Unlock Castor Oil Benefits: Guide to Hair Growth, Pain Relief, & More!

I have been using castor oil mixed half and half with coconut oil as a moisturizer for a couple of months now. My skin looks and feels great and I really feel I look a hundred times better than I have in years. And even more wonderful is that not only have the bags under my eyes gone, my eyelids are not sagging any more - at one time I could actually see them drooping from the inside.

Dear Mama to many,

Thank you so much for your early reply. Now I am in peace. I told my friend that she can use castor oil only topically during pregnancy she is also very happy because she got such a tremendous relief by applying castor oil she did not want to stop its application. God bless you and your family.I am a regular reader of Earth clinic and a great fan of you and your home remedies.Thank you once again for all your contributions and precious time.

Dear Maria,

My understanding is that castor oil is not to be used internally during pregnancy, because of its laxative effect (which can also cause contractions) or as a pack over the abdomen in pregnancy because it can cause the baby to have a bowel movement (though that would only be late in pregnancy) and because detoxing the liver in pregnancy is not a good idea.

All that said, at 8 weeks pregnant and on the breast, I don't know of a reason it would be contraindicated. For me, I would consider castor oil to be one of the safest treatments for the swollen lymph nodes in that area, even in pregnancy.

~Mama to Many~

Hello Dear Mama to Many,

One of my friends is 8 week pregnant. Her left breast was very sore and painful before getting pregnant but now is more painful and hurting. She is also feeling pain underarm and neck.I thought she has clogged lymph system advised her to massage castor oil on neck, underarm and on breast. She has gotten big relief and all her pain has gone away but now I read castor oil is not safe during pregnancy. So far I have stopped her further use of castor oil on her breast but she is afraid if pain starts again what she will do. Please tell us what she should do in this condition.

Sounds like a great idea, but please be aware of the slip factor when you apply any oil to your feet! Promptly put on socks, don't walk around in bare feet! A few years ago my mother applied oil to her feet and body after a bath and promptly slipped getting out of the tub. She cracked her head on the tile and got a nasty concussion. So please everyone be very careful when you apply oil on the feet!

Put Organic Castor Oil on Feet after every shower/ bath will improve feet / toenails --- make them like Babies.. it is anti-fungal.

I suppose it is the dog food producers who are saying the healthiest diet for dogs is dog food, when so many find that making your own dog food gives such good results.

I grew up with a dachshund. She lived to be almost 17 years old and rarely needed a vet. The older she got, the less dog food she ate. My mom gave her our table scraps. When our dog was quite old I remember my mom scrambling eggs for the dog's breakfast every day. Our dog hated dog food. (Who could blame her?)

My grandparents lived on a farm. There was a very nice German Shepherd dog that belonged to a neighbor officially, but my grandparents fed him their home grown table scraps for many years as he was always hanging around their house. That dog probably never saw a vet but got oodles of exercise by all appearance was very healthy for many years. (And such a sweet dog.)

Dogs back then (70's) also had much fewer vaccines, which may have given them a health advantage as well.

So, I do agree that dogs do well and better on diets other than dog food!

~Mama to Many~

You are spot on.

I've been reading comments about a lot of sick pets here. I stopped feeding my dogs commercial dog food. Well, both of them were my son's dogs until he gave them to me. I make all of their meals now. They eat everything that we eat (no junk food). Their bodies have redistributed their weight; muscle and fat redistribution. One that I wax allergic to no longer has that burning odor to her body. The 8 yr old shepherd looks like she's lost several years, and her mental health is better. The other shepherd is still very young so it's hard to make comparisons. She is happier, though.

I'll bet my dogs live a long time, and die from natural causes. That's how my Chow Chow went. She had not one physical ailment, not even weakened eyesight, when she got old and died.

I know the topic is castor oil. I just think that some of these ailments are caused by commercial dog food.

Castor Oil is amazing for any kind of sprain. Yesterday my husband sprained his ankle whilst out walking and by the time we were home he couldn't put any weight on it, I was very worried and thought a trip to the doctor would be necessary. We rubbed Castor Oil around the swelling and on the bottom of his feet and this morning the pain is very much reduced and the swelling gone. He can now walk fine on it (with much reduced pain) but I am amazed as it was very serious last night, even to the point I thought he had broken a bone as he could put no weight on it at all. The other thing he mentioned was that the leg which we rubbed oil into has less muscle fatigue than the other which we didn't (we walked over 20 miles in the last 2 days over mountains before he twisted the ankle) and so it seems to have helped the muscles to recover too.

Love Castor Oil and wanted to share our story as I find this site really helpful. We have used Castor Oil in the past to help painful fingers when they have crushed accidentally or hit with a hammer by accident and that has helped which is why we thought of it last night. Give it a try, it can only help!

Castor Oil for arthritis is terrific. Yesterday my hand was "achin' like a toothache" (as my dear mother used to say) all day. I tried ibuprofen, some ointment I had (stuck at work) – nothing. When I arrived home I took out my trusty castor oil, just enough so I could rub my hands together for a few minutes (it's not watery at all) and voila! – not 30 minutes later the ache was all gone and still feels good this morning. Love it!

I had vaginal polyps that were causing a large amount of bleeding during and/or immediately after intercourse which was very disconcerting. I did not visit a doctor as I'm rather disenchanted with allopathic doctors and figured I would try natural treatments first..for whatever this growth was. Research led me to either polyps or fibroids...I'm assuming it was polyps.

I did a castor oil pack for 3 nights in a row...I slept with them actually...and would take them off sometime in the middle of the night in my sleep stupor.

I never bled ever again during intercourse and that was 3 years ago (I never had to repeat them either) . My lower belly also went down in size. Pretty amazing stuff.

Hi ...great post and I will try what worked for you for candida. I was just wondering what you meant by "I have blended two bundles (not cloves, whole thing).., ". Are you saying you blended 2 bundles of whole cloves ...?

I'd never used castor oil before but here's my take on why it makes your skin feel so good.

Castor oil is like organic (I got organic) Vitamin E that hasn't been extracted from its "home"! It's like herbs, with all of the elements and compounds that tell the active ingredient what to do!! And you don't have to take it (or vitamin E) orally (YUCK) because your skin is kind of like a great big tongue and soaks it right up!

Heavenly on the skin but watch for other improvements. If you're suffering from a lack of vitamin E, there should be other changes as well. I'll report back after I've used it a while. I'm going to take a picture of some spots on my arm and a scar and use it on those to see what it can do.

WOW! Castor oil! Amazing!

Try AHCC (Active Hexose Correlated Compound, a mushroom compound) for the HPV. It works!

Many people have used castor oil. It will make your eyes blurry for awhile, that's why they say before bed. Dr. Shealy (not sure about spelling) recommends it. I think the back is suppose to say USP.

Remember Drs are taught by pHARMa, that's all they know.

Do some Google searches. There was a good homeopathy eye drop, but the FDA made them take it off the market. Good luck!

My Opthalmologist said "absolutely not" and gave me a prescription for restasis. Grrrrrrr.

Dear Mallory,

Regarding the use of castor oil on your neck during pregnancy...personally, if it were me, I would be comfortable using it during pregnancy on my neck, at least in the beginning.

The concern with castor oil is that your body absorbs it and it could get to the baby, causing a laxative effect and release of meconium, which ideally won't happen until after birth. But that isn't going to be an issue early in pregnancy.

Perhaps with regular use of the castor oil on your neck regularly, by time time it wouldn't be a good idea for the baby's sake, it would no longer be necessary.

I am sorry about the migraines. You have tried so many things. And you will have less options during pregnancy. I am not sure of the procedure for castor oil packs for migraines. But maybe you are discovering it yourself with these packs on your neck! Let us know! :)

~Mama to Many~

Hello and thank you for all of your informative answers! I learned about Castor oil packs from a local massage therapist who practices Mayan Abdominal Techniques. I finally began using them in the past few months to increase fertility. Meanwhile, I discovered how helpful they can be for joint pain. I have had migraines since I was a child and have had tests, including an MRI, and seen several chiropractors, spending hundreds of dollars each month on treatment for a torqued atlas and alternately rotated axis in the upper cervical region. The last two mornings I have woken up around 5am, removed the pack from my lower abdomen, folded the cloth in half, added a little oil to the pack and placed it over the back of my neck instead. I really believe it is helping with my neck pain, although it hasn't ended completely in the 4 hours of application. Still, if it can offer some relief between adjustments, that is something! I have not taken prescriptions or any pharmaceuticals since high school. They stopped working, and long before I learned about toxicity, I knew they just weren't natural. Perhaps they work for some, but they were not for me.

I am wondering what the procedure is typically in using castor oil packs for headaches and migraines. I am also wondering, when we succeed in conceiving, will it be safe to continue to use a castor oil pack to help with joint pain and muscular tension in the neck? Or would it be safer to stop using them altogether?

Thank you for all of your help!
Blessings and Light,
~Mallory

It brings blood up to the surface making your eyes feel heavy and tired. I make products and am studying to become an esthetician, it's how I learned iit.

Castor Oil will not give you blackheads. I regularly use it when I have pimples that have not come to a head yet. I simply rub a dab of the oil into it and then it stops the pimple from forming and it goes away. I never use the oil on a pimple with a head, however, as it causes the pimple to collapse and leaves a small red mark, like the pimple was squeezed or popped. However, on big, red and sore "erupting volcano" zits, Castor Oil stops them dead in their tracks, every time.

I have also used Castor Oil on my face with good results. No facial hair growth but my eyelashes are thicker!

I am a fan of the advice to put hexane free castor oil in the eye for dryness. However, I had a lingering anxiety about the safety of doing this. A pharmacist and my own doctor had reservations. So today, when I was seeing an opthomologist (MD) for a checkup, I asked if she thought there was any problem with using castor oil in the eyes to relieve dryness. She said she felt there would be no problem with it.

I have been fighting candida overgrowth since Jan 2014. Tough battle, but I believe I am now winning it.

I have blended two bundles (not cloves, whole thing) with various green vegetables, used apple cider vinegar mixed with aloe vera juice(1 cup of each) on my skin, taken 1/4 of each of these twice a day: borax, bicarbonate of soda and Epsom salts.

I also did the herbal enemas adding a tablespoon to half a cup of these: apple cider vinegar and aloe vera juice; 10 drops of hydrogen peroxide as well as a cup of whey liquid to repopulate bacteria in my gut.

All these have worked, albeit with severe die-off effects. That's not discouraging tho. I noticed that the soda gives me high blood pressure, so I drank ginger tea or other herbs that lower blood pressure available locally, once or twice a day to lower the blood pressure.

Lately, I have added castor oil to the regime, applying it on the skin and taking it orally ( 3 tablespoons castor oil plus one teaspoon of either coconut or olive oil once a week). Candida is definitely going away now. I feel so much better. My tongue has finally been pink for the whole afternoon since I was in my teens! I have more energy, less pain in my body though the die-off is still there mildly. Castor oil is very strong against candida. Even applying it on the skin diluted with coconut and lavender oils produced die-off symptoms(Mixed 50ml of each into a separate bottle). I used the latter two for a year with no die-off symptoms at all. I apply the mixed oils on the skin in the morning, and apply castor oil on its own each evening.

I use all these at the moment. I know there is candida protocol suggested by Ted, but I could not find some of the suggested ingredients so I used what I could find locally since cash flow is not so good. These ingredients are relatively cheap locally. I used tap water due to cash flow problems, but also collected rain water now and then for use.

Castor oil is the best oil ever. I personally have used it for an abscess in my teeth, more than once. I cured an infection in my jaw bone from the abscessed tooth. This was examined by a dentist who wanted to pull the tooth. I did not want the tooth pulled so I used castor oil on my gums and on the tooth. It cured the infection and took the pain away within an hour. I still have the tooth many years later.

Dear Viola,

I have had 5 abdominal surgeries and scar tissue from it as well. You have my sympathies!

You can get castor oil in a gel cap. You could then just insert that vaginally each night to get the castor oil to the os. And regarding your concern that once the castor oil is there, it is there--well, it will absorb into the tissue. I use castor oil on my face at night. By morning it is all absorbed. So you could do this 4 nights in a row and take 3 nights off.

~Mama to Many~

Viola, read up on this site about Serrapeptase disolving adhesions.

I have a history of surgery in the abdominal area (appendectomy, oopherectomy of left ovary) and vaginally (conization, other). Bottom line is that I have lots of abdominal adhesions and the os of my cervix is scarred over.

The adhesions are the reason I had the left ovary removed and they are adhered to my bowel as well, causing what is called a tortuous colon. I have used castor oil to eliminate some of the abdominal adhesions. I have experienced the release of some of these adhesions as others have described.

The scarred-over os is a recent discovery through a pelvic exam and the ob/gyn is already talking about a total hysterectomy since we can't monitor what's going on in the uterus AND there is no ability for the uterus to perform its normal drainage function.

As I see it, a vaginal hysterectomy is out of the question because it isn't possible to know where the adhesions have connected to surrounding tissue.

A laproscopically performed surgery is out of the question because previous attempts have shown that there is so much of this scar tissue it's impossible to tell what's on the other side of any particular adhesion (I actually have a video of the last laproscopy showing this.)

That leaves abdominal surgery as about the only option and one that seems bound to only make things worse in the long run for all of the obvious reasons as indicated by the previous outcomes PLUS I won't have a uterus, fallopian tubes, ovary, or cervix.

In addition, I am awaiting a biopsy on cervical tissue. Presence of HPV is confirmed, I'll know more about the biopsy soon.

In addition to doing some further abdominal application of castor oil packs, I am considering using castor oil vaginally to see if I can break up the scar tissue on the cervix to open up the os and restore access to the uterus. My question is what might be the best way to do this. I am particularly concerned because however it is applied internally in this sensitive area, it is not likely to facilitate the preference I see for applying for a few days and then not applying for a few days. Once its in there, its in there. Also, how to best apply - perhaps a saturated tampon? a syringe of some sort?

I'd appreciate any ideas and or feedback you might have. My goal is to either 1) improve this condition and avoid surgery all together, or 2) provide the best possible circumstances for a good outcome should surgery prove unavoidable.

Thank you in advance for your wisdom-sharing.

We have been using castor oil internally for indigestion and externally for colic in children. I can say that it's effective for these ailments. This is one remedy that we always have at home for emergencies. It's good to know that it has other benefits too!

I really like the idea of using a hair dryer to help castor oil absorb. This can be used on humans also.

Today I was using a hand held infrared device when I was applying castor oil on part of my abdomen. Most infrared devices are just too expensive purchase. The one I had I bought on amazon (infrarex st-302) for $20 and it works for a small area. It comes with an extra bulb. Before I bought it I wondered why it was so cheap and why the other products couldn't bring down the price so I was leery. I have had it a couple years and it's worth every penny. It gives one more options in treating various situations.

I saw a infrared device in a chiropractors office but expensive model. Instead of someone paying $50 a treatment, I had them use this cheap device themselves and they got positive results. It's a good addition to your medicine chest at very low cost.

Many people have difficult financial situations so any DIY approaches to pet care are very helpful.

I am 70 plus, and had sinus issues for the last 50 years. A couple of years back, I read about castor oil, and I put in 5-6 drops at night before going to sleep, and thanks God, after about 7 days, sinus disappeared.

Dear Mary,

I have not had trouble with castor oil causing any type of skin outbreak on me or my family members. We have used it on faces, necks, backs, feet, etc, with no problem. When I use it on my face, sometimes I put a few drops of Rosemary Essential Oil into it (a few drops in an ounce of Castor Oil.) But lately I have just used it plain. (At first I had added the Rosemary because I didn't care for the smell of castor oil, but I guess now I am used to it.) Sometimes I mix castor oil into homemade salves or oil blends for various purposes...I have mixed it with olive oil, coconut oil, and/or almond oil. I have always been happy with castor oil however I have used it.

I hope it will work well for what you need, as well.

~Mama to Many~

To Mama To Many: Hi, does the castor oil make you break out? Do you mix it with anything? Thanks

Dear Robyn,

Correct, you wouldn't want to ingest castor oil in pregnancy. Some ladies who are overdue use it to induce labor, which is why it isn't recommended in pregnancy. It gets the bowels going and I guess everything else! Also, later in pregnancy, you wouldn't want to use a castor oil pack anywhere near the baby (like over your liver or gall bladder) because apparently, the castor oil soaks in and could even soak in to the baby, causing it to release meconium, which is not safe for baby. It is also not recommended to use it to detox the liver (using packs on the liver) because no detox is considered wise during pregnancy or breastfeeding, because you are releasing toxins, which could get to the baby.

But, you are talking about using a castor oil pack on your face. This is external and not near the baby. I am assuming it would be for pain relief and inflammation reduction. Personally, I would be okay with that for myself, but not sure I would recommend it to someone else. Castor oil used to be in make-up, might still be, and is in some hair treatments. To my knowledge, these things are not contraindicated during pregnancy.

Hope that gives you some information to make a wise decision.

Another thing you could try for your Bell's Palsy is Peppermint/St. John's Wort, externally. You could make a strong tea of equal parts of both and soak a cloth in it and put on your face for 15 minute intervals. Both are good herbs for healing the nerves and peppermint has been helpful to others with Bell's Palsy.

Hydrotherapy is another safe option for you. You would alternate warm and cool packs on your face. The warm brings circulation to the spot and the cool reduces inflammation. It is a surprisingly helpful therapy. You would alternate a cool cloth and a warm cloth (not to the point of uncomfortable, though) Warm for a few minutes, cold for 1. Alternate several times, ending with cool.

I hope you find relief soon! Congratulations on your baby!

~Mama to Many~

I'm wondering if it's safe to use a castor oil pack on my face to relieve Bell's Palsy symptoms, also, I'm 18 weeks pregnant. I read on this site not to use castor oil during pregnancy, or did they mean not to ingest it during pregnancy?