Castor Oil – Good For Your Health, Skin, Hair, and More

Do you remember which oil was burned as fuel in lamps days back? Yes, it was castor oil! You’ll wonder this fuel has several other benefits as well which many of us are unaware of. It is a multi-purpose fuel.

What is Castor Oil?

The castor oil which in scientific terms is known as Ricinus Communis is extracted from castor seeds, from the castor plants. It is tasteless and odorless oil. The seeds which are known as castor beans mainly contain a toxic enzyme known as ricin. But as soon as the castor oil undergoes the healing process, the toxicity is deactivated, which further allows the oil to be used safely.

Castor oil has a lot of medicinal, industrial, and pharmaceutical uses. Castor oil has a number of health benefits like relief from joint pain, menstrual cramps, and constipation. It also helps with oral care, proper lactation, birth control, hair, and skincare. It’s commonly used as an additive in foods, medications, and skincare products, as well as an industrial lubricant and biodiesel fuel component.

In ancient Egypt, castor oil was burned as fuel in lamps, used as a natural remedy to treat ailments like eye irritation, and even given to pregnant women to stimulate labor.

Today, castor oil remains a popular natural treatment for common conditions like constipation and skin ailments and is commonly used in natural beauty products. In previous times, castor oil was the stuff that many children had nightmares of, and there were plenty of reasons for them. It has been used extensively as a laxative and mostly as medicine for almost all diseases in children and the elderly. These possible illnesses ranged from cough, colds, fever, constipation, indigestion, and ingestion of any toxic material, tapeworms, roundworms, skin conditions, and a host of others. The idea behind such treatment was that disturbances in the stomach are the root of all other problems. So if you had a problem, it took a thorough digestive cleaning and the problem would go away.

Health Benefits of Castor Oil

Castor oil provides various health benefits such as:

1. Acts as a laxative: Castor oil is most commonly used as a laxative and it is also known as natural laxative. Therefore it is a very effective treatment for extreme cases of constipation where light laxatives do not work. This property of castor oil helps in movement of muscles and pushes the material through intestine and clears the bowel.
2. Anti- inflammatory effects: The ricinoleic acid, oleic acid, linoleic acid and the other fatty acids found in castor oil are very useful in treating rheumatism, arthritis and gout as they have commendable anti-inflammatory properties which reduces the pain and inflammation. When applied, they easily penetrate into the skin. Castor oil is often mixed with other drugs for rheumatism to facilitate their penetration and snowball their effects.
3. Menstrual Disorders: Ricinoleic acid, found in castor oil, naturally promotes menstruation and helps in times of delayed, painful, or obstructed menstruation. It also helps in relieving pain during menstruation.
4. Skin Care: Castor oil consists of undecylenic acid which has germicidal and disinfecting properties. Due to these properties it is useful in treating skin diseases and ulcers, especially which are caused by bacterial or fungal infections.
5. Breastfeeding: Most of the substances that are considered to be naturally menstrual stimulants and galactagogues stimulate the secretion of milk. Castor oil does this too. Aside from easing and improving the flow of milk, it also increases the amount of milk through the fatty acids in the oil. However, its cold, compressed form should only be used in small doses to avoid adverse effects on infants.
6. Hair Care: The germicidal, insecticidal, and fungicidal properties of ricin and ricinoleic acid protect the scalp and hair from microbial and fungal infections which are the two main reasons of hair loss. In addition, the fatty acids keep your hair and scalp from drying out by maintaining moisture.
7. Hair Growth: Some benefits you will see from using castor oil on your scalp consistently are thicker, stronger hair. This is due to something called ricinoleic acid, which helps accelerate blood circulation to the scalp and stimulate hair growth as well as coat the hair follicle to help protect newly grown hair, resulting in thicker hair. Castor oil also has antibacterial properties, which help create a nice environment on your scalp for hair to grow freely.
8. Anti-Fungal: Castor oil contains anti-fungal properties that help in fighting against stubborn infections, including Candida Albicans, which is an opportunistic fungus that causes many infections like IBS, yeast infections, gum problems, diabetes, and gastritis. Castor oil is has impressive characteristics to fight against all these infections and providing relief to the infectant.
9. For Dry Skin: Castor oil is a boon for dry skin. Whenever it comes to dry skin, we are advised to use castor oil. The benefits of castor oil are used to cure acne and dry skin. To remove the dryness of the skin, you will need castor oil and cotton. First of all, you have to dip a piece of cotton wool in castor oil. After that, apply it directly on the affected area and leave it for 1 hour then wash your face with water. Castor oil has the properties to relieve skin problems, which are used in many types of skin problems.

Apart from the above mentioned, it has various other benefits such as Castor oil is also used in medicines for HIV positive patients because compounds like ricinoleic acid and ricin have germicidal and antiviral effects. Castor oil is also used to protect burns and wounds from infection.

Do you know castor oil is also good for your Hair?

Hair growth is not just about increasing the rate at which hair grows. Healthy hair growth involves a number of other factors, such as hair nutrition, scalp health, etc. Castor oil is a perfect hair growth solution because it fulfills various needs of the hair so that it grows out thick, shiny, and healthy.

Castor oil has antiviral, antibacterial, and antifungal properties. It provides various benefits to the hair such as:

• Controls Hair Fall: the Castor oil contains Ricinoleic Acid which improves blood circulation in your scalp. This results in improved follicles, healthier scalp and reduced hair fall. It nourishes your scalp and provides protection against microbes.

• Treats Dandruff: Oily scalp and itchiness is one of the major causes of Dandruff. The antiviral, antibacterial, and antifungal properties of castor oil make it an effective treatment for removing dandruff. Ricinoleic acid also balances the pH of scalp, making it healthier.

• Reduces Split Ends: The damaged gaps of keratin in the hair shaft are filled by The Castor oil. The tensile strength of the hair increases, making it less prone to breakage and splits.

• Darkens Hair: Castor oil can help you achieve richer and darker hair naturally. Your hair retains the required moisture and dark shade is also increased by the humectant effect of Castor Oil.

• Protects Hair from Damage: A protective layer is formed by the effect of fatty acids on your hair which protects it from sun damage and loss of color. It replenishes the natural oils and protects your scalp from the damage caused by harsh chemicals present in dyes and hair products.

Benefits for Eyelash Growth:

Castor oil is found to be super effective when it comes to achieving covetously thick and long lashes. The castor oil treatment is targeting the bulbs of your lashes providing them nutrients for healthier regrowth. You need to apply the castor oil right where it will be the most efficient, long your lash line. Castor oil for eyelashes also helps in preventing breakage and stimulating faster and healthier eyelash growth.

How one can use castor oil for eyelash growth:

1. Take little Castor oil in hands.
2. Apply to your eyebrows and eyelash using the tip of your index finger.
3. Keep it overnight.

Precautions for Castor Oil

Castor oil was notorious for other reasons too. The most common side effect of castor oil is diarrhea. It has also been used as a poison and even kills people depending on the dosage (high) and the body of a person. When given in lower doses, it induces nausea, vomiting, and loose bowel movements. Muscle cramps and weakness may also be side effects of castor oil. It is not a very healthy or nutritious thing and that is why it has found its use more in the industry than in food. It can also cause skin allergies when applied to test its effects. Its medicinal uses come mainly from its germicidal, toxic, laxative, and disinfectant properties.

Castor oil is considered to be extremely healthy. It is a multipurpose oil. It is used as an effective laxative. Ricinoleic acid is naturally anti-inflammatory. It is regularly used as an additive in foods for different tastes, skincare products, and medicines. Additionally, castor oil is used as a lubricant in industries and biodiesel fuel components. In recent times, oil is used in the treatment of common conditions like skin infections and constipation naturally.