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Kalpana Sunder

Castor oil, derived from the seeds of the castor bean plant (Ricinus communis), has a rich history as a health and wellness aid – and is now attracting widespread interest online.
In traditional Indian medicine Ayurveda, castor oil has been used for thousands of years to treat ailments from arthritis to skin problems.
Ancient Egyptians also used it for medicinal purposes. Cleopatra is said to have employed castor oil to brighten the whites of her eyes.
During the Middle Ages it was used in Europe as a remedy for constipation, and to induce labour – and is still sometimes used for these things.


Social media has put castor oil back into the limelight.
The 46-year-old host of YouTube channel Stylish & Grateful, which has more than 74,000 subscribers, Liz (who uses her first name only), has had 3.2 million views on the platform for her video Shocking castor oil results after 60 days! in the year since it was posted.
She describes using the oil on her face and lightening dark spots – known as melasma – on her skin. She claims that her skin appears more youthful with fewer noticeable lines, that the dark shadows under her eyes are less obvious and that her eyelashes are longer and thicker.
Liz says her skin has become less dry and itchy in the winter, the eczema on her shins has cleared up, her bowel movements are more regular and her night vision has improved.
Throughout the video, Liz cautions viewers: “Please do not take this as a miracle drug or believe anyone’s big claims, because we are all different and even if we have [the] same issue, the cause could be different.”


Doctor Eye Health, with 1.19 million subscribers to his YouTube channel, posted Castor oil for your eyes: dry eyes, eye bags, eye floaters, cataracts nine months ago. It has attracted more than 2.6 million views.
The man behind the channel, Dr Joseph Allen, a practising optometrist in the US state of Virginia, notes that castor oil is found as an ingredient in many over-the-counter eye drops and research suggests that it can help with dry eye.
“It’s crucial to consult a healthcare professional before using [undiluted] castor oil for any eye-related issues to ensure safety and effectiveness,” Allen says, citing a lack of research, and concerns about castor oil sterility and shelf life.


Applied topically, castor oil can help moisturise delicate skin around the eyes, may reduce eyelid puffiness, and could lessen the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, he says.
“Current research is less clear about its safety when it is directly applied to the ocular [eye] surface,” he adds.
On his popular YouTube channel, which has 964,000 followers, Dr Anil Rajani’s video Castor oil for your face / Nature’s Botox has had 5.1 million views since it was posted online nine months ago.


Rajani, a family doctor in Portland, in the US state of Oregon and a specialist in minimally invasive cosmetic medicine, says castor oil is “astonishingly effective as an emollient (skin softener) and it plumps like filler and removes wrinkles, like Botox”.
“It can soothe sunburn as well,” he says. “Due to castor oil’s anti-inflammatory properties, it eases the pain associated with the inflammation … it’s so moisturising, it reduces the peeling.”
He recommends using only 100 per cent pure organic, cold-pressed, extra virgin and chemical- or hexane-free castor oil.
Neha Ranglani, an integrative nutritionist and health coach based in Mumbai, India, with 264,000 followers on her Instagram account instagram.com/neharanglani, highlights castor oil’s purported benefits, including its anti-inflammatory and moisturising properties.












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A post shared by INTEGRATIVE NUTRITIONIST 🍀 (@neharanglani_)



She recommends using it in a flannel pack on the stomach to help ease menstrual pain, and for lymphatic and gut health, liver detox, and more.
Lauren Kissee, a health influencer based in the US state of Hawaii with 183,000 followers on Instagram, shows the ways she uses castor oil in her self-care routine three times daily – for plumping up her lips, moisturising her face, and removing eye make-up.
At night she also uses it on her neck and stomach, a practice she calls stimulating and healing.
“It helps digestion, no bloating, helps detox your liver,” she says in an Instagram reel. “As my grandfather said, castor oil had 100 uses on the farm he grew up on.”












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A post shared by lauren kissee | motherhood & wellness (@laurenkissee)



Gayathri Krishnamoorthy, 50, an entrepreneur and artist based in Chennai, India, applies castor oil to her navel twice weekly.
“According to Ayurveda, the nabhi or the belly button is considered the powerhouse of our body. The pechoti gland, located right behind the navel, is home to veins and … nerves that connect the nabhi to all the vital organs in our body.
“It helps with balancing doshas (energies) and supporting well-being. Applying a few drops here helps me detox,” she says.
There is no evidence that a pechoti gland exists; however, some research suggests there may be benefits from massaging the stomach after applying oils to the belly button.
Swati Vakharia, an entrepreneur based in Vadodara, India, with her own Ayurvedic line of belly button oils, calls castor oil “magical” for its benefits, which she says include joint and menstrual pain relief, aiding digestion, and improving hair and scalp health.
Laxatives like castor oil can alter the way medications work, so it’s important not to combine them with prescriptions without consulting a healthcare provider
Kathleen Garcia-Benson, Texas-based dietitian
“It also supports your skin health with its nutrient value with omega 3 and fatty acid … [and] promotes tissue regeneration, which can fade scars, stretch marks and other blemishes over time.
“To manage your hormonal imbalance and lifestyle issues, drinking one spoon of castor oil in warm water [twice weekly] can help,” she says.
Despite such claims, the evidence to back these benefits is scant – with two exceptions.

Castor oil’s scientifically backed benefits – and caveats
A study published in 2022 in the Journal of Pharmacopuncture shows that taking castor oil may help open the cervix and bring on labour.
Another study in 2018 of more than 300 pregnant women who took a “castor oil cocktail” – a few tablespoons of oil mixed with juice – found that 91 per cent gave birth vaginally with few complications.
Kathleen Garcia-Benson, a Texas-based dietitian specialising in digestive health, says the only use of castor oil approved by the US Federal Drug Administration, and the only one with an evidence-based benefit, is as a laxative, and it is recommended for short-term use only.

Excessive use can lead to cramps and vomiting; long-term use may cause gastrointestinal irritation and discomfort. It can lead to dependency, irritation of the intestinal lining, and electrolyte imbalances.
“Laxatives like castor oil can alter the way medications work, so it’s important not to combine them with prescriptions without consulting a healthcare provider,” she says.
Castor oil is not recommended for “gut health”, as it does not promote the growth of beneficial bacteria or enhance gut lining integrity.
On its website, the Cleveland Clinic says nearly all of the claims about the health benefits of castor oil are either unproven or false.
“There’s just no need to use castor oil for anything related to your health and wellness,” a Cleveland Clinic family medicine doctor Dr Kevin Hopkins writes.
“For every instance in which social media users claim you can use castor oil, there are other, scientifically proven methods that work better and are safer.”
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Instagram and YouTube are full of praise for castor oil’s supposed health and wellness benefits, but a family doctor says to give it a miss


Instagram and YouTube are full of praise for castor oil’s supposed health and wellness benefits, but a family doctor says to give it a miss.


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