Castor oil packs make a regular appearance in home remedies for all sorts of maladies.  As far as I can tell they aren’t particularly controversial as they are fairly benign in their use and don’t seem to offend any particular medical order.  As such, they are readily used and in fact, something I often recommend to my patients.

Castor oil packs are typically prescribed to anyone who has any sort of digestive issues,  menstrual issues, and muscle or joint pain.  They are applied as follows:

• 1 wool flannel saturated with castor oil
• applied over affected area
• wrapped with clear plastic saran wrap to keep in place
• hot water bottle in a towel placed over the castor oil pack for one hour
• repeated each day for time given by healthcare practitioner

The castor oil pack is intended to draw stagnant blood and fluids to the surface where the body can naturally remove them and regenerate the area with fresh blood and fluids to help induce a healing response.  Heat, in general, will create circulation to an area but the castor oil itself has a lot of medicinal properties that perpetuate the healing process further than what heat could do on its own.

Castor oil is made from the seeds of castor plants that contain the substance ricinoleic acid.  This substance is a strong anti-fungal, anti-viral, anti-bacterial as well as anti-inflammatory agent.  This alone is what has lead it to be a major tool used as far back as the 1500′s for things such as parasites, worms, fungal growths, digestive problems, as well as for joint and muscle pains.

Castor oil has been used to break calcifications in the gall bladder and kidneys, to break up stagnation in the uterus, to break up fatty deposits, remove accumulations in the joints etc… It plays a major role in things that individuals can safely do at home to help themselves heal and to work on maladies that have been bothering them for long periods of time.

Just as in other treatments in Chinese medicine, using castor oil packs helps the body to heal and to find a state of equilibrium.  Castor oil is not a miracle wonder but rather a strong and effective way to foster healing and transform stagnation we have in our bodies.  Take a gander and dive into the wonders of Castor oil.  It is a fun remedy to explore with and a great way to take part in your own healing process.