Find out why castor oil should be in your medicine cabinet

Tuesday, June 21, 2011 by: Paul Fassa
Tags: castor oil, medicine cabinet, health news

(NewsTarget) Castor oil has been ignored by modern medicine despite a centuries old history of medicinal uses. Many regard castor oil as a toxin. Nevertheless, it has been used as a laxative or purging cleanse and parasite remover for years. Castor oil packs applied externally can go beyond skin care to affect internal organs beneath epidermal application as well.

Toxicity

Throughout the 20th Century, there has only been a serious adverse effect from castor oil posted in medical records. However, toxicity concerns are reasonable. It comes from the castor bean, which contains a highly toxic compound called ricin. Ricin can be fatal, but it's usually eliminated with the cold press and filtering process used for medicinal castor oil.

This is similar to oleander or mistletoe. Both are toxic in their basic raw forms, but the extracts have been used to successfully cure cancer. Medicinal castor oil's filtering with the cold press process eliminates all or almost all of the ricin. Castor oil created by extraction is rather toxic and usually used for industrial purposes.

However, medicinal castor oil should never be used by pregnant women. There is a risk of induced abortion. For others, even if traces of ricin contamination slip into a bottle of cold pressed castor oil, it would take a very large amount of consumption to create an adverse effect. This is highly improbable because -

It's a Bit Yucky

Cold pressed castor oil is a thick, yellowish clear oil. By itself, it's yucky. But one doesn't drink much to get results. As a laxative, a teaspoon or so works well taken before bed for morning constipation relief. It can be taken a few days in succession with even slightly higher doses without creating an addictive dependency or side effects. Though effective, the results are milder than pharmaceutical laxatives or Epsom salt solutions.

An Ayurvedic medicine castor oil purge consists of mixing two ounces of castor oil with the same amount of fresh orange juice and of taking it first thing in the morning. After 15 to 30 minutes, start sipping hot water as you would tea. Drink up to three or four cups every 15 minutes. Then allow the flushing to occur if it hasn't started already.

Eat very lightly the rest of that day, no fried or fatty foods. This is an intense flush that creates bile and can often eliminate parasites, even tapeworms. It can be done once a month or every two months.

External Applications

Edgar Cayce, the famous early 20th Century psychic healer, advocated castor oil packs. He recommended stacking three or four white linens large enough to cover the epidermal area above the organ of concern, liver, intestines, kidneys, etc. Then soak the linens with warm castor oil and place the compress over the area of concern. Cover with a sheet of plastic to keep it warm and stable.

Castor oil can be used topically for skin problems ranging from fungal toenails to acne. Castor oil is anti-fungal and anti-viral. So there are a plethora of skin issues that can be addressed, with some perseverance, using castor oil.

One woman reported success with castor oil for her shingles. No other applications gave her the same amount of relief. Another person told of daily applications to a cyst on his shoulder. The cyst disappeared in a month.

Cold pressed castor oil is an inexpensive useful remedy to keep around your home for a variety of applications. And it has a very long shelf life.

Sources for more information include:

Edgar Cayce castor oil pack remedies (application details) http://www.earthclinic.com/Remedies/castor_o...

http://www.castoroilhome.com/

http://skinverse.com/castor-oils-many-uses-f...

http://www.sakthifoundation.org/castor_oil_c...

http://home.earthlink.net/~jimrharris/tecr.h...

Toxicity report on castor oil from the USA National Institute of Health (1992) (= NIH pub 92-3131) http://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&q=cache:aN...

http://www.google.com/search?q=Glycothymolin...

About the author

Paul Fassa is dedicated to warning others about the current corruption of food and medicine and guiding others toward a direction for better health with no restrictions on health freedom. You can visit his blog at http://healthmaven.blogspot.com