Castor organic oil is derived from the seeds of the castor plant, scientifically known as Ricinus communis. It has been in use since a very long time ago, as it it was popularly utilized by folk healers, mainly for skin infections and improving the health of the hair. In fact, even ancient Egyptians used the oil to treat eye irritations and as a natural skin care remedy. It is even prized highly in the Ayurvedic medicine world.
Many of castor oil’s healing and therapeutic benefits comes from the fact that it is a type of triglyceride fatty acid, where almost 90% of it comes from a rare compound called ricinoleic acid. Read on to find out why you should have a bottle of castor organic oil in your households!
Health Benefits of Castor Organic Oil:
1. Heals Skin Wounds and Fungal Infections
One of the most well known uses of castor oil is its amazing ability to heal skin wounds and skin fungal infections incurred externally. It is completely natural and synthetic-free, thus it is great for your skin as it does not contain added chemical ingredients which can potentially damage your skin further.
Moreover, it has antibacterial and antifungal properties which helps to eradicate bacteria, germs and any fungal infections from the skin. This thus helps to alleviate toenail fungus, moles and unwanted cysts on the skin as well! Castor oil helps to accelerate the healing process as complications are mitigated. Moreover, the oil helps to boost blood circulation, which will enhance the healing process further.
Castor oil is classified as an organic carrier or base oil, hence you can apply it directly onto your skin for healing. Alternatively, you can also mix the oil with other antibacterial and antifungal essential oils for dilution and apply externally onto the affected areas.
2. Promotes a Smoother Complexion
In addition to healing skin wounds and skin fungal infections, castor oil is also widely popular in skincare treatments, which makes it an excellent natural remedy for various skin problems. Its antibacterial properties make it similar to coconut oil, thus it helps to prevent mild acne blemishes as it fights bacteria growth which can potentially clog up pores.
Moreover, it is a great moisturizer and anti-inflammatory substance which seeks to penetrate deep into the internal layers of the sin, therefore providing hydration to dry, irritated skin and reducing redness. Simply mix ¼ cup of castor oil and ¾ cup coconut or sesame oil and apply onto your body and face for hydration and moisturization of your skin. If you have oily skin, then use ¼ cup of castor oil with ¾ cup of jojoba oil instead and gently massage, while dabbing off the excess with a clean towel.
For a natural acne treatment, try dabbing castor oil directly onto the affected areas, or combine it with frankincense essential oil and a small amount of coconut oil to reduce the redness, swelling and pain of the acne pimples. To prevent future breakouts from happening, you can wash your face and massage the oil onto your face to leave it on overnight, and rinsing it off the next morning.
Do note that castor oil and the ricinoleic acid in the oil actually enhances the transdermal penetration of your skin, meaning it enhances the rate of absorption of substances into your skin as the epidermal pores are strengthened. Thus, it is a good idea to only use the oil along with other natural ingredients instead of chemical ingredients, which might get fully absorbed into the skin and lead to unwanted consequences.
3. A Natural Laxative
Castor oil also works as a mild, natural laxative agent, which helps provide relief from constipation and difficulties in defecating. It stimulates the bowel system and ensures that you will have smooth bowel movements. Coupled with a better circulation and enhanced lymphatic drainage that removes toxins out from your body efficiently, castor oil is great for the regulation of the gut system as it mainly targets the small intestine.
Additionally, it also helps to lower cramping, bloating, leaky gut syndrome and other symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome. Simply add a drop of the oil into a glass of water, cup of tea or into your smoothie and stir well to ensure proper dilution if you have gut troubles.
4. Boosts Circulation and Offers Pain Relief
Castor oil also works as an excellent massage oil as it is a warm oil that boosts blood circulation and other fluids. As such, if you have muscle aches and experience soreness in your calves and thigh muscles after a vigorous workout session, try using castor oil as a massage oil to provide some pain relief to the aching areas.
Furthermore, the oil exhibits analgesic and anti-inflammatory properties which also makes it a wonderful natural remedy for arthritis. Not only does it boost blood circulation to the affected muscular and joint areas, but it also stimulates the lymphatic system, which helps to carry toxin wastes and other harmful substances out from the body and blood vessels. This also helps to alleviate symptoms of arthritis as one of the causes of such ailments is due to toxic deposits in the blood vessels and muscular areas.
You can even blend castor oil with other pain relieving essential oils to form a massage blend that is soothing for your aching muscles and stiff joints.
5. Promotes Healthy Hair
Castor oil also works like coconut oil in bringing about benefits for your hair. When applied to the scalp, it stimulates blood circulation, which seeks to strengthen the hair follicles and roots. Thus, it strengthens the hair and prevents breakages as well as hair loss. This also helps to promote hair growth in the process. The presence of omega-6 fatty acids also moisturizes and nourishes the hair, thus leaving it shiny and smooth.
Since it is mild and gentle enough, you can massage the oil directly into your hair and scalp area. You can even do a homemade hair mask by massaging the oil into your roots and all over your hair, tie up your hair and cover it with a cap. Leave the oil on overnight before washing it out.
The oil also has antifungal and antibacterial properties as mentioned above, thus this helps to alleviate and prevent any signs of dandruff or scalp infections. You can even mix a tablespoon of the oil with another tablespoon of olive oil and add the juice of half a lemon to be applied onto your roots for about 30 minutes before washing it off.
6. Boosts the Immune System
As alluded to in the above benefits, castor organic oil is believed to improve the lymphatic system, blood flow and even thymus gland health. A 2010 study published in Cellular Immunology notes how the percentage of lymphocytes and the total protein in the spleen of the treated animals were increased after they were fed with castor oil.
Lymphocytes are the immune system’s fighters and they are our best fighters against invasion by viruses, toxins, bacteria and other harmful substances. Thus, as illustrated, castor oil helps to regulate lymphocyte levels and increase them as they are stored within the lymphatic tissues of the thymus gland, spleen, lymph nodes and the tissues surrounding the small intestine. Therefore, this will also have a positive impact on the circulatory and digestive systems, as well as detoxification activities.
Safety Precautions:
-
Castor oil is safe to be ingested in small doses, but always ensure that you purchase a reputable brand of cold-pressed, 100% pure, organic and high-quality castor oil.
-
The normal protocol of ingestion of the oil would be one teaspoon per day to regulate bowel movements and improve blood flow. However, do check with your doctor prior to ingestion of the oil regularly for any interactions. This is especially so if you have pre-existing medical conditions or are under prescribed medication by your doctor.
-
Taking too much castor oil is a risk and it can ultimately lead to unwanted side effects like diarrhea, cramping, nausea and irritations in the gut lining.
-
Pregnant women should not take castor oil because it can stimulate the pelvic muscles and induce premature labor, unless otherwise instructed by your doctor.
-
Castor oil is safe to be applied topically as well since it is regarded as a carrier oil and reactions are rare, but be sure to perform a skin patch test to ensure you do not have any sensitive or allergic reactions.
-
Keep away from eyes, the insides of your nose, babies and pets.
References:
Flore TN, et al., “Immune system stimulation in rats by Lactobacillus sp. isolates from Raffia wine (Raphia vinifera)” Cell Immunology (2010); 260(2)
Leave a Reply Cancel Reply
All fields are required