* Please Note: Traditional Use information is provided as a courtesy only. Although we have done our best to review the validity of these uses and we continue to revise this information as new data emerges, the traditional uses indicated on this page for this product may be wrong. This information is based on Traditional and Folklore Medicine which uses natural materials to support health. This information has not been evaluated or approved by the FDA and is not necessarily based on scientific evidence from any source. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). These products are intended to support general well being and are not intended to treat, diagnose, mitigate, prevent, or cure any condition or disease. If conditions persist, please seek advice from your medical doctor.
Description: This is a shrub or small tree (up to 4 m), with very large, hand-shaped leaves. Female and male flowers appear separately near the tips of the branches and the fruit is a three-seeded capsule with spine-like projections. Each seed is about 10 mm long, conspicuously shiny and irregularly mottled with silver, brown and black.
Origin: Probably north-east Africa and India (an ornamental plant and naturalised weed in the tropics and subtropics); product comes from India, China and Brazil.
Parts Used: Seed oil (Ricini oleum), extracted by cold pressing, to avoid toxic lectins from dissolving in the oil.
Therapeutic Category: Laxative.
Uses and Properties: Castor oil is a well-known and effective purgative medicine. During the 17th and 18th centuries, a fortnightly purging was considered necessary for good health, but the ritualised purgation of children and the excessive use of laxatives have virtually disappeared in modern times. Root and leaf poultices are used in folk medicine to treat wounds, sores and boils. Castor oil is nowadays mainly an industrial product (lubricant and starting material in the manufacture of polymers).
Preparation and Dosage: One to two teaspoons (5 - 10 g) of the oil are usually taken as a laxative (maximally 30 g per day).
Active Ingredients: Castor oil contains a fatty acid known as ricinoleic acid, which accounts for about 90% of the triglyceride fatty acids in the oil. The seeds contain two highly toxic substances not present in the oil - ricinine (a pyridine alkaloid) and ricin (a lectin). The latter is among the most toxic compounds; two seeds may be fatal.
Pharmacological Effects: Ricinoleic acid which is formed from triglycerides under the influence of lipase in the small intestine, enhances the formation of prostaglandin E2, endogenous NO and the lease of serotonin and histamine. These properties reduce the net resorption of fluids and electrolytes, and stimulate peristalsis.
Notes: Another member of the Euphorbiaceae, , yields croton oil rich in co-carcinogenic phorbol esters, the most powerful but obsolete purgatives known to man.
Status: Traditional medicine; Pharm.
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Directions
Cleanse the skin with a mild soap and water and apply Castor Oil. Massage in sparingly. As a Castor Oil pack for concentrated application, saturate wool flannel and apply over desired area. Dry heat may be applied.
Ingredients
Castor oil.
Cautions
Should skin sensitivity occur discontinue use. Store in a cool dry Place. Keep out of reach of children.
Do not take internally or use in case of intestinal inflammation.
These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Products are intended to support general well being and are not intended to treat, diagnose, mitigate, prevent, or cure any condition or disease. If conditions persist, please seek advice from your medical doctor. The essence of the current American rule on Traditional Uses is, as stated by FTC, "Claims based on historical or traditional use should be substantiated by confirming scientific evidence, or should be presented in such a way that consumers understand that the sole basis for the claim is a history of use of the product for a particular purpose."
