Have you heard about Castor Oil Therapy and its many Benefits?

Castor oil is a multi-purpose vegetable oil that has been used in alternative medicine for thousands of years. The oil is derived from the beans of the castor plant (Ricinus communis) and was used by the ancient Egyptians to treat a variety of issues such as constipation, eye irritation and even to induce labor. However, we now know that the seeds contain a toxic enzyme called ricin that is not safe for ingestion even in the smallest doses. Luckily, the heating process required to make the castor oil renders the ricin harmless, making castor oil therapy completely safe.

jamaican black castor beans aromatherapy utama spice

Before we get into all the benefits of Castor Oil Therapy, we wanted to answer some of your questions first. After that, we will share our Top 7 Castor Oil Therapy Benefits; then we will discuss some of the differences in Jamaican Black Castor Oil Therapy Benefits. Lastly, we’ll give you some information on castor oil therapy for colds, castor oil therapy for arthritis, castor oil benefits for eyes and the best castor oil for skin.

 

Castor Oil’s Therapeutic Benefits Questions

therapeutic benefits of castor essential oils weight management utama spice

What are Castor Oil Packs?

“A castor oil pack involves the use of cloth soaked in castor oil which is placed on the skin. It’s used by some alternative practitioners to enhance circulation and to promote the healing of the tissues and organs underneath the skin. Alternative practitioners also use it to improve liver function, relieve pain, reduce inflammation, and to improve digestion.

Castor oil packs are made by soaking a piece of flannel in castor oil and placing it on the skin. The flannel is covered with a sheet of plastic, and then a hot water bottle is placed over the plastic to heat the pack.”1

 

While this is one way to create your own D.I.Y. castor oil therapy pack, it’s not the only way. You can use a towel instead of the plastic wrap or a heating pad instead of the hot water bottle. Most sources agree on using flannel as the medium for the castor oil though.  This is because it is absorbent, holds heat well and can be purchased organically, however cotton should make a fine substitute as well.

 

 

What do castor oil packs do for you?

“Castor oil packs harness the anti-inflammatory and lymph stimulating benefits of castor oil but allow safer external use. From a 1999 study: … In short, castor oil packs have been said to help detoxify the liver naturally, support uterine and ovarian health, improve lymphatic circulation, and reduce inflammation.”2

 

If you’re looking to receive some of the specific benefits through your use of castor oil therapy, then we definitely recommend using the packs we discussed in the previous section. They’re quite simple to make at home and seem to be the most effective way to use castor oil therapy to treat the aforementioned conditions.

 

What is castor oil good for?

“Ricinoleic acid, the main fatty acid found in castor oil, has impressive anti-inflammatory properties. Studies have shown that when castor oil is applied topically, it reduces inflammation and relieves pain.”3

 

We’ll discuss more of castor oil’s benefits below!

 

How long do castor oil effects last?

“How long does it take castor oil to work? Castor oil typically causes a bowel movement to occur in 2 to 3 hours. However, it may take up to 6 hours to work for some people. Due to the delayed effects of castor oil, avoid taking it before bedtime.”4

 

While this answer discusses the effects of castor oil therapy on the digestive system and combating constipation, castor oil therapy can be used to treat many other conditions. When using topically, or in castor oil packs, the effects can be expected to last for a few hours or longer and with consistent weekly use, the symptoms should progressively improve.

 

 

Do castor oil packs help with weight loss?

“It also boosts fat metabolism by improving bowel movement. It can alleviate the problem of water retention in your body and help you lose weight – at least a few pounds. It is a potent laxative, and hence, you should not use it over a long period. … So, here’s how to use castor oil for weight loss.”5

 

In our next post, we will tell you our tips and tricks for using Castor Oil for Weight Loss. But we do agree that if you’re ingesting castor oil daily, like this article suggests, that it’s definitely not something that you want to do for very long, as it may dehydrate you or cause to a mineral deficiency.

 

Now that we’ve answered some of the questions you may have regarding Castor Oil and Castor Oil Therapy, we’d like to share our Top 7 Benefits of Castor Oil Therapy.

 

Top 7 Castor Oil Benefits

  1. Lose Weight
  2. Improve Eyes
  3. Boost Digestion and Fight Constipation
  4. Detoxify Liver and Improve Lymphatic System
  5. Treat Arthritis; Relieve Pain and Inflammation
  6. Fight Colds
  7. Great for Hair & Skin

 

Utama Spice Bali Castor Oil

 

Jamaican Black Castor Oil Benefits

Jamaican Black Castor Oil has extremely similar benefits to Castor Oil. Any of the differences you may experience would be due to a difference in the quality of the production between the two oils. Jamaican Black Castor Oil is made from the same castor beans as Castor Oil, but in its particular process, the beans are roasted first. This extra step accomplishes two things. First, the color of the oil comes out black or dark brown in comparison to the traditionally yellow color of castor oil. Second, the pH level of the two oils differ. While castor oil is slightly acidic, due to the ashes of the beans, the Jamaican Black Castor Oil is slightly alkaline. This can have some slight effects when considering which is best for your specific conditions.

 

Castor Oil’s Therapeutic Benefits

 

 

1 & 2. Castor Oil for Weight Loss & Castor Oil Benefits for Eyes

In our next posts, we will go in depth to discuss Castor Oil for Weight Loss and Castor Oil Benefits for Eyes.

Castor oil can be used to help with weight loss, improve your digestive system and as a natural laxative. Meanwhile, castor oil can be used to stimulate growth in the eyebrows and eyelashes, while also helping with dryness, redness and more.

3 & 4. Boost Digestion, Fight Constipation & Detoxify Liver and Lymphatic System

As is mentioned in many of the answers provided to our commonly asked questions, castor oil therapy can be used both as a laxative and as a natural therapeutic remedy to boost the body’s functions. When used as a laxative, drinking 2-3 drops of castor oil on an empty stomach can generally be enough to begin bowel movements soon.

When using castor oil therapy to boost the health of your gastrointestinal tract, your liver or your lymphatic circulation, we suggest using the castor oil packs. Placing the castor oil pack on your abdomen can help improve the overall health and function of all these systems and organs.

 

5. Castor Oil for Arthritis

Castor oil therapy can be used to treat arthritis, joint inflammation and can relieve mild pains. This is because castor oil and one of its main components, ricinoleic acid, contain strong, natural anti-inflammatory properties. Studies have shown that ingesting small amounts of castor oil consistently work just as effectively for treating arthritis as more conventional treatments.

 

6. Castor Oil for Colds

Similarly to how the castor oil packs improve the function of the bodies digestive and detoxification systems, castor oil therapy also improves the function of the immune system. This helps you fight colds! Studies have demonstrated that using the castor oil packs on abdomen can increase the body’s production of lymphocytes, which act as part of your immune system’s frontline of defense.

 

7. Best Castor Oil for Hair & Skin

Unfortunately, there is no one-size-fits-all answer for this one! Which Castor Oil is best for your skin will vary depending on the composition of your skin and any conditions it may have. Typically, human skin is fairly acidic, so if you feel the need to raise that pH, Jamaican Black Castor Oil is usually alkaline in its composition while normal cold-pressed Castor Oil is slightly acidic.

Both will help fight against acne, moisturize your skin and assist with healing wounds. Because of its antibacterial and antimicrobial attributes, castor oil will also help fight off many of the common skin bacteria and infections you encounter on a day-to-day basis.

In one of our next posts, we’ll share more about Using Castor Oil for Hair.

Utama Spice Bali Castor Oil

 

Do you have some more castor oil therapy benefits? Tell us! Like, share or comment on Facebook, Twitter & Instagram!

 

 

Sources

  1. https://www.verywellhealth.com/castor-oil-pack-88242
  2. https://wellnessmama.com/35671/castor-oil-packs/
  3. https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/castor-oil
  4. https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/313523.php
  5. https://www.stylecraze.com/articles/castor-oil-help-lose-weight/
Shares

Pin It on Pinterest

WhatsApp chat