How to make a Castor Oil Pack
Castor Oil Packs are used to enhance circulation and to promote the healing of the tissues and organs underneath the skin. It is also used to improve liver function, relieve pain, reduce inflammation and fibrotic tissue and to improve digestion and bowel movements.
Materials
- A soft, clean, thick material like flannel, wool, cheesecloth or cotton (organic is best)
- Castor oil
- A glass bowl or glass jar that you can pour the castor oil in over your flannel
- A hot water bottle or heating pad
- Old clothes that you don’t mind getting stained since castor oil stains fabric
- A plastic bag (I find kitchen or regular garbage bags work best)
- A large towel
Where to use it?
- The right side of the abdomen. Castor oil packs are sometimes recommended by alternative practitioners as part of a liver detox program.
- Inflamed and swollen joints, bursitis, and muscle strains.
- The abdomen to relieve constipation and other digestive disorders.
- The lower abdomen in cases of menstrual irregularities, uterine fibroids and ovarian cysts.
How to do it?
- Put on some older clothes.
- Take the piece of flannel and place it in your bowl or glass container and pour enough castor oil over it to soak it (make sure it’s saturated, but it doesn’t need to be dripping in oil).
- Get your hot water bottle or heating pad ready.
- Place your towel on a flat surface (either a couch, your bed, or the floor). For added protection you can also put down a garbage bag so that your bed or couch won’t get stained from any oil that manages to escape the plastic cover.
- Once you lie down, place your saturated flannel over the affected area of your body.
- Cover the pack with plastic.
- Place the heating pad or hot water bottle over the pack and let it sit for at least 45-60 minutes, minimum 20 minutes. During this time you can rest or read a book.
- When the time is up, remove the pack and clean the area with water and a bit of baking soda.
- Store the pack in the covered container in the refrigerator. Each pack may be reused up to 25-30 times. Just add another tablespoon of castor oil for the next session.