You remember when you had some sort of ailment, your grandma was sure castor oil would do the trick. So what is it that castor oil really does? Well to answer that question, we have to first look into what exactly the subtance is and where we get it.
Originating in India, the castor oil plant contains seeds, which is where the cure all comes from. Throughout history, the healing extract has been used for treating external skin diseases, lubrication, burning, and leather dressing. There are two methods of extracting oil from the its plant. These are with and without heat. American's generally use the heat method when extracting oil from the plant. The seeds are placed into a furnace of dry heat and left in there for about an hour. When the seeds are soft, the oil can be easily extracted. A large screw press works to extract the oil from the seeds, the oil is then mixed with water in equal parts. It is then boiled, cooled, and the water is extracted leaving only the oil.
Again throughout history there has been a great many uses for castor oil, for example, many people both the elderly and children alike, have used it as a laxative for constipation. It does not come without its setback and the two biggest are nausea and flavor. It tastes awful and tends to cause nausea after taken. Many people choose to disguise the taste by adding sassafras oil, cinnamon water, lemon oil, or peppermint water. Furthermore, some people drink it with their morning coffee or warm milk.
Grandma's uses were probably for relieving the body of all its toxins. It does work, but it takes about five hours to make it through the body. Here is something you probably were not aware of; castor oil is also good as a skin softener and soap product. It has little odor, is light-colored, and extremely clean.
So what else has Grandma's remedy been used for?
Treatment of ring worm
Treatment of itch
Eye irritation
To induce vomiting
To induce labor
To increase milk flow in breastfeeding mothers
Fuel for lamps
As you can see there are many uses and it does not stop there, it has been used for creating paints, soaps, brake fluids, hydraulic fluids, inks, and dyes. Furthermore, it can be found in some perfumes, polishes, and waxes. In war, it was used as a torture method for causing dehydration and diarrhea in the prisoners.
When you think about it, why would anyone want to ingest castor oil, with all of the different uses it has. There are far better remedies available today.
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