Castor Oil
Castor oil has been around for a very long time, and has been widely used for medicinal purposes in its native lands spread across Africa, the Indian subcontinent and the Mediterranean basin.
It is one of the first vegetable oils to be used for industrial purposes because of its high viscosity and lubricating property. In fact, the automotive lubricant company Castrol derives its name from castor oil.
Infamous as a laxative, many people consider castor oil a crude product.
But this unique vegetable oil has so many wonderful uses that it deserves a place in every home.
Safe, Natural Laxative
When the oil is used as a laxative, the dosage can be easily adjusted as its effect is directly proportional to how much oil you are using. The usual dosage is 1 to 2 tbsp for adults and 1 to 2 tsp for children 2-12 years old. Children under 2 years shouldn’t have more than a teaspoonful at a time. You can mix the oil with orange juice to make it more palatable. Unlike other laxatives that act in the colon, the action of castor oil starts in the small intestine. You can expect a complete clean out of the bowels within 2 to 5 hours of taking the oil.
Relieves Muscle Soreness
Castor oil is considered a warm oil that promotes the circulation of fluids in the body. It is excellent as massage oil, and can relieve the soreness resulting from overworking the muscles.
Treats Fungal Infections
Castor oil has a strong fungicidal property thanks to undecylenic acid, which is a breakdown product of the ricinoleic fatty acid abundant in the oil. Heat some castor oil and allow it to cool until it is just warm to touch. Apply it in the affected area just before bedtime and leave it on overnight. Repeat for a week to see significant improvement. Continue the treatment until the infection completely disappears.
Promotes Hair Growth
Massaging just any part of the body with castor oil does not result in extra hair growth, but applying it to the scalp does. The mechanism at work could be the ability of this warm oil to improve circulation. If you have scanty eyebrows, the oil can be applied with the tip of a cotton ear bud to the eyebrow ridge. Hair will grow denser there, and you can shape the eyebrows as usual.
Deeply Moisturizes Skin
The thick oil is a bit tricky to apply, so you have to rub a teaspoonful of oil between the palms and rub it into skin. This ensures a thin and even layer. When you do this, a little oil goes a long way, and that is all you need. It may be kind of sticky at first, but once you get it on the skin in a thin layer, it gets absorbed rather quickly, leaving no oily feel. Some people like to lighten the texture with coconut oil for easy application. Personally I like to add some to my bath water and soak in it. It leaves my skin feeling really soft.
Soothe Eyes
Castor oil works great to remove tiredness from around your eyes. It works much like petroleum jelly but without the mess. Before you go to bed at night, just rub a little around your eyes and even on your eyelashes. Be careful not to get it in your eyes. It will soak in overnight and leave you looking and feeling a bit more refreshed in the morning. Acne Treatment
Castor oil works great as a treatment for deep cystic acne. It helps to decrease the inflammation from the acne and kills bacteria which helps the acne to clear up. It works really quickly, too so put it on before you go to bed and you will notice a drastic improvement when you wake up in the morning.
Finding Castor oil is easy. I purchased mine from Walmart. You can also find it at your local beauty supply store or health food store.
