Alison Odey

Castor oil packs are extremely useful for softening any hardened tissues or breaking up congestion in glands.
Also for pulled ligaments or damaged cartilage.
Castor oil should never be taken internally, as it is an extremely harsh laxative, for external use however, it is very effective as it penetrates through the skin to underlying tissues.

Very worth while relief can be obtained in cases such as stiff and/or gritty knee joints, inflamed elbows and tight Achilles tendons.

To make a Castor oil pack:

– Take a piece of cotton cloth or towelling large enough to cover the affected area. If the cloth is thin the fold it several times.

– Soak it in castor oil. Castor oil can be bought at most supermarkets, health stores or pharmacies. There is no need to heat the oil first unless the treatment time is short as your body heat will do the job very effectively.

– Place the cloth over the affected area and cover with a piece of plastic to prevent the oil staining clothing or linen. Gladwrap works very well. If treatment time is necessarily short then a hot water bottle can be used to heat the pack while it is in place.

– Leave the castor oil pack in place at least 1 hour.
However it works best if left in place over night. The following night the same piece of cloth can be used with the further addition of a little extra castor oil.

– Continue to apply the castor oil packs for 3 -5 nights. For minor injury one series of applications may be sufficient, but in more serious cases use the packs three days on and three days off.