Castor oil has a wide range of uses, both internally and externally. Castor oil holds a strong place in traditional Ayurvedic medicine, as well as many other ancient medical sciences. Castor oil packs are a highly effective therapy used to relieve many conditions including constipation, congestion in the GI tract, congestion in the lymphatic system, liver issues; benign tumors, cysts, and fibroids; skin disorders, and inflammatory issues.
Although the outer shell of the castor bean is actually poisonous, it is the seed inside that is used to make the castor oil. Castor oil can still be upsetting while used internally, however, and should only be taken in this manner under the guidance of a doctor or holistic practitioner. Fortunately, when used externally, there are minimal to no side effects and this remedy can be utilized daily depending on the condition and the needs of the individual.
According to Ayurveda, castor oil is heating when used internally, while being cooling externally. Therefore the castor oil pack is used to treat many Pitta disorders such as eczema and psoriasis, liver issues, inflammation, and arthritic conditions. The castor oil pack is not limited to simply Pitta issues, however. It holds a wide range of healing properties and therefore effectively treats a variety of disorders stemming from Vata, Pitta, and Kapha alike.
**Please note that castor oil packs should never be used if there is any suspicion of malignant cancer, as this can cause metastasis (spreading).
Benefits and Uses of the Castor Oil Pack
- Breaks down benign tumors, cysts, and fibroids
- Detoxifies organs
- Removes stagnation and blockages in the GI tract
- Removes congestion in the uterus
- Stimulates lymphatic circulation
- Relieves constipation
- Supports digestion and assimilation
- Breaks up scar tissue
- Reduces inflammation
- Relieves arthritic, painful, and swollen joints
- Relieves pain and inflammation in the muscles
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How to Use a Castor Oil Pack
Although the specifics of how often to use the packs may vary from individual to individual, the “how to” is pretty much the same for any disorder. Here is a concise list of instructions on how to apply the castor oil pack.
Materials needed:
- High-quality, organic castor oil – I really like this brand*!
- Hot water bottle* (preferred), or electric heating pad
- An old piece of flannel material about 20”x 10” (this can be reused up to 30 times)
- Piece of plastic about 12” x 12” (this can be cut from a trash bag or you can use cellophane)
- Old sheet to lay on
- 2 old towels; one for covering the pack and one for any spills or drips
- Medical tape* to secure the pack, if needed
- Blanket to keep covered and warm while using the pack
- Glass jar with lid to store the oily flannel between uses
Instructions
1. Warm a small amount of castor oil (about 1/4-1/2 cup) in a pan on low heat.
2. Fold the flannel cloth 3 times over until it is about 7” x 10″ in size.
3. Soak the cloth in the warm oil until completely immersed, but not dripping.
4. Allow the oil to soak into the cloth for at least 15 minutes before applying it to the body.
5. Place the oily cloth over the area that needs healing (e.g. uterus, colon, liver, joint, etc). Use medical tape to secure the pack if needed.
6. Place the plastic square completely over the oily cloth and then cover it with the towel.
7. Place the hot water bottle (or heating pad) over the pack.
8. Recline in a relaxed position with pillows behind you to support the back and allow the organs space and movement. Cover with a warm blanket to keep comfortable.
9. Keep the pack on for 30-60 minutes.
10. Repeat daily, weekly, or as directed. Never use during menstruation as this may cause excessive bleeding!
11. Store the oily cloth for reuse by keeping it in a glass jar in the refrigerator. Use this cloth up to 30 times and then replace as needed.
Purchase organic, cold-pressed, and hexane-free castor oil here!
Other External Uses for Castor Oil
- Severe dry skin
- Psoriasis
- Eczema
- Dry, brittle, or thinning hair
- Boils
- Warts
- Sunspots
- Nail infection
- Skin infection
- Dry, red eyes (use as an eyedrop)
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According to your note stated above warning to cancer patients on using castor oil packs. As cancer patient can cannot use the castor oil pack, can cancer patients consume castor oil for detox purpose?
Hi Victoria! Thank you so much for your question. You are correct that the castor oil packs are contraindicated for external local use for cancer patients. I would also avoid taking castor oil internally for a couple reasons. The first is that there is still potential for the cancer to metastasize, especially if it is located in the GI tract. Another important reason to avoid the castor oil is that cancer weakens the body, especially if one is going through chemotherapy. Castor oil is a harsh purgative and is contraindicated with weakness due to the fairly “invasive” nature of it. I would instead favor a gentler purgative such as Triphala Churna, which is safe to take with cancer and is actually recommended due to its high antioxidant content. I hope this is helpful for you. Thanks again for your question! Namaste, Danielle
Hello,
Can castor oil be given to 4 year old kid to treat constipation?
Hi Mohit! Castor oil is a fairly harsh purgative and is not recommended for children internally. I would go for Triphala Churna (1/4 tsp) with honey before bed each night instead. Keep her on a healthy, Vata pacifying diet with lots of warm, well-cooked meals and add digestive spices if possible. Finally make sure she is taking in ghee or other healthy oils for each meal (1/4-1/2 tsp per meal); this should help lubricate the GI tract and promote healthy bowels. I hope this is helpful for you! Thank you for writing. Namaste, Danielle
Very nice article. Castor oil has been my favourite. I use it for dry eyes. A few drops of oil at night. Because it make the vision blur for a while, i prefer to use it before bedtime only. I also use it for moisturizing my feet. I see same benefits with
flaxseed oil.
Nice Information. Thanks for sharing this fact, Is this product available online?
Hi there,
Yes, you can find a high quality organic castor oil online. I often get my from Mountain Rose Herbs and a 16 ounce bottle tends to last for multiple uses. The soaking cloth can be obtained by using an old piece of cotton or flannel from an old sheet or teeshirt. You can purchase a hot water bottle online or simply pick one up from any drug store such as Walgreens. Thank you for reading! Please contact me anytime with further questions!
Namaste,
Danielle
Thanks for the informative blog. I always knew castor oil was heating but didn’t know it was cooling externally & good for pitta conditions! A couple of questions: So each time you take cloth out of fridge it should go into pan with warm oil? And curious why you suggest a plastic jar & not glass or then could it also be stored in a plastic zipper bag? Also wondering why would it need to be put in the fridge at all if castor oil is shelf stable? Also per instructions from an Ayurvedist. I’ve been trying to get rid of a small fatty lipoma on the lateral part of my lower leg above the ankle rubbing castor oil on it. I’ve been trying (not very consistently) for almost a year & haven’t seen much of a difference. I’m wondering if I should be approaching this with the castor oil pack style instead & be more aggressive/consistent…or even use a different oil like mustard? Any suggestions? Thank you!
Hi Susan,
Thank you for your questions! The part on suggesting a plastic jar is actually a typo and I do recommend a glass jar. I had typed this correctly in the materials, but made the error in the instructions, so thank you so much for calling this to my attention. I have now made the correct change.
As for the refrigeration, it is needed because the castor oil is only shelf stable when it is sterile. As soon as it touches your hands, body, clothes, etc, it becomes unsterile and will breed mold overtime.
As for the lipoma, the castor oil packs will be much more effective for breaking it down compared to massaging the oil on manually. The heat and the longstanding application will make the treatment more powerful. However, regular use will be needed if you truly want to see the results. As for the mustard seed oil, I do not suggest this as it can burn the skin and the castor oil is much more specific for breaking down excessive growths.
I hope this helps!
Namaste,
Danielle
Thank you so much for your informative article. Can we use castor oil pack for eyes externally? Do we have to heat it with a hot water bottle as well or something else?
Hi Samiksha Jain,
Thank you for writing in with your question! I would advise against adding heat to the eyes, since there will be much more sensitivity in this area compared to the abdominal region (or other areas of the body). I would simply use castor oil eye drops, if you are looking to apply this oil to the eyes. If you have a high quality, organic, sterile castor oil, you can also try pouring it in an eye cup and placing this over the open eye for several minutes for more exposure. This would be similar to a netra basti treatment in Ayurveda, and should only be done as needed.
I hope this helps!
Namaste,
Danielle
8-2020
My 14 year old son had a big mole on his finger. Went to dermatologist and she used liquid nitrogen to cut it off. It got worse! It got bigger and black and blue over a period of 3 months. I had known about castor oil pack (every night for 2 weeks straight) for tennis elbow and sprained ankle to stimulate a healing response. I wrapped my son’s finger in a castor oil pack every night. Within a week it look better but it didn’t get any smaller. I kept at it every day for 2 months and around the 2 months time frame it started getting really smaller and healthier looking. Note that at the one month time frame, I added some baking soda to the castor oil. I stopped after 2.5 months because you can see that it’s healing with beautiful healthy skin. Within 3 months it was flat and you can barely see it in the finger. My son hated the castor wrap every night but in the end he was really happy with that mole gone.
Hi Khoi,
Thank you for sharing your son’s story with us. It is very inspiring! Castor oil is such an amazing gift to us and its uses are seemingly endless. I always enjoy hearing these success stories, so thank you again!
Many blessings to you and your family!
Namaste,
Danielle
Hi Danielle,
Ultrasound showed I have an ovarian cyst on the right and I feel like it affects my fertility. Does castor oil pack effective on bursting the cyst?
Thank you,
Paulita
Hi Paulita,
Thank you for your question!
Yes, the castor oil pack has the potential to breakdown ovarian cysts and fibroids. It is not 100% guaranteed to work (as nothing is), but it is safe and is definitely worth a try. You should do this regularly however (4+ times/week), to see the best results. On the nights that you cannot perform the castor oil pack, you can perform a gentle abdominal massage with the castor oil around the areas of the uterus and ovaries.
Be well my friend!
Namaste,
Danielle
Hi
I have a large lipoma on my back and been massaging the castor oil directly on the lipoma spot. Can you help me understand why this is not as effective as a pack? Is heat the main difference? Or amount of oil? Trying to figure out the best diy approach thats effective.
Hi Meg,
Massaging the lipoma with castor oil is beneficial but I do recommend using the heat pack for better results. The heat allows the oil to penetrate and the soaked cloth keeps a large amount of the oil on the area for a longer period of time than massage. It may take a while, but I have heard many positive results from unwanted skin masses being removed from this procedure. You can try this daily, or if this is too much work, you can do it every other day and massage with warm castor oil on the off days.
Many blessings,
Danielle
Hi Danielle,
You’ve given such great information, thank you so much! I’ve been looking for a way to calm a pitta expression on my skin (red, splotches, itchy when I walk/exercise all along the underwear line and under my bra) that I’ve had for 2 years. Maybe a castor pack would help? Either on the rashy areas themselves, or maybe my liver (I have touches of acne on my face as well, even at the age of 46.) Any advice much appreciated!!!
Hi Amy,
Thank you for your question! Castor oil is great for red, itchy skin and can simply be massaged onto the affected areas as needed. Unfortunately, it is very thick and can stain/ruin clothes, however, so I would wear old cloths after application (for at least 60 minutes).
If you are going to apply the oil after an exercise session, I would rinse off with a warm shower first (but avoid soap on rashy areas), dry off completely, and then apply the oil. While using this method, you are welcome to use the castor oil pack on your liver 1 to 3 times a week to address this issue on a deeper level. Some cooling, liver cleansing herbs may be useful as well such as Kutki, Guduchi, Neem, and Bhumyamalaki.
I hope this helps! Let me know if you have any further questions!
Namaste,
Danielle