Some of the Medical Uses for Castor Oil

Medical uses for castor oil are many and it is used from ancient days as remedies for many disorders. It has a very unique chemical composition and hence it finds its use as home remedy for many disorders. First sign of any illness were treated with an oral dose of castor oil in those days and it has worked out.

The most common and most frequent of the medical uses for castor oil are the way it is used for treating constipation. Castor oil is triglyceride of fatty acids. It contains ricinoleic acid. This is an unsaturated fatty acid and this unsaturated fatty acid is found in high concentration in Castor oil. This makes castor oil a unique substance with great healing capabilities. Ricinoleic acid inhibits the growth of many viruses, bacteria, yeasts and molds. This makes castor oil as the best remedy for topical application in cases of ringworm, keratoses, skin inflammation, abrasions, fungal infections, and acne. For small areas of infections you can apply a bandaid that contains castor oil or soak a cloth in castor oil and wrap up the area of the infection.

Castor oil is added to many topical medicines, ointments and creams due to its medicinal properties. This is one of the medical uses of castor oil. Due to its high viscosity this oil is used in industries as lubricants also. In Russia this oil is known as ‘Kastorka’ and in India it is known as ‘Erand’. Many of the gastrointestinal problems are treated with castor oil.

The most common of the gastrointestinal problems that are treated with castor oil are constipation, dysentery, and inflammatory bowel disease. It is also used to treat vaginal infections and bladder problems. It is known that asthma is also treated with castor oil. Some other medical uses for castor oil are it relieves arthritis and back pain if the kernels of the castor seed are boiled with milk and water an taken orally. Nursing mothers used to apply castor oil to the breasts to increase milk secretion and relieve milk stagnation in the mammary glands. Castor oil is also applied to the abdominal area to relieve pains during the menstruation cycle.