November/December 2006 Alternative Health
Amazing Castor Oil: Ancient Remedy, Modern Healer

by Gabriel Cousens M.D., M.D.(H)

 

Gabriel Cousens

For thousands of years, castor oil has been used for just about everything, from relieving menstrual cramps to easing childbirth and clearing warts. Today, many health care practitioners are discovering the benefits of using real, therapeutic quality castor oil.

It's effective for many diverse types of pain, liver and gallbladder stimulation and cleansing, digestive problems, lacerations, skin disorders such as eczema or psoriasis, menopause symptoms, to boost the immune system, as an emollient and skin softener and much more.

Edgar Cayce, the sleeping prophet, popularized the use of castor oil packs in the 1940s, which resulted in amazing health recoveries for many people. In ancient times, castor oil was called the Palma Christi or the hand of Christ.

Castor Oil Pack Instructions

  1. Select a target area to be treated. Place the castor oil pack on the target area.
  2. Prepare three layers of cotton flannel. Fold or cut the cloth into three sheets, creating a pad of adequate size to cover the area to be treated. For example, to use a castor oil pack over the abdominal area, the size of the flannel cloth might be 10 x 8 inches and three sheets thick.
  3. Cut a plastic sheet. The sheet should be somewhat larger than the flannel cloth. The plastic is used to protect the heating pad from getting oily. Using a plastic garbage bag works well. Avoid using plastic grocery bags with printed ink, which can dissolve and spread when exposed to castor oil.
  4. Saturate the cloth with castor oil. Place the flannel cloth on top of the plastic sheet. Then saturate it with castor oil. The cloth should be wet, but not dripping. The saturated cloth should be then placed directly on the target area with the plastic sheet on top of it. Your plastic sheet should cover the entire exterior of the saturated flannel, since castor oil is likely to stain any fabric it touches.
  5. Place heating pad over plastic sheet. Set the heating pad on either a low or medium setting, or higher if it is comfortable. The heat will promote absorption, increase circulation, and encourage the body to relax. This is generally left in place for ½ to one hour, and can be left on for up to 1½ hours. You may place a bath towel over the top of the heating pad to help hold in the heat and an elastic bandage to hold it in place. Caution: Heat should not be used in conditions where it is normally contraindicated, such as appendicitis, diabetic neuropathy or over the abdomen during pregnancy. However, the castor oil pack may be used without heat in these conditions.
  6. Wash off area. After using the castor oil pack, cleanse the skin using a washcloth and organic soap. Washing the area helps clear acidic toxins which have been drawn out of the body during the treatment and helps prevent reabsorbing these toxins.
  7. Re-use of the Same Castor Oil Pack. Each cotton flannel pack may be used up to 10 times if, between usages, it is kept in a plastic container and refrigerated. With use, the pack gradually absorbs toxins. Therefore, after 10 uses, discard the pack and make a new one. It is not recommended to try to wash out the pack for re-use.

Castor oil appears to work by drawing blood circulation and enhanced biological energy to the area where it is applied, and then drawing lodged toxins out of the body. Many practitioners often use castor oil as an important adjunct to a comprehensive treatment plan for an individual. It is important to eradicate the root cause of an illness, not only to clear the symptoms of a disorder. Castor oil has proven very valuable in helping to detoxify the body at deeper levels, thus eliminating the root causes.

The effectiveness of castor oil may be due in part to its unusual chemical composition. Castor oil is a triglyceride of fatty acids. Almost 90 percent of its fatty acid content consists of rinoleic acid. Such a high concentration of this unusual unsaturated fatty acid may be responsible for castor oil's remarkable healing abilities. Research has shown rinoleic acid to be effective in preventing the growth of numerous species of viruses, bacteria, yeasts and molds. Due to the many beneficial aspects of this fatty acid component, castor oil can be applied topically to treat a wide variety of health complaints.

Edgar Cayce recommended the use of castor oil packs in hundreds of readings to improve the body's eliminations, lymphatic circulation and assimilation of nutrients. By using castor oil packs, the flow of lymph is increased throughout the body. This helps to speed the removal of toxins surrounding the cells and to reduce the size of swollen lymph nodes. The end result is a pronounced, systemic improvement in organ function with a general lessening of fatigue and depression.

The best castor oil comes from India. The non-hybrid castor beans are still grown by traditional herbal masters in the dense, central forests of India in fertile, luxurious soil and pure air. The castor oil is cold pressed, without hexane, and is 100 percent pesticide-free.

Gabriel Cousens, M.D., M.D. (H), D.D., Diplomat American Board of Holistic Medicine, Diplomat in Ayurveda is the founder and director of the Tree of Life Foundation and Tree of Life Rejuvenation Center in Patagonia, Arizona. His is the best-selling author of many books, including Spiritual Nutrition, Conscious Eating, Rainbow Green Live-Food Cuisine, Sevenfold Peace, and Depression-Free for Life. Visit www.treeoflife.nu.