A medicinal plant with multiple applications for your health.
In this article we will see what exactly castor oil is, what are the benefits of using it in our day to day, and how we should apply it on the skin.
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What is castor oil?
As we have already advanced, castor oil is a natural extract of the castor plant, also known as fig or fig, depending on the region.
Specifically, it is obtained by pressing the seeds, although it must be taken into account that if castor oil is not heated in the right way it can be very toxic, since in its natural state one of its components is harmful to health: ricin. This lectin is destroyed by applying heat to the liquid that contains it, but if it reaches the body it can cause significant damage to the liver and kidneys and even cause death.
Obviously, the brands that market castor oil in Western countries carry out all the necessary safety protocols to destroy ricin and that only everything that is beneficial and typical of castor oil remains in the product.
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Benefits of this natural remedy
These are the main benefits of castor oil, summarized.
1. Relieves arthritis pain
This is one of the most frequent uses of this natural remedy, sinceamong the benefits of castor oil we find the analgesic propertybased on one of its components, ricinoleic acid.
Therefore, if you heat this oil and apply it to the painful area a couple of times a day, you will probably feel better despite arthritis (castor oil does not cure this disease, it only fights one of its symptoms).
2. Serves as a laxative
Castor oil is also used as a laxative for those cases in which there are problems with stool retention . In this case, eating a tablespoon is usually enough.
3. Helps moisturize the skin
Castor oil helps keep the skin hydrated , one of the most important dermatological protection actions in our daily care. For this reason, you can distribute this substance to the parts that you want to moisturize and then gently massage. In this way, in addition, you will be contributing to the skin having a fluid blood supply.
4. Delays the appearance of wrinkles
This is another of the benefits of castor oil, although it is true that it occurs with practically all the substances used to moisturize the skin.
Keeping your skin well hydrated means it dries out less or stays dry for a long time, which means there are fewer times when any movement will cause deep folds in the skin. In other words, it will prevent this kind of “folding” of the skin from being very repeated , with which the appearance of wrinkles will end up appearing somewhat later than it would have done if these products were not used.
4. Provides softness and shine to the hair
Castor oil is widely used when making hair conditioners , since it gives it body and reinforces its shine. In addition, it helps to replace the image of dry and damaged hair with one in which the hair maintains all its integrity and does not have “gaps”.
5. Helps treat calluses
If you have calluses on any part of the body, massaging that part with your fingers dipped in castor oil can help reduce discomfort when they are inflamed . Once again, in this case we will only be treating the symptom, not eliminating the presence of calluses from the root.
6. Reduces itching after bites
Something as frequent as a mosquito bite can bother less if we apply castor oil to that part of the skin and massage it a bit. It is not about making the oil penetrate through the hole of the sting, but about some of its components filtering through the skin and exerting their analgesic effects on the focus of itching or pain.
7. Helps treat burned skin
It is clear that the ideal is not to burn yourself, but once the damage is done, you can use castor oil to help the affected skin stay in a better condition. This natural remedy will help the skin recover a little hydration after an event that has caused it to lose a lot of water.
But be careful, you should only do this if the burn is not serious. If your skin is seriously compromised by sunburn or by contact with any hot or corrosive object, trying to touch it and manipulate its surface can be worse; in these cases you should always go to the doctor as soon as possible.
Side effects
Although the toxic elements of the castor bean are no longer present in commercialized castor oil, side effects can occur in some cases, especially if too much has been ingested.
The most common are vomiting, diarrhea, stomach pain, and cramps . Despite this, the Food and Drug Administration notes that castor oil is a product “generally regarded as safe and effective.”
How to apply it on the skin?
Applying castor oil on the skin is very simple. You just have to heat this liquid in a pot, and then wet a cloth with it and then gently massage the part of the body where you want to take advantage of the therapeutic benefits of this product.
In the case of arthritis, it may be enough to moisten a large cloth, wring it out, and let it rest on the part that hurts.
Bibliographic references
- Christopher Brickell, ed. (1996). The Royal Horticultural Society A-Z Encyclopedia of Garden Plants. London: Dorling Kindersley.
- Srivastava, P.; Jyotshna, G., Namita K.M., A.; Shanker, K. (2013). New anti-inflammatory triterpene from the root of Ricinus communis. Natural Product Research. 28 (5): 306–311.
- Mutlu, H.; Meier, M.A.R. (2010). Castor oil as a renewable resource for the chemical industry”. European Journal of Lipid Science and Technology. 112(1): 10 – 30.
- Ogunniyi, D.S. (2006). Castor oil: A vital industrial raw material. Bioresource Technology. 97 (9): 1086 – 1091.
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