The benefits of castor oil have been known for literally thousands of years.
The plant is referred to as the Palma Christi, the Palm of Christ, in old herbals. I think the herbalist John Gerard may have used this term. I know the more recent herbalist John Lust discusses the attributes of the Castor Oil plant and lists Palma Christi as one of its common names.
The Palma Christi, or Castor Oil plant does have incredible healing properties, which is why it has been equated with the name of Christ.
Castor Oil has many uses.
Castor oil is derived from the seeds of the castor oil plant. These seeds are extremely poisonous, so never try making your own remedy here. When the oil is extracted from the seed, it leaves behind all the harmful poisons, and only retains those compounds which benefit our health.
Castor Oil is most famously used as a purgative, to treat constipation and poisoning of various kinds. But it also has been used as a healing salve for centuries.
We were often given castor oil as a child, on a weekly basis. I think it is a pity that this practice has fallen into decline, as taking castor oil weekly not only cleans out the bowels, but removes toxins from the liver. Having a clean liver protects one from getting cancer and other degenerative disease. So Castor Oil is a great cancer preventative, in my opinion.
Less children in our polluted Western society would succumb to cancer if they had been given a dose of castor oil on a weekly basis. The more toxic our environment becomes, the more necessity there is to detoxify the liver and the body generally. Castor oil has the ability to attract poisons and hold them within the oil, which makes it a valuable medicine for treating cancer as well as cleansing the bowels and treating some cases of poisoning.
Castor Oil Feeds the Nerves and nourishes the whole body. Taking castor oil internally helps hair growth, gives your skin a satiny smooth feel, improves the brain function, improves eyesight and does a host of other beneficial things.
This is partly because it reduces the toxins in the bowel. A clean bowel means that your bowel can function optimally, without the hindrance of toxins to spoil the absorption of vitamins. You get more goodness out of your food when your bowel is clean, and so you don’t need those vitamin supplements so badly.
These benefits to the health, which castor oil bring, are also because the liver is able to function optimally, because the poisonous stuff which give the liver a hard time have been removed via the castor oil.
The other thing about castor oil is that it contains some compounds which benefit the body’s immune system and which help prevent disease: these compounds have been isolated by modern research scientists.
Castor Oil Remedy for Babies suffering Constipation: Babies who are breast fed should not get constipation, we are told. But now and then, it does happen. Sometimes a crying baby can mean that the baby has become constipated. (check with your doctor if your baby won’t stop crying, in case there is an ear infection, or some other malady)
Vasant Lad, in his book ‘Ayurvedic Home Remedies’ suggests that the mother smear her nipples with a little castor oil before feeding baby. This is just enough, in most cases, to do the trick. This is such a simple remedy which will do no harm to your baby.