sleep - claimed by some users
Warning: Castor oil should not be taken internally. Do not apply it to broken skin, or use it during pregnancy, breastfeeding, or during menstrual flow.
How to make and use castor oil packs
Castor oil packs are a traditional treatment for a range of conditions including skin inflammation; various liver complaints such as cirrhosis and torpid liver; gall bladder inflammation (cholecystitis); scleroderma; headaches; appendicitis; arthritis; epilepsy; digestive complaints including colitis, intestinal stricture and colon impaction; neuritis; nervous disorders and toxaemia.
Wet a piece of clean undyed wool or cotton flannel with castor oil so that it is saturated but not dripping. Place the pack on your skin, and cover the flannel with a sheet of plastic. Place a hot water bottle over the plastic to heat the pack. Rest comfortably for 45-60 minutes with the pack in place. I recommend that you lie on a towel because the oil can be messy.
A castor oil pack is commonly used on the following areas: over inflamed and swollen joints, muscle strains and bursitis; on the right side of the abdomen to stimulate the liver or gall bladder; on the centre of the abdomen to relieve constipation and other digestive disorders; on the lower abdomen to relieve menstrual irregularities or uterine / ovarian cysts.
When you have finished, you can clean the skin by wiping with a clean dry cloth. If you want to completely clean off all the oil, use a dilute solution of baking soda in water.
It is generally recommended that a castor oil pack be used for only 3 to 4 days in a week rather than every day, to treat a condition or for detoxification.
Store the pack in a covered container in the refrigerator. Each pack may be reused up to 25-30 times.