The comments below reflect the personal experiences and opinions of readers and do not represent medical advice or the views of this website. The information shared has not been evaluated by the FDA and is not intended to diagnose, treat, or prevent any disease or health condition. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional for medical concerns.
Application Tips
Posted by Medbear (Martinez, Ca/USA) on 05/24/2012
★★★★★
I use absorbant pads which have an absorbant side & a non-absorbant plastic other side. Apply oil directly to area or to absorbant pad, then place pad on area & heat pad to plastic non-absorb side. I treated a leg problem & wrapped the pad & taped edges. Then applied pad & secured it with rubber band or string. I buy the pads from the dog store or dog supply area of a store as I assume the pads for humans are more expensive. They are usually called indoor training pads & come in various sizes. Price for 50 is about $10US. I don't like wasting the oil, so I keep it refrigerated which thickens it up, then apply directly to skin area. They make perfect wraps for those areas needing a wrap versus a flat application for which they are also good.
Application Tips
Posted by Phoenix23002 (Amelia, Va) on 04/06/2011
★★★★★
Hi, Esprit64... I responded to your other questions about castor oil packs above. Sorry I didn't cover everything for you.
I have used castor oil packs for many, many years. As to your question about how long you can use an opened bottle of castor oil?... til it is gone.. Lol. After I have my heating pad laid out, plastic on top of that and flannel on top of that.. I trickle more castor oil from the bottle onto my pack and turn on the pad, letting the whole pack heat up a little. Then I apply it to my tummy.. flannel pack first, then the plastic, then the heating pad.
"how many times should you use the fabric pack until discarding?" I have used mine for years. If it gets too runny/sloppy/messy, you will probably have to discard it and start over. And not because there is anything wrong with it but just because it will make a big mess and leak out everywhere.
"is there any need to continue adding castor oil for "refreshening. " At what point do you throw the oil out and begin again?" Unless you have just absolutely soaked the pack, you do need to renew/refresh the castor oil each time you use the pack. I have never thrown out any oil that I can remember, except for a bottle or two maybe some years ago. I used to buy the drugstore variety and, if it had been a while since I had used a pack and if the castor oil smell was really, really overwhelming AND if I had plenty on hand, that smelly bottle might hit the trashcan. But if you are a regular user of the packs, you will probably use up your supply on hand long before you have to worry about it getting too old to use.
One trick I use is... I try to rub the castor oil into my skin directly where I will be putting the pack. Continue to rub in the oil, letting the skin absorb as much as possible. If you rub briskly, everything gets a little warm and enhances the absorption. Then I apply heating pad/pack as usual with renewed oil on the pack also. I think it just gives you/your pack a jumpstart.
Just let me know if you have anymore questions, my friend, ok? phoenix23002
Dry Eyes
Posted by Elise (Perth, Wa Australia) on 07/29/2010
★★★★★
I have been struggling with dry eyes all my life. I have always found that if the air is a little too cold or windy, my eyes immediately begin to water uncontrollably. I tend to wear mascara and eyeliner etc, so I would always have black under my eyes which was also rather embarrassing. I would also find my eyes would get red and start stinging in these situations. I heard about people putting a couple of drops of castor oil into each eye before going to bed. I tried this myself. The first couple of nights it can sting a little, but disappears when your eyes are closed. After about a week, my problem disappeared. It also made THE WHITES OF MY EYES WHITER, AND THE BLUE MUCH BRIGHTER! ! ! My eyes now look like my 1 year olds pure, sparkling eyes! Fabulous! My EYELASHES ALSO GREW THICKER AND LONGER within that week. Your eyes naturally have an oil layer. This helps nourish that layer of the eye. You can buy eye drops that are very costly, but the main ingredient in them is castor oil anyway. Save yourself some money and buy castor oil!
Kidney Disease and Liver Damage
Posted by Brooke (Montgomery, TX) on 03/09/2008
★★★★★
I have always used Castor Oil Packs to strengthen my liver and kidneys. The liver can grow itself back if you take the time to do it.
You get cold pressed castor oil, wool flannel, a heating pad and a piece of plastic - I use a garbage bag. There are sites online that will explain it in details.
I put the castor oil into a sealed container with the wool flannel and shake it up. You want the castor oil to e dripping from it slowly. I then put the container into the microwave for about 15 or 20 seconds - just to get it heated up. I then put a couple of towels onto my bed or couch and lay down on them. Then I take the wool flannel and put it on my stomach. If you are trying to heal the liver, put it a little bit more over your liver, if you are trying to heal the kidneys, put it over that area. Then I put the garbage bag onto th flannel and then the heating pad - all the way on high (or as high as you can handle). Leave it on for at least one hour and meditate on what you are trying to achieve. After you are finished, wipe your self off with a mixture of Baking soda and water,to get your skin back to the proper ph.
Do this for 4-5 days on and then leave off for the remaining days.
There is a good book called Edgar Cayce and the Palma Christi. It tells of all the wonderful things that Castor Oil (the Palma Christi) does!
Sawdust in the Eye
Posted by Mama to Many (TN) on 03/18/2023
★★★★★
My son was milling some cedar wood and got some cedar dust in his eye.
He wasn't home for quite a while and I think he was probably rubbing it some. When he came in his eye was red and swollen and before I even asked what happened I asked if he was having an allergic reaction. When he explained what happened, I wasn't sure if his eye was just irritated or if he was having a reaction or both.
I had him take Benadryl and I put a drop of castor oil in his eye. Within minutes he had some relief. I repeated the castor oil before bed and by morning his eye looked and almost felt normal.
He is not a complainer and was very uncomfortable. I was afraid we would have to get an emergency appointment with the eye doctor, but the castor oil did the trick!
I am pretty sure I reported this cure before when his older brother had wood dust in his eye, but this tip is one to keep in mind, so here I am again with it. :)
~Mama to Many~
Scars, Age Spots
Posted by Kayla (La, Ca) on 06/05/2012
★★★★★
My ND wanted me to use organic cold pressed castor oil packs on my abdomen for assisting in herximer effect. So, after a shower in the evening I would rub castor oil on my abdomen and put a hot pad on my abdomen for an hour or two. In less than six weeks I noticed a scar on my abdomen disappeared! So I started castor oil on my face. I let the steam do the work while in the bathtub or shower I rub the castor oil on the face and let the steam send it deeper into the skin and just leave it on overnight.. I've seen a remarkable decrease in age spots.
Eye Blister
Posted by Mama To Many (Tn) on 09/06/2017
★★★★★
Last evening at bedtime I felt like I had an eyelash in my eye. I checked in the mirror and did not see an eyelash. I finally realized I had a tiny blister looking thing on my eyelid, the part between the lashes and the eyeball. It made my eye feel like it had sand in it. I was so tired I didn't want to look up what it was or what to do for it. (It didn't look like a sty - it was not red or irritated.)
Then I remembered castor oil for eyes, cysts, pimples, etc.
I put a drop into my eye and went right to bed.
I woke up this morning and forgot about it; the irritation was gone. I think the little blister thing is, too.
I tried looking up what it was today and was not able to figure it out.
But you don't always have to know exactly what you have to find a solution.
~Mama to Many~
Moles
Posted by Jomi (Georgia, Usa) on 04/01/2017
★★★★★
I used castor oil and baking soda with a waterproof band aid on my back, well, with my husband's help. I actually forgot it was there..After about 5 days, after a shower, I felt an itch, then I realized that I had forgot about the band aid...When I asked my husband to remove it, so I could reapply, the mole was gone...I had tried this about 17 years ago, but I changed the application everyday..it worked then, too.. both moles were about the size of a pencil eraser..and not brown..they had been there for years, and haven't changed..I would not use this on moles that have changed or are dark brown...have them checked out first..
Yeast Infections
Posted by Eleny (Graham, WA) on 09/25/2008
★★★★★
My son recently had a horrible yeast infection on his bottom. I did not notice it right away because it was right on the outside of his anus. The reason I did not notice it right away is because he had not been passing regular bowel movements and I had no need to wipe him there. I was giving him his bath and wiping him when I first noticed it. At first I thought it was feces but it would not come off and when I looked he had what looked like a horrible case of acne that was about to pop. Initially I thought it was a diaper rash but soon realized it was not. I took him to the doctors office the following morning and the doctor said that he had a yeast infection and prescribed some ointment. I was honest and told the doctor that I would not try the ointment until I tried a natural alternative first. I then went home and applied diluted _____'s Organic ACV on a cotton square and wiped him and also put some H202 on another cotton square and applied that to the infected area. I then decided to use Castor oil because of the many health benefits it has when applied to the skin onto the yeast and I kid you not within a 24 hour period the infection was COMPLETELY gone! And believe it or not since I have used the Castor Oil on his bottom he has been passing bowel movements regularly.
Pinguecula
Posted by Paula (Miami, Fl) on 04/15/2010
★★★★★
I am 42 years old and have had a yellow callous like spot on the white of my eyes. I grew up at the beach but never wore sunglasses. After reading how castor oil helps with cateracts and other eye problems. I tried it. I put a drop in each eye. After doing this for about 4 times in the course of 2 weeks, the yellow spot was completely gone. It really is gone.
Burns, Serious
Posted by Sharon (Redding, California) on 08/26/2008
★★★★★
My daughter sunburned the shins on both legs. They had 3rd-degree burns. Big yellow blisters. She could walk for about 3 days. I was told by an elderly man to soak gauze in Castor Oil and wrap her legs with the gauze and leave it for 3 days. The next day my daughter was able to walk. The 3rd day I removed the gauze and she was healed. Blisters gone. Her legs we just a shade pink. It left no scars. Awesome stuff.
Dogs
Posted by Francine (Playa Del Rey, Ca) on 07/19/2008
★★★★★
I wanted to share my experience with castor oil. One week ago I discovered a large lump on the throat of my dog, the size of a golf ball. Remembering I had found info about castor on your site, I quickly started aggressively applying it to the tumor. I personally have been brewing and drinking essiac tea for years. I keep the left over sludge and started putting that in my dogs food. Remarkably, the tumor is now gone. A little of a week has passed and after applying the castor oil almost 5 times a day. Thank you so much. On a side note, I have been using the oil on my face for beautiful skin, on my strained veins on my legs, which have been disppearing, and my mother in law's dog with tumors also as well as an enlarged liver, has been applying it to her dogs tumors and liver area, after a visit to the vet, the second tests showed the liver had shrunk to normal.
Toenail Fungus
Posted by Ann (Algonquin, IL) on 04/17/2008
★★★★★
I have successfully used castor oil to treat toenail fungus. My baby toenail was completely taken over by fungus. It had a black line running through it as well (another sign of fungus). I did this treatment twice per day until the nail grew out: First, I put two drops of vinegar on the nail. Then I placed a bit of cotton soaked in castor oil directly on the nail and kept it in place with a bandage. The nail is completely healthy. It's been almost two years since the treatment.
Heart Palpitations
Posted by Adastra (Seattle, USA) on 05/30/2023
★★★★★
Castor Oil for Heart Palpitations/ Arrythmia
I had been having constant heart palpitations for over a month following an especially stressful time in my life! They would worsen or improve but I was still having them daily and nothing was really helping. Finally in desperation, I made a large castor pack over my heart and mid-chest and upper abdomen, thinking maybe I can clean out that area, get more blood flow, calm my vagus nerve... Well, after an hour, palpitations were 99% gone and I slept peacefully all night (I kept the castor pack on). And didn't return the next day. I will continue using the pack if something comes up again but I'm so happy to have a normal heartbeat again!
Diverticulitis Pain
Posted by Hilldy (NC) on 02/19/2022
★★★★★
I used castor oil on my stomach where I was diverticulitis pain, and the pain is about completely gone! I just put it on a small rag over the spot where I was hurting and then covered that with a washcloth. Then I pulled my underwear up over that and left it on most of the day. I wasn't moving around much so it stayed in place. If anyone has suffered diverticulitis pain, or any pain like kidney stones etc. this stuff is amazing!
Cold Feet
Posted by Sara (southern USA) on 11/13/2019
★★★★★
Castor oil is great for SO many things - including my most recent discovery - a cure for cold feet! As a child my mother forced castor oil down me for every illness so I shunned it for years. But thanks to the Earth Clinic community, I've returned to castor oil using it on my face with great results. And on nasal polyps which seems to be helping.
But the biggy for me was this: I finally decided to try a castor oil pack. Made a small pack (4”x6”) using cotton cloth I had available, soaked the cloth with castor oil (wet but not dripping), placed it just below my right rib cage (liver area), plastic wrap over the top, covered with a heating pad on low. After an hour, I felt better - can't quite describe the feeling - surely a combination of being still, quieting my mind and the castor oil. BUT THEN I got ready for bed. I ALWAYS always wear socks to bed because my feet are cold. To my amazement - my feet were warm!!!! Thought it was a fluke. Tried it again the next night. Yes, warm feet!!! Thank you, Earth Clinic community!
