This page may contain affiliate links. Read our disclosure here.
Castor Oil Pack Health Benefits
Castor oil packs changed my life. I’m not exaggerating, I promise! When I first embarked on the mineral balancing journey, I had no idea how important liver health was. I dove straight into my protocol that I was given (which attacked copper, and I was copper dumping for about 4 months straight!). Unfortunately, the practitioner I saw had NO knowledge of how the body healed so I was struggling a lot until I started working on liver healing. This experience was what prompted me to become a health practitioner too- I was SO tired of others giving out horrible information and then they’d have no help at all if things went wrong.
When I first started castor oil packs, a lot of good changes happened. My sleep improved (which was a miracle since I was about 1 1/2 years postpartum and struggling horribly with sleep!). My skin looked clearer. My gut health improved. All of the issues I was having due to the copper dumping slowly calmed down FINALLY.
Today, castor oil packs are one of the biggest recommendations we make in our HTMA protocols. They are easy, cheap, and SUPER effective. Castor packs help with many different health issues like hormonal imbalances, chronic pain, and so much more.
Why Use Castor Oil Packs?
So what makes castor oil packs so effective?
According to this article by Dr Mercola, castor oil packs are anti-inflammatory, antifungal, anti microbial. They help gastrointestinal disorders, help the immune system, keep the lymph system moving, they are great for muscle pains, and they also help with infertility.
Castor oil is known to help with MS, arthritis, cancer, fibromyalgia, Parkinson’s, all liver ailments, and detoxification. Castor oil packs are also well-known for increasing T-cell production. They are also effective for those suffering with hormonal imbalances- everything from estrogen dominance/copper issues to infertility!
The Main Reasons why You Should Love Castor Oil Packs
- They are anti-inflammatory
- They’re anti-fungal
- They’re anti-microbial
- They can help with menstrual issues
- They can help with parasite removal
- They increase bile flow
- They help to HEAL your liver to function better
- They can help with infertility
- They’re amazing for supporting detox
- They support a healthy immune system
- They can help with kidney and adrenal issues as well!
- They are one of the BEST lymph helpers
- They can support weight loss
- They can help with pain management
- They are SO easy to use!
How to Use Castor oil Packs
The EASIEST way to get the benefit of castor oil packs is to use a Queen of Thrones pack! You can organic, hexane free, cold pressed, and extra virgin castor oil plus an organic castor pack together for a mess-free, heat-less, super simple method of using castor oil. You can get the whole kit here to get started. They even have a pack just for kids too!
The old school way of doing castor packs (before I knew about Queen of Thrones!):
- When making castor oil packs, the best options are to get organic, cold-pressed, hexane free castor oil (or at least cold pressed and hexane free like this one) and to use a cotton flannel or an undyed plain white cotton tshirt.
- Castor oil packs-to make it as simple as I can: Get the recommended cotton flannel or an old, UN-dyed t-shirt, fold it to fit over your liver area. Then soak the entire material in castor oil, put the soaked pack over your liver and then put a small blanket, old t-shirt, rag or towel over the soaked pack to protect your clothes.
- Heating pads or hot water packs are personal choice- I like to lay on my right side with the pack for about an hour and the body heat seems to work. Then relax with the pack for about an hour. You can start out slowly with it, maybe doing ten minutes the first night and slowly increasing until you get to an hour. Now that I am used to them, sometimes I even fall asleep with them on- that does tend to stain my pajamas but I get such deep sleep!
- If you want to clean your skin off, use baking soda and water. I keep the pack in a sealed jar and add a little more oil each time, and I wash it once a month with a ton of baking soda and hot water.
For best results use at least 4 consecutive days a week. The more consistent you are with them, the more benefit you will get! You can rotate the packs around too- liver, adrenals/kidneys, thyroid, and even the colon if you have constipation. Some do use them daily safely, and I have known many to even sleep with the packs on.
Some people claim that castor oil packs are great for soothing menstrual pain, but others claim they can increase blood flow. I personally skip the packs during that time of the month, but I leave that choice up to you!
Earthley also has unique options for castor oil packs. They have castor oil that is infused with herbs to help with more specific issues. The warm formula is infused with cinnamon and ginger root, and can help those with joint pain, overall inflammation, or if you have a tendency to feel cold often. The cool formula is infused with peppermint leaf and rosemary, and can help with ovarian cysts, liver support, and if you have a tendency to feel overheated. Click here to check it out! You can also get a flax heating pad to use with whichever formula you choose.
i need help dear desperately. am in Zimbabwe where do i get these castor oil packs- chronic disease patient hyperthyrodism
We usually use Iherb.com for international recommendations so that is a possible place for you to get it!
Do you have thoughts about the safety of castor oil packs over the liver while breastfeeding? Wanting to continue my healing journey after working on minerals for a while now. Thinking of starting some detoxing, but don’t want it to be at the expense of my little guy. Having a hard time finding good info about this online. Thanks!
I usually don’t recommend them while breastfeeding honestly. I think working on nourishing and healing over detox is more important during that time 🙂
Is it safe to use them after gallbladder removal?
I haven’t seen any warnings about that, and I do know people that use them with success.