Magic of castor oil

Natural remedy

Castor oil is one of the best kept secrets in the world of natural health. Most of us are aware of and hanker after expensive olive oil and rare essential oils, not knowing that castor oil, which is of Indian origin, offers better health benefits at a much cheaper price.

Castor oil comes from the castor seed, Ricinus communis, which has a very unusual chemical composition. It is a triglyceride, comprised of fatty acids, 90 per cent of which is ricinoleic acid. This unique fatty acid is found in lower concentrations in few other oils and is thought to be responsible for castor oil’s unique healing properties.

Historically, castor oil has been taken as an oral laxative. However, it best exerts its powerful effects when applied topically, directly to the skin. Successive studies have shown that castor oil very effectively treats skin problems like sunburn, abrasions, acne, dry skin, boils, warts, stretch marks, liver/age spots, athlete’s foot and chronic itching and inflamed skin.

Castor oil has a low molecular weight which helps the skin absorb it readily providing it nourishing proteins. It has been used for years as a face cream to reduce the risk of dark under-eye circles and to aid in the prevention and treatment of wrinkles. Castor oil is commonly added to natural lip balms and glosses to add shine and moisture to
dry lips.

When applied to the scalp, castor oil gives the same benefits. It enhances blood circulation and moisturises a dry, flaky and itchy scalp. Being anti-bacterial, anti-fungal and anti-viral, it treats scalp ring-worms too. Hair roots are nourished by the fatty acids and hair shaft promoting hair growth. In fact, it is used to thicken eyebrows too.

Due to its well known

anti-inflammatory properties, castor oil is used as an effective remedy for arthritis. It acts as excellent massage oil for joint pain, nerve inflammation and sore muscles. Massage your joints using castor oil and follow up with warm compresses. It provides immediate relief. Castor oil is known to stimulate the lymphatic system too.

For long, women have been using castor leaf poultices to treat gynaecological problems. Nursing mothers applied them to their breasts to increase milk secretion and relieve inflammation of their mammary glands. They were also applied to the abdomen to promote normal menstruation. Today, castor oil provides the same benefits.