Castor Oil Packs for Liver and Digestion Support
Castor oil comes from the castor seed, native to India. It is extremely high in ricinoleic acid, which is thought to be responsible for its health-promoting abilities. I love to suggest the castor oil pack to patients for liver detox or digestion support. It is really good for patients with the MTHFR mutation to do a castor oil pack once a week to keep the liver detoxing well despite the gene mutation.
The idea is to keep castor oil on a piece of cloth on the skin for at least an hour with a heat source to stimulate lymph and liver function. I have had many accounts of patients who noticed better digestion, immediate better sleep, more energy, and clearing of skin symptoms.
NOTE: Check with me or your health care provider before doing a castor oil pack. It should not be used if pregnant.
The beauty of a castor oil pack is by placing it on the right side of the abdomen or the whole abdomen is thought to help support the liver and digestive system. It can also be placed directly on strained joints or muscles to reduce inflammation. (Note: This is not as a substitute for medical care but to speed healing of minor injuries. Also put on the lower abdomen to help with menstrual pain and difficulties.
What It Does
Castor oil packs harness the anti-inflammatory and lymph stimulating benefits of castor oil but allow safer external use. From a 1999 study:
With a minimal 2-hour therapy period, this study found that castor oil packs produced a “significant” temporary increase in the number of T-11 cells that increased over a 7 hour period following treatment and then returned to normal levels within 24 hours later.
The T-11 cell increase represents a general boost in the body’s specific defense status. Lymphocytes actively defend the health of the body by forming antibodies against pathogens and their toxins. T-cell lymphocytes originate from bone marrow and the thymus gland as small lymphocytes that identify and kill viruses, fungi, bacteria, and cancer cells. T-11 cell lymphocytes supply a fundamental antibody capability to keep the specific defense system strong.
In short, castor oil packs have been said to help detoxify the liver naturally, improve lymphatic circulation, and reduce inflammation.
There is some evidence that it can have a suppressive effect on tumors and a positive effect on arthritis.
HOW TO DO A CASTOR OIL PACK
Castor oil packs are simple to do at home and I like them because they require me to be still and relax and read a book for at least an hour (not always easy to accomplish). They can be messy, but with proper preparation are not.
You’ll Need
high-quality castor oil (hexane free)
unbleached and dye free wool or cotton flannel – can be reused up to 30 times
hot water bottle or heating pad
glass container with lid – I use a quart-size mason jar for storing the oil soaked flannel between uses
old clothes, towels and sheets – castor oil does stain!
NOTE: I highly recommend carefully prepping the area where you’ll be doing the castor oil pack to prevent mess. Try using an old shower curtain, covered with a sheet under you to make sure nothing stains. I don’t often have to wash the sheet, and I just fold and store in the bathroom cabinet for the next use.
How to Use a Castor Oil Pack
Cut a large piece of cotton flannel and fold into thirds to make three layers. My original piece was 20 inches by 10 inches and when folded it was roughly 7 inches by 10 inches. Yours could be larger or smaller, depending on where you are planning to place it.
Thoroughly soak (but not completely saturate) the flannel in castor oil. The easiest way I found to do this was to carefully fold the flannel and place in a quart-size mason jar. I then added castor oil about a tablespoon at a time (every 20 minutes or so) to give it time to saturate. I also gently shook the jar between adding more oil so that the oil could reach all parts of the cloth. Ideally, this should be done the day before to give it time to evenly soak. I save the jar since this is where I keep the flannel between uses (it can be used about 30 times).
Carefully remove and unfold the castor oil soaked cloth.
While lying on an old towel or sheet, place the cloth on the desired body part.
Cover with the wrap-around pack or cotton flannel, and place the heating pack on top of this. Less optimally, a plastic grocery bag can be used prevent any oil from getting on the heating pad. A hot water bottle, electric heating pad, or rice heating pad can be used, but hot water bottles and rice packs may need to be reheated several times.
Lie on back with feet elevated (I typically lie on the floor and rest my feet on the couch) and relax for 20 minutes.
Use this time to practice deep breathing, read a book, meditate, or pray (or whatever you find relaxing).
After the desired time, remove the pack and return the flannel to the glass container. Store in fridge.
Use a natural soap or a mix of baking soda and water to remove any castor oil left on the skin.
Relax and rest. Make sure to drink enough water and stay hydrated after doing this to support detox.
OTHER WAYS TO USE CASTOR OIL
Castor oil is handy to have around the house for other uses as well. Use castor oil externally to:
Apply to dry skin, rashes, boils, age spots, warts, and any undesirable skin defects
Treat toenail fungus
Soothe a sprain, injury, or sore joints
Apply to areas of back pain
To cleanse and soothe abdomen when having digestive or reproductive trouble
As a rule of thumb, when trouble begins, apply a series of castor oil packs for 60-90 minutes about 3 times a week for a 3 week period. Consult with a doctor to be exact on how many times a week is good for you.
Have you ever used a castor oil pack? Share your experience below!
Inflammation Relief - A New Supplement
Patients come to Healing Arts with all sorts of health concerns. Headaches, bloating, acne, constipation, insomnia, fatigue, infertility, eczema, brain fog, the list can go on and on. My answer is always the same, muscle test the body to see what toxins the body is holding in order to reduce inflammation. Inflammation in the head is a headache or migraine. Inflammation in the joints is pain. Inflammation in the gut is bloating and so on. The root cause of all dis-ease is inflammation. What we find with the muscle testing is why. Is the reason for the inflammation heavy metals, heavy chemicals, bad flora, parasites, or a food sensitivity? I fell in love with the technique of muscle testing because it is so fast and noninvasive, giving me and my patients answers.
When starting to detox and supporting the body with the right nutrition it takes time to get the inflammation down and yet I want patients to get symptomatic relief as soon as possible and I have noticed throughout the years I would have to give 2-3 different anti-inflammatory supplements to do the job so I decided to make my own supplement, called Inflammation Relief, that contained everything to help lower the inflammation. It contains Curcumin, Pepperine (Black Pepper), Fenugreek, Gotu Kola, Quercitin, Boswelia, Bromelain, and Magnesium lactate.
Curcumin is a well known anti-inflammatory. It is the active ingredient in turmeric and works ten times better with black pepper so add both to your cooking every chance you get or buy in supplement form. Make sure the supplement has black pepper in it too. I do about a teaspoon of turmeric in my superfood protein shake with a pinch of black pepper every morning. Curcumin specifically is great for reducing inflammation in joints, lungs and brain. For the brain it works by encouraging the immune system to send white blood cells called macrophages to the brain in order to destroy any abnormal proteins, restoring proper brain function. Now the reason I added fenugreek to the supplement is because fenugreek helps curcumin absorption into our bodies. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1756464616000426
So black pepper helps curcumin work and fenugreek helps it’s bioavailability.
Magnesium is another great supplement to help with inflammation. Magnesium can help with lots of different things including sleep and bowel movements. It helps with those things because it lowers the inflammation.
Boswelia also known as frankincense is amazing at reducing inflammation especially in joints with cartilage breakdown, rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and osteoarthritis (OA). It’s also used to treat symptoms of ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease and inflammation in the gut in general.
Bromelain is an enzyme find in pineapple that breaks down protein and has pain-relieving and anti-inflammatory effects comparable to NSAIDs. It too can help with bowel inflammation and help boost up the immune system and fight bacterial infections . When the immune system is stronger it can fight or get rid of whatever is causing the inflammation in the first place.
You’ve heard the old saying, “an apple a day keeps the doctor away.” Today, researchers in the field of antioxidants and the effects of micronutrients are beginning to explain why this old adage is more scientifically true than we may have thought. Apples, as well as many other colorful fruits and vegetables, contain a rich amount of a particularly powerful antioxidant called quercetin. Onions have the highest known quercetin content. Other common foods with significant levels of quercetin include:
• Apples
• Cauliflower
• Grapes
• Nectarines
• Spinach
• Strawberries
• Tea
• Tomatoes
Although quercetin is commonly found in many of the foods included in a healthy diet, I use it in this supplement at a therapeutic dosage because it’s such a strong antioxidant.
Quercetin has potent antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antihistamine, antiviral, immune-boosting, and other biological properties. Quercetin works in multiple ways to help prevent or alleviate the symptoms of a variety of conditions, including:
• Cancer
• Canker sores
• Heart disease
• Herpes
• Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)
• Nasal allergy relief
• Respiratory infections
Quercetin’s antioxidant properties also appear to offer sunscreen protection against damage to the skin from the sun’s ultraviolet radiation.
Gotu Kola is great for improving circulation which of course, the more blood flow the less inflammation. Studies suggest supplementing with gotu kola may help you improve your blood circulation. A study conducted on 87 participants diagnosed with poor circulation showed noticeable improvement when given 30 to 60 milligrams two times a day for 60 days. Additionally, eight more studies reported gotu kola effectively improved circulation while alleviating poor circulation symptoms, including pain, heaviness in the legs and swelling. Gotu Kola also helps reduce chronic inflammation by triggering antioxidant activity within the body.
So those are the details of why I put those ingredients in my third personally formulated herbal supplement. With the right nutrition the body truly can heal. To purchase the Healing Arts supplement, Inflammation Relief, https://healingartsnyc.com/shop/inflammation-relief