Uses, Benefits, and Risks of this Centuries-Old Home Remedy.

• How to Make a Castor Oil Pack|
• What Is a Castor Oil Pack?|
• Benefits of Castor Oil|
• Ways to Use Castor Oil|
• Risks and Caveats|
• Will You Try It?|

When you were a kid, did your grandmother ever offer you castor oil for a tummy ache? Or maybe you remember the line from the children’s song in Disney’s Mary Poppins, “Never give us castor oil or gruel,” and have wondered what castor oil is all about.

Castor oil has been used medicinally for thousands of years, dating all the way back to ancient Egypt and Greece. It’s been prescribed over the centuries for its anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antimicrobial, and laxative properties [1, 2].

Today, it’s an over-the-counter product easily found at any drug store, and it’s FDA-approved for use as a stimulant laxative. One of the easiest and gentlest ways to use castor oil is transdermally: AKA, through a castor oil pack placed somewhere on your skin.

First, I’ll explain how to make a castor oil pack at home. Then, I’ll discuss potential benefits, uses, risks, and side effects.

How to Make a Castor Oil Pack

Making a DIY castor oil pack, while very easy, can get messy. 

Find an old towel and place it on whatever surface you plan to lie down on while using your pack. This will protect your couch or mattress from getting stained with oil. Castor oil is thick and viscous, and it’s difficult to wash off. 

Wash your hands with grease-cutting dish soap after you’ve prepped your castor pack.

The idea behind a castor oil pack is that it will enter your body through your skin to perform its magic, right at the location you need it. So if you have joint pain in your knee, you would place your pack around your knee. In this way, it’s similar to a heating pad for pain relief. In fact, you will use heat to help your skin absorb the oil in the instructions below.

Materials Needed: 

1. Hexane-free castor oil
2. A piece of organic cotton flannel,  wool flannel, or a cotton washcloth
3. Plastic wrap or plastic bag
4. Heat source like a hot water bottle or electric heating pad

Step by Step Instructions:

1. Pour castor oil over the piece of organic cotton flannel or wool flannel (or washcloth) and soak it completely. You might want to use a bowl here to catch any spills and put it directly into the dishwasher after you’ve placed your pack.
2. Place your soaked flannel on the affected body part.
3. Cover the flannel with a sheet of plastic wrap (like saran wrap or a plastic bag).
4. Place a hot water bottle, heating pad, or other safe heat source on top of the plastic to heat the pack.
5. Leave the pack in place for an hour every day for 3 days.

What is a Castor Oil Pack?

A castor oil pack is simply fabric soaked in castor oil and then applied to the skin, as detailed above. Some people choose to buy a kit with all of the materials needed, which usually includes a cotton or wool compress and a bottle of castor oil. 

However, it’s pretty easy to make a DIY pack with materials you already have at home, and you will get the same benefits from the castor oil. 

Castor oil is a vegetable oil made from the castor bean plant, which produces very oily seeds/beans (about 40-60% of the seed is oil) [1, 2]. The castor bean is native to the Mediterranean, eastern Africa, and India, which explains its use in ancient Egypt and Greece. To make the oil, the ripe seed/bean is cold-pressed and filtered.

Castor oil’s active ingredient is ricinoleic acid, an unsaturated fatty acid that offers anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and antimicrobial properties [1, 2].

Castor oil is versatile and has other uses beyond applying it as a pack to the skin. It can be taken orally, used in skincare or hair creams, and is even an ingredient in some eye drops.  

Benefits of Castor Oil

Castor oil is both a traditional remedy and a well-researched medical intervention. It’s more researched in certain areas, like constipation relief and joint pain relief, while anecdotal evidence and historical records guide its use in other areas.

There’s research to support using castor oil for constipation and pain relief from osteoarthritis [1, 3]. 

The strongest castor oil study was a 2009 randomized controlled trial that found oral castor oil was almost as effective as an NSAID (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug) for reducing osteoarthritis pain [3]. As a bonus, castor oil helped without causing the side effects that can come with NSAIDs. 

Castor oil, taken orally, has been a go-to remedy for centuries to stimulate bowel movements and aid with constipation. Before other types of laxatives like polyethylene glycol or senna became the preferred choice for doctors, castor oil was used in colonoscopy preparation to empty the colon before the scope [1, 4, 5].

Today, there are other ways to help relieve constipation, including probiotics, dietary interventions, and even biofeedback therapy. All of these may work as well or better than castor oil, with fewer potential side effects.

Limited research suggests you can also use castor oil for [6, 7, 8, 9]:

• Dry eyes
• Dark circles under your eyes
• Hair hydration (in animal studies)
• Reducing eyelid inflammation 

Preliminary research indicates that castor oil may also be useful for eradicating candida or other fungal infections, but more work needs to be done before we can recommend it [10].

Folk Medicine and Traditional Remedies

Although there’s not much clinical research to support it, folk medicine and traditional health practitioners recommend using castor oil for detoxification, menstrual cramps, uterine fibroids, endometriosis, rashes, and even as a moisturizer for reducing fine lines and wrinkles.

According to ancient Chinese traditions, castor oil may break up adhesions and stagnation in the body, reduce scarring and stretch marks, help reduce inflammation, and even break up ovarian cysts in people with PCOS when used either orally or as a castor oil pack.

4 Ways to Use Castor Oil

There are a number of methods for using/taking castor oil as a remedy. I always ask my clients to look for hexane-free, organic castor oil because it’s processed without chemicals, using only physical extraction (cold-pressing).

Here’s how to use castor oil:

• Take it by mouth as a liquid or capsule.
  • For joint pain, I ask my clients to use 0.5-1 teaspoon at a time, daily. This will help minimize unwanted digestive consequences.
  • For constipation, start with 1 tablespoon, and work your way up to 4 or until you’ve reached the desired effects [11].
• Use a castor oil pack on the skin for pain relief in a specific location.
• Use eye drops — there are special formulations for this. Do not put regular castor oil directly into your eyes.
• Use the oil or cream form directly on your skin or hair.

Risks and Caveats for Using Castor Oil

There are certain people who should not use castor oil. Castor oil can induce labor, so it’s important for pregnant people to avoid it unless specifically advised by a doctor or midwife at an appropriate time in pregnancy. A 2022 meta-analysis of eight clinical trials including pregnant women found that castor oil increased the odds of labor induction [12].

Other potential side effects of castor oil include [1]:

• Diarrhea (if taken orally at a higher dose) 
• Abdominal cramping and bloating 
• Vomiting 
• Dizziness

Always talk to your doctor or healthcare provider before trying a new supplement or over-the-counter drug, especially if you have pre-existing health issues. Many people seek out castor oil as a quick detox or wellness boost, but if you have a pre-existing issue that may make these side effects more likely, you’ll want to consult with a professional first.

Will You Try It?

After what I’ve covered here, will you try a castor oil pack? Castor oil is a centuries-old intervention, used by humans since ancient times for all manner of internal and topical health concerns. In some areas—like pain relief and constipation—there’s clinical research to back up its use, but it’s not always the preferred method for modern-day doctors and health care practitioners, as newer options with fewer side effects have come to the market.

We’d love to help you on your journey to health and wellness. Reach out to our clinic to find out more about our practice and how we can assist you.

The Ruscio Institute has developed a range of high-quality formulations to help our clients and audience. If you’re interested in learning more about these products, please click here. Note that there are many other options available, and we encourage you to research which products may be right for you. The information on DrRuscio.com is for educational purposes only. It is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.

Dr. Michael Ruscio is a DC, Naturopathic Practitioner, researcher, and clinician. He serves as an Adjunct Professor at the University of Bridgeport and has published numerous papers in scientific journals as well as the book Healthy Gut, Healthy You. He also founded the Ruscio Institute of Functional Health, where he helps patients with a wide range of GI conditions and serves as the Head of Research.