Health Benefits of Castor Oil

The health benefits of castor oil are vast and include promoting good oral health, hair care, skin care, birth control and good lactation. Castor oil also has the added benefit of relieving constipation, rheumatism and menstrual disorders.

Castor oil was often known to be a nightmare with children as half a century ago it was used frequently as a purgative, and was the main medicine for illnesses such as skin diseases, tape and round worm, colds, coughs, fevers, constipation, indigestion problems and was also used if a child had swallowed any poisonous matters.

The main reason it was used for so many child illnesses and conditions was many believed that the stomach was the source most conditions, thus the health benefits of castor oil would cleanse the stomach or wash it and the illness would be cured.

The oil was also be used in adults and given in small doses to promote loose motions, induce sickness, vomiting and nausea. It's also believed that castor oil was used to kill people and often thought of as a poison due to its unpleasant side effects, purgative, toxic and germicidal qualities. Castor oil is orderless and tasteless as it is extracted from caster seeds which are also known as Ricinus Communis.

In modern days there are many actual health benefits of caster oil. Within castor oil is Ricin which is a toxin and when administered in small doses acts just like a germicidal thus the oil is known to be effective for birth control. Due to these qualities it's used in lotions and spermicidal gels. If pregnant women are administered the oil in high doses it can cause an abortion, the second mode of birth control can however be fatal to the mother also thus is not recommended.

Relieving pain due to menstrual disorders is also a health benefit of castor oil as it contains ricinoleic acid. This acid has an emenagogue nature which helps relieve pain and can re-start periods.

Those that suffer from arthritis or rheumatism will also find that relief of symptoms caused by the condition is another health benefit of castor oil. This is due to castor oil containing Oleic, Ricinoleic, Linoleic and other fatty acids.

Skin and Hair Care is also a recognized health benefit of castor oil. In terms of skin care, the oil contains undecylenic acid which has disinfectant and germicidal properties which are benefits for those who have skin ulcers, diseases and conditions caused by fungal or bacterial infections.

It also great for hair care due to Ricinoleic and Ricin acid that is within as these have fungicidal, germicidal and insecticidal properties which are known to help protect both the hair and scalp from fungal and microbial infections. Additional health benefits of castor oil in terms of hair care include hair loss prevention as fatty acids within the oil help dry scalps retain moisture whilst nourishing the hair.

Castor oil can also help stimulate the secretion of milk.. This is due to it being Galactagogue and Emenagogue in nature. Besides castor oil being good for enhancing and easing the flow of milk, as it has a high quantity of fatty acids it can also help increase the quantity of milk. To avoid adverse effects to a baby or infant the oil should be used in a cold compressed form and in small doses.

Additional health benefits of castor oil include being present in medications for those with HIV, as Ricin and Ricinaleic acid has anti viral and germicidal effects. You can also use castor oil on wounds, infected areas of the body and on burns.