The Benefits of Castor Oil

What castor oil packs are used for

Castor oil packs are used outside your body, with or without heat. The idea is that a castor oil pack is soaked with more oil than you can simply rub on your skin. This allows it to better absorb into your skin.

Skin benefits

Ricinoleic acid, a major component in castor oil, has analgesic properties, which may help soothe sunburns, bug bites, or allergic rashes.

The anti-inflammatory effects of castor oil may help bring down skin redness, puffiness, and itching.

Additionally, castor oil is a good moisturizer and helps to seal in skin’s moisture. This can help heal dry, chapped skin and lips, and plump up fine lines and wrinkles.

Constipation

People sometimes take castor oil by mouth as a laxative. In this way, castor oil is used to help bowel movements and empty the stomach.

Using external castor oil packs may also help treat constipation.

A small medical study in Turkey tested the use of castor oil packs to treat severe constipation in older adults. The adults in the study used castor oil packs for 3 days.

The researchers found that using the packs didn’t change the number of bowel movements, but it did make them easier to pass, softer, and reduced constipation symptoms.

Joint pain

Pain in the knees, wrist, fingers and other joints may be caused by rheumatoid arthritis or osteoarthritis, inflammation can lead to pain and swelling in these types of arthritis.

Some people use warmed castor oil packs on the painful joint to help bring down inflammation and drain away blocked fluids that may cause more swelling.

While there’s no clinical evidence for the use of castor oil packs in this way, ricinoleic acid may reduce inflammation and help soothe pain for many joint conditions.

Liver and gallbladder health

The liver is the main cleansing organ in your body. It breaks down and gets rid of toxins, old cells, and other waste. It makes white blood cells that your immune system needs to fight germs.

The liver also makes a digestive fluid called bile that helps break down fatty foods so they can be properly used by the body. Bile flows from your liver to the gallbladder and is stored until it’s needed to digest foods.

Some natural practitioners recommend using a castor oil pack on the abdomen over the area of the liver. The idea is that the pack may help the liver move particles and cleanse the body.

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