Castor Oil Packs: An Old Remedy That Still Works Wonders
Castor oil packs are not a thing of the past. I’ve found them incredibly useful for my own health, and I often suggest them to clients. Here’s why.
Although it’s ideal to be mindful of stress levels and take steps to manage them—like walking at sunrise or sunset without glasses or contacts (I perch mine on my head so I can still see if I need to, but I really want to soak up that unfiltered light)—sometimes life just gets too busy.
We get stressed. We worry about the world. We comfort ourselves with sugar or comfort food. We try to maintain healthy habits, but life has its way of getting the best of us.
Enter castor oil packs.
Twice in the past year, I’ve done a series of castor oil packs on my abdomen to reduce inflammation in my gut—and it worked like a charm. It took me from “I can’t stand to have pants around my waist” to “I actually want to move again.” (TMI? Sorry, just being real here!)
How to Do It
I use hexane-free castor oil and wool flannel, like the ones in this kit on Amazon.
Step 1: Prepare your setup
Soak the flannel in castor oil until it’s saturated, then lightly wring it out.
Heat a corn or rice bag (or use a heating pad).
Lay down a kitchen garbage bag and towel to protect your surface, and grab another garbage bag for the pack.
Step 2: Apply the pack
Lie down with your abdomen exposed.
Place the saturated wool flannel over your belly.
Cover it with the garbage bag.
Apply your heat source for about 30 minutes.
Remove the pack, fold up the garbage bag (you can reuse it a few times), and store the flannel in a sealed container in the fridge.
Rub any remaining oil into your skin.
I usually do this at bedtime—I’ll just get my bed ready, apply the castor oil pack, and sleep with it on until I wake up in the early morning hours. (Not the official recommendation, but it works beautifully for me.)
Step 3: Repeat
Do this nightly for 10 days.
Then every other day for 10 days.
Then gradually taper: every 3 days, then 4, then 5, and so on.
Your abdomen will start to feel amazing within just a few days. I also notice my energy improves—probably because I’m not so bogged down by inflammation.
A Fun Story
Once, I decided it would be a good idea to start running. My body isn’t really built for it, but I worked up to running about two miles. Then—out of nowhere—my right ankle puffed up like a tick! I must have had a repetitive stress injury, probably because my body alignment wasn’t ideal for running. (Also, muscles strengthen much faster than ligaments, which need a slower pace to adapt.)
A week later, with my ankle still swollen and painful, I decided to try a castor oil pack. I wrapped my ankle in oil-soaked flannel, covered it with plastic, added a corn bag, and took a nap. Two hours later, I woke up and my swollen ankle was actually smaller than the healthy one!
I don’t fully understand how it works—it must help move stagnant fluid or inflammation—but it made a huge difference. The swelling stayed down, and the pain never returned.
Now, when clients tell me about swelling—whether from injury or inflammation—I often recommend castor oil packs and teach them how to use them.
For the gut, I’ve found the 10-day protocol with tapering to be most effective.
Give It a Try
Grab a castor oil pack kit and give it a try for yourself. If you sell retail items in your practice, it might be worth keeping one or two kits on hand for clients. Feel free to share this blog post with them so they can learn how to use it!
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