Dr. Murthy agrees that there are benefits to using castor oil packs for comfort, warmth and relaxation, but he just can\u2019t go as far as to suggest that applying castor oil topically can do much to help with aiding digestion. It\u2019s also not recommended to use a castor oil pack during menstruation, as it can increase cramping and, in some instances, bleeding.<\/p>\n
Castor oil contains something called ricinoleic acid, which stimulates smooth muscle (the small and large intestines each contain multiple layers) and can mimic the effects of a laxative. Taking castor oil orally, though, is not recommended for many people (including pregnant women), as it can trigger \u201cuterine-stimulation,\u201d or early labour, and interact with certain medications.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s tricky, feeling certain that something works for me but being told\u2014at almost every turn\u2014that it can\u2019t possibly. Perhaps it\u2019s a combination of the stomach massage I do as I apply the oil with all of my other efforts to support my digestion, but I have found that castor oil stomach wraps have helped alleviate half a decade\u2019s worth of waking up feeling sluggish, heavy and full. To me, that\u2019s reason enough to keep doing them.<\/p>\n
\u201cUse them as a soothing, low-risk ritual rather than a cure-all,\u201d Dr. Murthy advises, noting that the skin absorption of castor oil is much lower than when it’s ingested. \u201cFor liver detoxification or hormone balance, the science isn\u2019t there yet. Instead, focus on sleep, fiber, protein, cruciferous vegetables, exercise, and alcohol moderation, where the benefits have been proven.\u201d<\/p>\n
The trick, I\u2019ve found, is not to treat my slow-moving digestion as something that can be cured, but instead as something to support. In my toolbox: castor oil wraps, stomach massage, a nightly magnesium drink, and bucket loads of warm water.\u00a0 Add in getting enough proper sleep, not skimping on fiber, and gentle daily movement, and I\u2019m in a good place.<\/p>\n
Have a beauty or wellness trend you’re curious about? We want to know! Send\u00a0Vogue’s senior beauty & wellness editor an email at\u00a0beauty@vogue.com.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Dr. Murthy agrees that there are benefits to using castor oil packs for comfort, warmth and relaxation, but…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":66820,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[33],"tags":[163,85,46,482,558],"class_list":{"0":"post-66819","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-medication","8":"tag-health","9":"tag-il","10":"tag-israel","11":"tag-medication","12":"tag-wellness"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/66819","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=66819"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/66819\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/66820"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=66819"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=66819"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=66819"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}