Mention the words “castor oil” and most people will turn up their noses. That’s because castor oil is widely known as a strong laxative. For most adults, just one tablespoon of castor oil, taken in a glass of orange juice (or any other sweet juice) to disguise its oily taste, will fully clear the bowel within six to 12 hours. But because castor oil is such a strong “cathartic” medicine, I don’t recommend it for constipation. It can irritate the lining of the intestines and cause cramping and diarrhea that can last for hours in some people, leading to dehydration. It’s also a severe irritant to anyone with colitis, diverticulitis or inflammatory bowel disease. If you do want to try castor oil for constipation, be sure to discuss it first with your doctor.

But these dire warnings shouldn’t prevent you from trying castor oil for other uses. As a topical medicine, it is very safe and quite effective, and I’ve recommended it to my patients for more than 30 years. According to research, when castor oil, which is made from the pressing of castor seeds, is applied to the skin, it seems to stimulate lymphocytes, white blood cells that are a part of the body’s immune system. Lymphocytes, found in lymph nodes, filter waste and the debris of disease and promote healing. How castor oil can help…

  • Gallstones. The presence of these fat-laden stones in your gallbladder can cause rapidly intensifying pain in the upper-right side of your abdomen, where the gallbladder is located, and even in your right shoulder or in the back between your shoulders if the pain radiates. You can reduce this pain by applying a castor oil pack over the area. This therapy will not cure gallstones but can help ease the pain, along with such therapies as medication and/or shock-wave therapy to break up the stones. What to do: Get a dish towel–sized piece of cotton cloth (cutting up an old T-shirt works well) and soak it liberally in castor oil. Place the oily cloth directly on your skin in the area of pain…cover it with a dry towel…and put a hot-water bottle or heating pad on top of the towel. Leave the pack in place until the pain subsides—usually for 30 to 60 minutes. You can use this therapy for several days, but consult your doctor if pain becomes severe or lasts for more than a few days.
  • Colic, diverticulitis or colitis. Castor oil packs can be used by adults with cramping intestines…and are safe for babies with colic (a painful condition believed to be caused by digestive muscle spasms or gas)—just check with the child’s pediatrician first. Use a castor oil pack (as described above) over the entire lower abdomen.  
  • Eczema, acne and ringworm. Rub castor oil directly into the skin over a patch of eczema or acne…or a lesion from ringworm (a common fungal infection). Do it twice daily until the skin is healed.
  • Hair loss. Castor oil helps both patchy and overall hair loss due to stress or illness, such as a parasite infection. What to do: Rub castor oil into the scalp at night, cover your scalp with a shower cap, and shampoo your hair in the morning. Do this every night for at least a month to see results.

If you decide to use castor oil, go to a health-food store and buy a brand that is sold for human, medicinal use. Castor oil is also used as a machinery lubricant—the seeds for this sort of castor oil are often raised with lots of herbicides and processed with harmful solvents, such as hexane, so you should not use this type of castor oil.