THE WONDERS OF THE CASTOR BEAN

More times than not, many of us search for that special detox kit or array of supplements that will help in our mission of doing a thorough spring cleansing. What we fail to realize is that one of the best cleansing tools we can use is something that dates back to over 4000 years ago and is typically known worldwide with all grandmas. Castor oil.

The castor bean plant, Ricinus communis, also known as Palma Christi (palm of Christ), has been found in old Egyptian tombstones and has settled its roots in many other countries – Indian, China, Persia, Africa, Greece, Rome, Southern Europe and the Americas. It’s been historically used for intestinal and biliary disorders, and bowel problems. I’m sure many of us are familiar with its use as a cathartic or laxative, once given to us by our loving grandparents. This castor bean is rich in an unsaturated fat, ricinoleic acid, which is the active ingredient and found to only be obtained from the extracted oil of the plant. Research states that the active component increases lymphocyte production as well as T-cell lymphocyte activity. What this basically means is that castor oil h a s immune stimulating properties.

Although castor oil is known to best strongly used by Naturopathic doctors, its practice has been spread to many conventional hospitals across the United States (Florida, Maryland, Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin).

Benefits that castor oil brings are to:

• Improve immune function

• Increase circulation

• Enhance the healing process

• Stimulate the release of metabolic toxins

• Decrease abdominal adhesions

• Reduce swelling in injured joints/extremities

Some conditions that castor oil can be applied towards are:

• Constipation

• Liver detoxification

• Uterine fibroids

• Ovarian cysts

• Breast cysts

• Congestion of abdominal organs

• Skin conditions

• Adhesions from surgery

• Prevention of scar tissue

Some conditions in which castor oil should not be used are:

• Heavy bleeding

• Menstruation

• Gaseous stomach

• Pregnancy

• Deep open wounds

How to do a castor oil pack:

1. Soak a piece of thick wool, flannel or cotton (6”x8”; 8”x10”) with castor oil (organic, pesticide/hexane free) in a glass or stainless steel dish.

2. Wring out any excess oil as you don’t want it dripping from the cloth.

3. Place the oiled cloth piece over your liver — right side of your abdomen, just below your ribcage area. Also try to have the cloth covering parts of your lower abdomen.

4.Place a plastic wrap over the castor oil cloth and then place a hot water bottle over the plastic covering the cloth. The hot water bottle may need to be wrapped thinly with a cloth if the heat is too strong. Gauge what you can handle and do not burn your skin. The heat from the pack will help conduct the absorption of the castor oil into the skin.

5.Cover your entire abdominal area, from neck to thighs, with a blanket to make sure no heat escapes.

6. Rest and relax for 60 minutes. Aim to do this daily during a liver cleansing as it will aid in drawing out toxins from the liver and get them flushed out of the system.

7. When using castor oil, it might be wise to use older shirts or sheets that you don’t mind getting stained from the oil.

If a spring cleansing is on your to-do list for this year, then be sure to incorporate daily castor oil packs to compliment your detox routine. Happy cleansing!