Are Castor Oil Packs Right for You?
Castor oil packs are great for just about anyone… really, I mean it! They indirectly rebalance your internal systems (hormones, immune, digestive, detox, nervous) which all need to be in working order for us to be in great health.
So no matter what condition you are presenting with, castor oil packs work at balancing your health at a fundamental level. They help to increase blood flow, improve detox and relieve inflammation which most of the human population could use a bit of these days.
It’s amazing for those with:
- Hormone Imbalances or Women's Health Concerns
- (period cramps, PMS, endometriosis, fibroids, fertility issues, irregular periods)
- Digestive issues
- (constipation, diarrhea, bloating, abdominal pain, indigestion, feeling of stuckness, trouble digesting fats)
- Impaired Detox symptoms or conditions
- (insomnia, brain fog, itchy skin, headaches, slow digestion, bloating, food sensitivities, hormone imbalances, fatigue, mold, Lymes, parasites, MCAS)
- Arthritis, joint pain, injuries
How Does it Work?
Ricinoleic acid is the main component in castor oil that helps reduce inflammation and help soothe pain.
Detox
Contrary to popular belief, it isn’t “drawing impurities out of the skin” but instead it helps to improve detoxification by stimulating the internal organs inside. Castor oil is absorbed into the top layer of skin, the epidermis, and moves down into the dermis. It is the only oil that has this ability because its main component, ricinoleic acid, has a low molecular weight.
In the dermis, we have our lymphatic system and circulation, and once the castor oil reaches these systems it can travel throughout the body and create a systemic or whole body effect. It “detoxes” by improving liver and intestinal function to eliminate toxins by the usual route — your bowel movements. If you ain’t poopin’, you ain’t detoxin’ so stimulating the intestines and getting adequate blood flow helps to “open up” blocked drainage pathways.
Calms the Nervous System
The packs themselves have a calming effect on our nervous systems. It’s incredibly common these days to be stuck in the sympathetic (fight or flight) due to our modern lifestyles of multi-tasking, screen overstimulation, rushing and ‘doing the most’. When we are in that go-go-go sympathetic state, we cannot be in the parasympathetic state. So when we are stressed, our body is basically ready to run away from the modern day tiger and it is not focused on resting, digesting or healing.
That’s why our health suffers and we get backed up when we are under a lot of stress. Castor oil helps promote blood flow and turns on that parasympathetic state.
Increases Oxytocin
People often say they can feel the “LOVE” when wearing castor packs. This is likely because wearing a pack stimulates dopamine and Oxytocin, (our “feel good” and “love and attachment” hormones). You sleep incredibly well because the castor oil pack relaxes your body and switches you into the relaxed state where we detox, heal and repair our bodies.
Anti-Inflammatory
Castor oil stimulates the lymphatic system and reduces the sensation of pain by decreasing substance P, a nervous system neurotransmitter. This makes it great for inflamed guts, knees, elbows, ovaries, and slow healing wounds.
If you experience endometriosis, arthritis, bursitis, tendonitis, or any other inflammatory condition, castor packs are a great addition to your healing toolbox.
What's an Average Session Like?
You’ll lay on our comfy, cozy tables and we apply castor oil to the area of concern, cover it with an organic, cotton cloth and put under our healing TDP infrared heat lamps to marinate for 60 minutes. Most commonly, we apply castor packs to the abdomen especially if your focus is on hormone balance, digestion or detox. If your focus is on knees, elbows or other creaky joints, we apply the castor oil over those areas instead. If you’re also getting acupuncture, we insert the needles and let you rest with both the needles and the castor packs while they work their magic and activate your body’s natural healing processes.
After you’ve soaked in all of the castor oil goodness, we remove the cloth and oil, clean up the area with a baking soda solution and you’re good to go! It’s incredibly relaxing and creates a parasympathetic (rest and digest) response in the body. It’s common to feel ultra relaxed and you might even hear and feel your belly gurgling and moving during the treatment. That’s a sign your body feels safe to ‘rest, digest and heal’.
Can I Do This at Home?
Yes! Absolutely. For best results, castor packs are done at home on a regular basis.
However, we offer them in the office because:
- Castor packs can superboost the healing powers of acupuncture.
- It's a great option if you're new to castor packs and you want to see how it's done before doing it at home.
- Maybe you wanna just treat yourself to a super relaxing treatment away from the hustle-and-bustle of work, kids, dogs, partners, cooking, cleaning and other distractions you may encounter at home.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here’s some Frequently Asked Questions that will answer most of yours!
The most common placement of the castor oil pack is focused on the liver, underneath the right ribcage. We often include most of the abdomen so it covers many of the digestive organs, the stomach, the pancreas, the small intestine, large intestine, adrenals, and kidneys as well as many lymph nodes in the area.
You can also use it locally for pain (wrists, elbows, knees, hips, joints) or for specific treatments such as ovarian cysts, endometriosis, or fibroids. Even when treating locally, it’s still beneficial to place it on your liver to benefit detox and inflammation, but you can alternate between the liver and the local area each day.
Ideally, a castor oil pack is done daily. So it’s best to purchase one of our Queen Of Thrones Castor packs for the easiest and most convenient way to do castor packs and continue the practice at home. For best results, you’d wear it overnight and at the least wear it an hour to reap the healing benefits. If you are highly sensitive, have a complex condition like mold, Lymes or severely overburden toxic load, it’s best to start at an hour and work your way up so you don’t have detox symptoms.
Castor packs can be done during menstruation but to help improve your period (cramps, irregularities, PMS, etc) it’s best to start using them (at least) the week before. It won’t instantly take away your cramps or symptoms like a Tylenol or medication but it can take the edge off and alleviate cramping or digestive issues.
People sometimes worry that because castor oil stimulates blood flow that using the packs during your period will make you bleed out. This isn’t a concern however because our menses is not a hemorrhage or injury from a blood vessel — it is a sloughing off of the endometrial lining that naturally leaves the body.
Plus, castor oil and packs affect the blood flow indirectly. It stimulates the release of nitric oxide, reduces platelet activating factor, and reduces inflammation which results in healthier clotting. Castor oil also stimulates the uterus smooth muscle contraction during your menses to move and eliminate. This results in less clots and a more efficient aka shorter bleeding time.
If you have any type of period issue (clots, pain, fibroids, endo, irregular, long, short, heavy), castor packs are your new BFF. They help detox the body of old hormones and get it working in tip top shape to regulate that complicated cascade of events that us women go through every month.
Info taken from Queenofthrones.com/faq
Castor oil packs might also create detox effects or Herxheimer reactions if you’re really congested or overburdened with toxins. This isn’t super common but it can happen, especially if you’re really sensitive. Possible symptoms include: headache, irritability, nausea, skin irritation, sore throat. These symptoms usually go away after a few hours and are signs that your body is working through your toxic load or dealing with die-off from bacteria or other critters inside. It won’t kill ya but it can be uncomfortable. If this happens just let us know and we can reduce the amount of time you ‘cook’ for on the table next time.
You’ll be safer avoiding castor oil packs if you’re pregnant or breastfeeding. (Because the oil could potentially trigger premature contractions and its effects on babies are still unknown.)
Your Journey to Health and Wellness Starts Here
Call us at (949) 478-0103, text us at (949) 200-8820 or fill out the form below to send us an email.