Natural Health Help

Background:
The castor bean (Oleum ricini), also known as Palma Christi, due to it’s shape and healing properties, has been known primarily as a cathartic (a strong laxative when taken by mouth). The famed healer Edgar Cayce, indicated in his readings a gentler use, of castor oil, in the form of an external application to the skin of the abdomen, usually assisted by heat. The oil is absorbed into the lymphatic circulation to provide a soothing, nutritive, muscle relaxing treatment. The relaxation of the muscle of the blood vessels allows for freer flow of oxygen, nutrition and waste removal. The relaxation of the smooth muscle of internal organs, such as the stomach, intestines, gall bladder and liver (via it’s rich supply of blood vessels), and uterus is highly effective for pain relief in these areas.

Indications for use:
The castor oil pack has many uses. It is a specific treatment for uterine fibroids, and benign (physiologic or polycystic) ovaries. Other conditions that respond to it are any liver or gall bladder disorder, including hormone imbalance and resulting conditions like migraines; intestinal disorders such as constipation, irritable bowel or acute gastritis. Castor oil packs should not be used at home for any known malignancies (cancer) or any condition that includes bleeding (ulcers, during the menses). Use during pregnancy is also not recommended.

What you need:
Castor oil; about a yard of soft cloth (old diapers, cotton baby-blanket flannel, a piece cut from an old tee-shirt or even (very fancy) some wool flannel); a heat source like heating pad or hot water bottle; some plastic at least as large as the cloth you’ll use (nothing fancy, grocery or garbage sacks will do) and optimally a large old bath towel with which to protect your bedclothes from the oil; and some safety pins.

How to use a castor oil pack:
Fold the cloth to fit over the area you wish to treat; there is no reason not to treat your whole abdomen, regardless where exactly the pain or problem is. Or, you can cover just specifically say the uterus or the liver area with the cloth.

Cut a piece of plastic a little bit bigger than your folded cloth

Thoroughly saturate the cloth with castor oil

Lay the towel on the surface you’ll be lying down on and lie down on top of it; place the pack on your abdomen and cover with the plastic. You can leave it like that or you can bring the edges of the towel up to wrap around you and the pack and pin this in place.

Put the heating source over the pack; just a gentle warmth is fine

Rest for a minimum of 40 minutes; 1 to 2 hours would be even better

Use this time to visualize your recovery; to meditate of pray, or simply sleep.

To clean up, use a solution made of 3 tablespoons of baking soda stirred in 1 quart of warm water. This helps cut the oil.

You can re-use the same oily pack many times; store it in a zip lock bag in a cool place.

Make sure it is warm to at least room temp before you place it on your skin. When it begins to smell stale, make a new one.

Use as often as needed for acute pain; use minimally 3 times a week to assist resolving a chronic condition. (Less than 3 times a week will not produce much therapeutic effect. 5 times a week would be great.)

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