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    Home » Health

    The Many Wonders of Castor Oil

    Published: Dec 26, 2012 · Modified: Jun 13, 2022 by Lauren · This post may contain affiliate links · 7 Comments

    Greetings! I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas! Here are a few pictures from our holiday...

    IMG_0229

    IMG_0227

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    ....my cool nightlight! If I collected anything, I think it would be night lights!

    Unfortunately, our family was suffering from a stomach flu this past week. My husband and I used to love going to the gym together, and we just recently decided to start taking our girls to the daycare to renew the habit. Well, it would seem that cold and flu season is NOT the time to do such a thing. My oldest, Jade, brought home a terrible stomach flu that my other daughter, Natalie, my husband, and I all caught, so it was kind of a low-key Christmas for us. Luckily, we're all feeling better and able to consider eating without experiencing a gag reflex.

    This all brings me to today's post....the incredible, edible castor oil! There was a time when moms would give their children a daily dose of castor oil to ward off things like constipation, acne, and cold or flu. It is actually an incredible immune system booster, and has been shown to be effective in preventing the growth of numerous types of viruses, bacteria, yeasts, and molds.

    Luckily, the benefits can also be reaped by applying it as a pack to the abdomen area! Because I tend to suffer from pain in the liver area, I often place the pack there (upper right abdomen), but you can also place it over the stomach, intestines, or thymus, depending on what's bothering you.

     

    http://www.my-immunity.com/sites/default/files/thymus.jpg

     

    Here's how to make and use a castor oil pack:

    1. Place a heating pad on a flat surface and turn the setting to high.
    2. Lay a large plastic bag on top of the heating pad.
    3. Saturate two or three 12-inch squares of flannel in about 1/2 cup of cold-pressed castor oil. Place them on top of the bag.
    4. Wrap yourself in a large bath towel to keep oil from getting on your bedding, then place the entire pack against your body with the oil-soaked flannel next to your skin.
    5. Relax for an hour with the heating pad at the highest temperature you can tolerate.
    6. When you remove the pad, massage the remaining oil into your skin or clean it off with a quart of warm water mixed with two tablespoons of baking soda. To reuse the flannel, keep it in a plastic container in the refrigerator. Let it warm up before you use it again, and refresh it with one to two tablespoons of fresh castor oil.

    IMG_0231

    I often feel immediately more energized! I also notice that my skin is more hydrated, but that may just be me.

    The packs are not the only thing I use castor oil for. Below is a small list of things I've found it helpful for:

    • Hair growth. I often put it on my eyelashes and eyebrows at night to help with growth and fullness, and I definitely notice a big difference when I do this!
    • Puffy eyes/dark circles. The fatty chains of castor oil are made up almost entirely of ricinoleic acid, which modern medicine recognizes as a powerful anti-inflammatory , so I put a little under my eyes to combat 'under eye bags'.
    • Chapped heels. It runs in my family to get severely dry, chapped feet, so I will rub it on my feet, cover them with socks, and wake up to much softer skin!
    • Hair shine. I sometimes rub it into my scalp at night to aid with hair growth. By the same token, it acts as a kind of conditioner....just be sure to wash it out in the morning, unless you dig the oily look.
    • All-purpose moisturizer. It's great for dry skin, but it doesn't absorb very well. It actually has properties of drawing out toxins, which is why it's used as a pack.

    Other ailments I haven't personally tried include:

    • Rubbing the oil on the abdomen/intestines or taking it internally for constipation.
    • Brushing the teeth with it for gum irritation/cavities.
    • Placing the pack on the head for migraines.
    • Placing the pack on joints/muscles for pain.
    • Rubbed into the arches of the feet before bed, it helps insomnia and enhances dreams.

    The famous Edgar Cayce was a leading advocate for the packs and claimed that they had a mysterious and profound calming effect on the body.

    More valuable information can be found here: http://www.edgarcayce.org/are/holistic_health/data/thcast1.html, and if you're in the mood for a good book, read The Oil That Heals by William A. McGarey, M.D., (Virginia Beach: A.R.E. Press, 1993).

    I hope this was helpful for some of you!

    Have you ever tried castor oil? If so, what do you use it for?

    Shared with: Make Your Own Monday

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Marcus

      March 30, 2020 at 12:37 am

      Castrol oil has been one of those home remedies that older people told you about or used to give their children when they were young parents. The thing that castrol oil is great at is removing offending contents(not speaking of objects that are thought of as solid) from the body. Sounds great, huh?! But, that horrible, horrible taste and diarrhea make it a hard plan to stick with; even though, your body needs a reset every now and again.

      *If you didn't know, I give myself 3-4 stools to empty the offending contents. Then, eating peanut butter returns me back to normal again.

      Reply
    2. Tricia Bangert

      May 28, 2014 at 12:27 pm

      I applied castor oil with heat onto a growth my dog had on her eyelid and it cured it in two days! I love this stuff!:)

      Reply
      • Rafael

        March 04, 2021 at 4:58 pm

        Ever have mouth ulcers? for me it means my stomach/intestines is dirty and need to be cleaned out.
        After im done with the rounds I eat nothing but greens for a day to heal the gut. Sometimes fruits smoothies. Easy to digest and full of anti oxidants and nutrients.
        P.S I'm lactose / Allergic to milk protein. I know when I consume dairy by mistake and immediately plan to drink castor oil .

        Reply
    3. Carol

      May 24, 2013 at 1:10 pm

      Can I ingest 1 tsp. daily ... are there any health benefits to this

      Reply
      • Lauren

        May 24, 2013 at 1:41 pm

        I can't advise that either way, as I don't know for sure. This article may be of some help: http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2012/04/28/castor-oil-to-treat-health-conditions.aspx

        Reply
    4. Lea H @ Nourishing Treasures

      January 06, 2013 at 12:39 pm

      Thank you for your submission on Nourishing Treasures' Make Your Own! Monday link-up.

      Check back tomorrow when the new link-up is running to see if you were one of the top 3 featured posts! 🙂

      Reply
    5. LjGenthusiast

      December 29, 2012 at 9:10 pm

      I never like seeing your post without comments. So, I wanted to be the first one to leave a message. I love your post so,so much.... I can't wait to be home with you ;-*

      Reply

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