What is Castor Oil and Why Does Your Acupuncturist Recommend It?

You may have heard of castor oil as something women used to take to bring on labour. Luckily, you don’t have to drink castor oil to gain its benefits. It is applied to the skin, and the natural compounds in the oil help it to be absorbed through the layers of the skin. This is thought to promote blood flow and lymph circulation, soften scar tissue, improve digestion and reduce inflammation.

Why would you use a castor oil pack?

There are many symptoms that might benefit from a regular castor oil pack practice. Menstrual issues such as painful periods, irregular periods, heavy periods, clots or PMS may all benefit. Hormonal issues are often reflected in the menstrual cycle and can affect fertility - castor oil on its own probably won’t improve your fertility, but in conjunction with other lifestyle changes, it may help to harmonise your hormones and reduce stress. You can also use castor oil to help improve digestive issues such as constipation, diarrhoea or IBS, or to improve insomnia, soften scar tissue, or reduce inflammation. In this part of the world, there is a lack of ceremony around having a hysterectomy - a castor oil pack can be a way to heal from the physical or emotional impact of that journey.

What equipment will you need?

Good quality castor oil, ideally in a glass bottle
A natural, ideally unbleached flannel
Paper kitchen towel
An old towel that you don’t mind sacrificing
Old pyjamas
A hot water bottle
A glass or BPA free container to store the flannel in the fridge

How to apply a castor oil pack

You will need to set aside about an hour - I do mine before bedtime
Put the kettle on
Get your old pyjamas on and maybe some warm socks
Place the flannel in a pan and soak it with the oil so that it is soaked but not dripping - about two tablespoons on your first application.
You don’t want to put cold oil onto your body, so gently warm it in the pan, but remember, it is oil, so it will only need a few seconds
Fill your hot water bottle - warm is better than scolding hot
Place your soaked flannel into the container that you will be using to store in the fridge in between applications
Take your soaked flannel in its container, kitchen towel, hottie and old towel and get comfortable on the bed or sofa or wherever you can get some peace for an hour
If you are experiencing menstrual difficulties or fertility then place the flannel over your womb area - just above the pubic bone (it sits just behind your bladder)
If you are using it for liver health, sleep or digestive issues then place it over the liver - on the right-hand side of your torso towards the bottom of your ribcage
Place your old towel over the flannel. Don’t be tempted to use cling film as you don’t want any plastic to also leach into your body
Place the hot water bottle over the towel
If possible, leave your phone out of reach and get your Zen on. You will get more out of it if you aren’t replying to emails or mindlessly scrolling. Maybe some music will help if you have an anxious mind but probably stay away from real-life murder mystery podcasts.
When it is time to finish - an hour would be great but half an hour is better than nothing - remove the towel and flannel. Use your kitchen towel to wipe any excess oil from your abdomen. Pop the flannel in its container and store it in the fridge (this can be used again and again until it begins to smell, just add around a tablespoon more oil for each application).

A word to the wise - I put my castor oil-stained (it doesn’t wash out) old towel in the airing cupboard with my sheets and ended up staining some sheets, so store your old towel away from anything it might touch.

Sounds like a hassle right?

I first heard about castor oil packs decades ago, but I thought that it sounded too complicated and a right faff. Once I did my first pack I realised that I could do all of the preparation in the time it takes me to boil the kettle. And it is well worth any effort. How often you do it is up to you, you will have to do it regularly enough to make a difference, but not so much that it becomes a chore. Twice a week would be amazing.

When not to use a castor oil pack

As with anything you read on the internet, this is not to replace medical advice. If you have a health concern or symptoms that are persistent then go and see your GP.

If you are trying to conceive then only use the pack during your follicular phase (from your period until ovulation).

If you are on an IVF protocol then do not use a castor oil pack - it can improve your body’s ability to detoxify, and you want those drugs to stay in your body, and no research has been done on castor oil in conjunction with IVF.

Applying a castor oil pack is another tool for you to use to show your body that it doesn’t have to be a doing machine. There is value in resting - even if that value lies in filling your tank so you have more resources to be of service to others. And if you are of the age where you have a daughter who has started her menstrual cycle, then you can model the power of rest, or you can show her how to honour her cyclical nature with a castor oil pack all of her own.

Don’t worry if you don’t know where to start, if you book an appointment I can draw on the theory of acupuncture, craniosacral therapy, or fertility and womb massage to help you find out what your body needs and improve all aspects of your health.