Castor Oil Packs

by | Handouts

Please read this entire handout before applying your first castor oil pack.
Not for internal use.

Castor oil has been used for over 3,000 years for medicinal purposes. Its uses include:

  • reducing pain and inflammation from injury, surgery, arthritis, infection and gout
  • drawing cellular debris, wastes and toxins out of muscles, joints, organs, blood and lymph
  • clearing hematomas and contusions
  • healing many types of localized infections.

Ricinoleic acid contained in the oil has unusual healing properties and may be one of the reasons the ancients found it especially useful in treating problems related to the lymph nodes. Castor oil used to be ingested as a laxative and bowel healing agent, but it often resulted in digestive upset, so this is no longer recommended. Topical application does not cause these problems.

Castor oil is inexpensive and available in the first aid section of most grocery stores. The ‘pack’ is the piece of cloth used to hold the oil. Special lambswool packs are available at health food and drug stores or online. Or you can use heavy T-shirt material or flannel – something that will hold the oil. If the fabric is new, boil it to remove dyes and impurities that can be absorbed into the body.

Packs are usually recommended once a day for several days or 2-3 times a week for several weeks, depending on what is being treated. Common situations that call for castor oil packs include:

  • damage from injury or surgery
  • chronic or episodic joint, muscle or jaw pain
  • localized infections, including abscesses or boils
  • toxicity/waste buildup in an organ or infected tissue

You can place the pack over any infected area (e.g., the jaw), a congested organ (e.g., liver, prostate or uterus), a hematoma, or any tight or injured muscles. If you’re not feeling well or the affected area is hard to reach, have someone else help you apply and remove the pack and do the massage.

Instructions for Castor Oil Pack

  1. Soak the pack in castor oil. An easy way to do this is to lay the cloth on a plate or cookie sheet and pour oil over it until all areas are soaked. The oil is sticky, so I recommend using dish gloves.
  2. Apply the pack on bare skin over the area needing treatment. Place one or more plastic grocery bags (carryout bags, not produce bags) over the pack to help keep the oil contained, then a thin tea towel or dish towel, then a heating pad set on Low or a warm water bottle on top of this. The warmth opens the pores and allows the oil to soak in, but too much heat can cause swelling. You may want to use an Ace bandage to secure all the layers, especially if you’re treating an arm, leg or neck.
  3. Lie or sit in a position that uses gravity to pull the oil into the tissues. For example, if applying the pack to your lower back, lie on your stomach. If applying the pack to your liver for detoxification, lie on your back.
  4. Leave the pack on 15-20 minutes for injury/surgery, 20-30 minutes for detoxification. Longer than this can cause over-thinning of the blood in the area.
  5. Remove the pack carefully so as not to transfer oil, and wipe the excess castor oil from your skin with tissues or a paper towel.
  6. Follow the pack immediately with 5-15 minutes of massage unless the area is very close to the surface of the skin or is too tender to touch. Massage moves the oil deeper into the tissues. A little coconut oil or massage oil can be used if needed for easier massage. If you’re treating very tight muscles, you may see little or no benefit from a castor oil pack without massage afterward. Arrange to have someone help you if you can’t reach the area easily.
  7. After the massage, wipe any massage oil from your skin. Perhaps follow with a bath or shower to fully cleanse the skin.

You can re-use the pack several times before discarding it, so as not to waste oil. Store it in a glass or ceramic container (not plastic) in the refrigerator when not in use to prevent the oil turning rancid.

This home remedy may seem a little complicated at first, but by the second or third time, it will seem easy. The benefits are remarkable, which is why such an ancient treatment is still widely used today.

Tips and Precautions for Using Castor Oil

Castor oil has a blood-thinning effect, so consider how soon after injury or surgery to start this treatment. The blood thinning effect is mostly local to where the pack is applied. Don’t apply castor oil directly on or very close to a wound, incision or deep abrasion, as this could hinder the blood coagulation needed for healing that area. And don’t leave it on longer than recommended; you don’t want to increase the risk of bleeding around an unhealed wound or incision. Bleeding risk varies widely from case to case, so talk with your surgeon about how many days you may need to be cautious.

Castor oil’s blood-thinning capacity is exactly why it’s so good for healing hematomas, which occur most often after injury or surgery. The oil thins the congested blood and pulls the waste materials out, allowing healing. If you have a hematoma after serious injury or surgery, you want to dissolve it as soon as possible while being careful not to thin the blood too much around the wound. Therefore, cut the pack material to fit over the hematoma area plus only about 1″ further in all directions and don’t leave the pack on longer than 15 minutes.

Ease of bruising and longer-than-usual time for bruising to disappear are indicators of overly-thin blood and/or a loss of collagen in the skin. If you already have these symptoms, you may be ingesting something that thins the blood. If you’re taking an OTC blood-thinning med daily (such as aspirin or ibuprofen), you may need to discontinue it for as much as a week before doing castor oil packs. Some supplements such as Omega-3 oils (e.g., cod liver or flax seed oil) cause mild thinning of the blood. If you’re on a blood thinner (e.g., Coumadin), be sure to consult your doctor before using this treatment.

Don’t use high heat. Heat can cause swelling, the opposite of the desired effect. With a little warmth to open pores, the oil will soak into the body and can penetrate up to several inches. For acute infections such as a tooth infection or appendicitis, avoid heating pads and use only a lukewarm hot water bottle or moist warm towel for the heat source.

Some people are sensitive to the EMF frequencies emitted from heating pads, causing fatigue and mental fogginess, while others are unaffected. For people with sensitivity, a half-full hot water bottle works well instead, and you can bind it to almost any area of the body with an Ace bandage if needed.

Castor oil comes in plastic bottles, so if you plan to store it for a few weeks or more, it’s best to transfer it to a glass bottle. This will prevent PCB’s and other toxins from the plastic from seeping into the oil and being carried into the body. Label the bottle and store it in a cool place, or refrigerate it if you won’t be using it up within a few weeks.

Castor oil packs are a bit messy until you get the hang of it. Castor oil is sticky, so be careful not to get it on anything that can’t be easily washed – such as pillows, mattresses, upholstery or carpets. Consider putting plastic sheeting (such as painter’s plastic) under you to protect upholstery or bedding. All oils cause stains and rancid odors in fabrics if they’re not thoroughly removed and will easily transfer to other fabrics in dressers, closets and linen shelves. Twenty Mule Team Borax is the only product I know that gets oil stains and odors out of all washable fabrics. It’s available in the laundry soap section of most grocery stores. Wash all clothing, towels and bedding that have picked up any oil.

You can re-use the pack several times before discarding it, so as not to waste oil. Store it in a glass or ceramic container (not plastic) in the refrigerator when not in use to prevent the oil turning rancid.

This home remedy may seem a little complicated at first, but by the second or third time, it will seem easy. The benefits are remarkable, which is why such an ancient treatment is still widely used today.