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

I am reading conflicting recommendations regarding castor oil and use of packs. Once a castor oil bottle is opened and first used, how long can you keep reusing the oil that you have put into your container for packs? As for the packs themselves, how many times should you use the fabric pack until discarding (I'm reading 30 times max, others write 3-6 months). Finally, once you have initially set-up your castor oil and packs for use, is there any need to continue adding castor oil for "refreshening. " At what point do you throw the oil out and begin again?

WARNING!

I've noticed at reading some of the posts that alot of people use heating pads for their ailments. and that's understandable because heating pads are comforting. But PLEASE ask yourself if your ailment could have an infection at it's source otherwise, you could mistakenly SPREAD an infection. I did this with myself, when I should have been using an ice pack to contain the infection. GOD BLESS!!!!

For anyone with Lymphatic Malformation out there. Chocolate should be taken out of the diet, and Sugar, minimized.

My daughter has not had a flare up since I have completely omited chocolate and large amounts of Sugar from the diet. I even tested her out with the chocolate and she got a flare up the next day.

Hi Philippa. I am 67, also diabetic, but reversed the neuropathy in my feet 16 years ago with diet & supplements.

i dumped highly refined wheat/gluten & sugar & adopted a natural unprocessed whole food diet with some supplements, especially the B vitamins, so crucial for nerve support & repair.

But I also do use Castor oil, & yes, it has made my feet beautifully soft too. I'm also using it on my eyes to (hopefully) heal the cataract & bit of retinopathy I have in my right eye.

Oooh! I've been trying to grow mine back so I could experiment on them some more and I'm SO trying this!! And I highly recommend linen socks - they're cheap and don't last forever but they're also AWESOME! I just applied CO to my feet and put mine on and it's...well...AWESOME - and you can wear them upside down when they get holes in the bottom. Haven't had much success mending them...

Another recommendation is one of those bath mats that looks like a big, flat, plastic loofah, so you don't slip in the shower if you are using castor oil on your feet. And, definitely Kirk's castile and Dr. Bronner's liquid castile soaps. I use the Bronner's in a foamer at the kitchen sink that I use for just about everything and Kirk's for the shower. Both cut castor oil and do a pretty good job cutting borax, as well.

Cold pressed is what I use as well. I put it into my eye for the eye bubble. I used it nightly in my eyes for months previously with no side effects.

~Mama to Many~

Dear Sandy,

Carrot juice taken daily over a a long period of time may be helpful to your eyes. It cured a friend of mine of an "incurable" eye disease!

Regarding castor oil, yes, I love it for dry skin. You have to gently massage it into the skin. I do this sometimes at night and then by morning it is all absorbed.

Regarding the concern about your jaw bone and tooth problems, could you remind me what you are currently doing? Supplements? Diet? Medications?

I don't think castor oil would have that negative effect on the inside of your mouth, but since everyone is different, I wouldn't rule it out entirely.

~Mama to Many~

@Sandy from IL: I've read that L Carnosine eye drops will get rid of cataracts. Check Amazon or ebay.

Contractions would/may possibly start only if Ingested. My sister with 5 kids did this after their due dates with the last 2.

Topically, it's fine. It stimulates the immune system to send T11 healing cells to the area it's placed over.

So, NO problem!!!

Healthy healing, everybody.

Did you just put castor oil on the tooth using a cotton ball and did not swish the oil between teeth?

Research serrapeptase and its use for internal scaring and unblocking Fallopian tubes people report 6 months to fix taking high doses. Hope that helps along with the castor oil, helped with people infertility too.

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~

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.

I paint iodine on breasts when they are sore or cystic..by the next morning pain is gone. I would think this is safe. Most pregnant women are deficient in iodine and it helps baby also. Always good to check with doctor though. Ask if its safe to use iodine externally on skin. I buy it for $3 at any pharmacy ..or Walmart etc. Do not buy decolorized iodine, it doesnt work as well. Wear an old tshirt, in case it stains clothing. I pain wherever it hurts, or even all over. This is great for fibrocystic breasts also.

Yes. I agree.

Castor oil is a ‘drawer'. It can pull toxins out - or enable the body to push them out by its ability to increase white blood cell status in the area - and many of us have used quite toxic cosmetics & products over the years. Conjunctivitis, like anything coming out of the body anywhere, is a purging symptom. It's likely to only be a temporary issue.

Often, reactions we get to a natural substance comes not from the substance itself, but what it is doing to help cleanse & detox the body. But people assume it's the substance they are reacting to & stop using it - which of course appears to resolve the problem. But the toxins may still be present, secreted away in the tissues.

I am also allergic to castor oil. I found out that blood type O can be sensitive to castor oil.

A plant-based diet with plenty of greens, fresh fruit & veg juices and whole fruit is great for clearing the lymph. Dr. Morse is a great proponent of getting the lymph clear. Blocked lymph can apparently be at the root of most developed disease.

I have Shih Tzus and one of them isn't eating his food. I always try natural cures and use Organic Apple Cider Vinegar in their food for the immune system and chinese herbs. I took Amos who is 11years old to the vet for blood work and will let you know his results. He had girgle lose fleem in his throat up to his nose. When I took him my retired vet he had him on medication but it causes stomach naseau, so my vet who I use for emergency operations if needed told me to stop the medcation which I did anyway. He is alway happy jumps around and eats. Maybe whatever he has is breaking lose in his throat as he had swollen lymph nodes/glands and now they aren't swollen.

My question is can I use castor oil on his throat area and just rub it in? as I know it has many healing advantages. Please let me know. I'm also getting chinese herbs as they help my one dog when her legs were dragging, been 2 years as she is fine.

Terry

I wonder if it works on human tumors as well?

Hello Mama to Many, (Good Samaritan)

I have a cataract and tried castor oil but not much of use. Can you please suggest some alternate home remedy for my cataract. I am not able to drive specially in the night time. Also I tried taking castor oil internally, it cleaned my bowels three to four times in one day, but I noticed that my gums in upper jaw near my front teeth are swelling and having irritation. Is that the side effect?

Dear Mama to Many,

Also please let me know whether the castor oil is good for dry skin. My skin is super dry and face always looked dull and tired. and because of dry skin my face is wrinkled and look very old,

Another problem for my dropping skin on face is my jaw bones have become week and I am some loose tooth. Do you know any home remedy to make my jaw bones stronger? You are my saviour on this site.

Dear Mama to Many,

I have been taking care of just almost every day or at least 3 times a week, for the past 4/5 years. I just stopped last year, because there were lots of guests in the house and there was no time for myself. My tooth became wiggly last summer and I got it fixed by a dentist in India. He pressed it down and put some adhesive kind of thing and now it still firm. But moment he fixed it I noticed that my eyesight in one eye became very weak.i read somewhere that there's a connection between each eye and corresponding body organ to that. And because of my eye problem I'm not able to search on the website what is that connection between teeth and body organs. Until two months ago I was taking vitamin D3 alpha lipoic acid, coq10, magnesium calcium and ashvagandha. Recently I stopped everything and taking only coq10 and ALA. Massaing my gums with G32 tablet. This is my routine now. Sometime I rince my mouth with pinch of Alum and a pinch of salt in warm water. That gives lot of releif to my aching gums and teeth.

Castor oil pack are fine. Taking internally is for inducing labour.

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

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~

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

Hi Alison

Get a small cotton ball and soak it in Caster Oil and wedge it on the tooth, do this as many times as needed. Even at bedtime over night.

keep healthy

Gary

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!

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.

NAY I'd like to also add to this and say I've been using castor oil for my face and eyes for a couple of weeks and every morning my eyes are red and puffy. Didn't attribute much to it until I woke up with conjunctivitis this morning and started researching.. yes, the risin in castor oil can cause conjunctivitis! :( Will keep going on the face but will avoid the eye area.

I find castor oil is too thick for sensitive skin underneath the eyes and causes extreme puffiness for days if I put it anywhere near my eyes. But I am extremely sensitive to most eye creams and can't use them. Perhaps cutting the castor oil with avocado oil or another carrier oil would be gentler. Not in the eyes of course, just around the eyes.

She probably just applied it and left it, Castor oil is absorbed into the skin in a few minutes.

Probably used a castor oil pack- you can google "how to make a castor oil pack" and there are good descriptions. BE SURE your castor oil is Organic, Cold Pressed, and Hexane Free.

Yes, & stress & trauma of any kind drains the body of the ‘stress-management' nutrients including Magnesium & the B vitamins.

Read your post and - as if it was planned - I went and sprained the muscle, ligament or tendon or whatever that bit is, back of the knee SOOO I smeared some castor oil on it and ahhhhh...I LOVE that stuff! Obviously, it didn't miraculously fix the issue but it always feels like "ahhhhhh"! We'll see how it feels in the morning.

I heard of people using menstral pads. Load it up with castoral and it sticks to the skin

Cindy, you have a convert-- going to try this to support my bladder. My symptoms sound like yours-- we shall see!! Thank you!

@Sharon

I love reading the castor oil sections on Earth Clinic! It's nearly all fantastic outcomes and just makes me extra happy! Sort of like an attitude adjustment!! (I also enjoy Sunflower farm baby goat videos, LOL)

Anyway, I don't usually get this far through the castor oil reports but it's evening and there's nothing going on so I saw your comment (2 years later!! ) and was thinking about all of the other times I've used castor oil since and it occurs to me that I used it on something a bit different, several months ago - just for a day, after which I got distracted and forgot all about it - but the issue was resolved! And I didn't even notice!

A few years ago I SUPER "stubbed" a toe. As in I really jammed it back into my foot somehow, not sure what condition it was in BUT, it was shorter and the nail, although it didn't turn black or fall off, stopped growing and the dang thing would just plain hurt sometimes.

ANYWAY, it was particularly painful one day and I was wondering about ways to resolve the matter. Obviously, it was some sort of "dislocation" or something so not something I would usually treat with something like castor oil but I figured, what the heck? Let's see what happens! And I did but didn't. "See", that is...so...

3 or 4 times, that day, I alternately applied castor oil, then a couple hours later I would apply 4 or 5 drops of DMSO and went back and forth like that, all day but, like I said, I totally forgot about it afterward and this was several months ago but I just realized it hasn't hurt since I did that and seems perfectly fine which is sort of weird, isn't it? It MAY have even been broken, I don't know, but it was absolutely super jammed or dislocated or something for several years and now it isn't. And I didn't even notice that it isn't until I saw your query about further castor oil adventures!

It's just such awesome stuff and all of these reports are so awesome and I just received some ozonated olive oil today and am looking forward to a need for something of that sort again so I can compare THAT to castor oil as I've been studying the various ozone treatments - which are used all over the rest of the world - and appear to be equally fantastic.

I still can't believe I believed it when I read, repeatedly, that there are no studies regarding ozone treatments when, in fact, there are THOUSANDS of studies. Just not in the US. And I should have known better!

ANYway, lots of high-fiving and WOOHOOing in this report but there it is. Super simple, super effective. Put simply, castor oil well and truly rocks!

I use it undeluted and my eyes are better but I'm not sure is it safe.

The article below says: "The instillation of a castor oil solution into the eyes of nine patients resulted in mild and transient discomfort and minor epithelial changes. In another study involving 100 patients, the instillation of castor oil produced corneal epithelial cell death and continuity breaks in the epithelium."

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18080873

• Castor oil taken internally induces labor. Castor oil packs not on a belly area should be fine.

I find it has just enough grip to give the face muscles a good workout, if you engage them against the direction you're rubbing. I've always massaged and exercised my face, have never been "delicate" with my skin, don't wear makeup and have always appeared younger than my age to others. Aside from when I woke up after sleeping off the Covid. I looked about 80! ROFL! BUT, I've got my strength back - thanks to rebounding - and everything's back to normal now!

I didn't have this problem, maybe your fingers or oil where contaminated by some bacterias. This can happen with any product, make up or cream that gets into your eyes.

Skin cancer of the lip: Has anyone ever heard of using Castor Oil Packs on skin cancer???

Will this caster oil not give you blackheads?

Oh nice going!! I will give it a try, I use Castor Oil for gallbladder and liver cleanse on occasion. SO I DO HAVE organic on hand. AM GOING TO DO IT NOW.. need to go help my daughter with the new baby, and hope this helps. Taking OTC meds is not good for me with my CFS and FM issues.. thank you very much for taking the time to post..

Do you think this post from 2007 used a heating pad with it all night?

I read that castor oil has a toxic component released (recin). I was thinking of putting it into my eyes at night and I'm double checking. I don't want to cause my eyes further stress.

Hi,

I have a similar issue in my eye and keep getting the stye(boil) between eyelash/ eyelid on and off. I want to use the castor oil like you did.

Can you please suggest what type of castor oil did you use and did you put inside the eye or on eyelid. I bought cold pressed castor oil last night but I think I cannot use inside my eye.

I will appreciate your reply .

Thank you!

I know this is old, but how did you use the castor oil and baking soda? Perhaps just mix it into a paste? Thank you to anyone with the answer to this.

I thought I've read that pregnant women should not use castor oil packs, for it can cause contractions? Am I wrong? 🤷🏻‍♀️

Hi There, please must answer. As you said that youtube daughter in law used to use castor oil in pregnancy. Is it safe to use in pregnancy? On this website, I read that do not use pregnant women. Please tell me how did she use and did she get any side effects?

Is it safe to use heat with castor oil pack on the eyes?

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 ...?

Hi may I ask how to use the oil to get rid of a jaw infection? Do you dab it on gums or do oil pulling with it?

How exactly did you use it to clear the infection in your jaw? just apply it topically over your jaw and swish with it?.... thanks for the extra details

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

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

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?

Did you apply just to the bumps or to the whole under eye area? How long did you leave it on for before washing it off? Thanks.

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

I realize you posted many years ago. I'm hoping you subscribe to comments and will see this. What facial exercises do you use? Thanks :)

Do you apply this to the Dogs tumor neat or as a pack?

How do you think the poster from 2007 applied the castor oil pack? Can anyone elaborate?