Oh, the roaring twenties! This was a very signification decade for North America that held dramatic social, political and economical changes. Our nation rebuilt itself in the aftermath of World War 1, women gained the right to vote, jazz music took the nation by storm and Prohibition was introduced.
The concept and teachings of naturopathic medicine were well received, and it quickly became a full blown movement
Conventional medicine was well established at this point in time, so when Dr. Benedict Lust brought naturopathic medicine to America in the early 1900s, he was competing among the likes of snake oil salesman, witch doctors and Aboriginal shamans. However, the concept and teachings of naturopathic medicine were well received, and it quickly became a full blown movement. Lust was soon joined by a number of prominent leaders in the world of naturopathy including Bastyr, OG Caroll and Harold Dick.
The Castor Oil Pack
A treatment that has been a mainstay in naturopathic medicine for decades, the castor oil pack has actually been around much longer than the advent of naturopathy. Castor oil is mentioned in ancient Chinese, Ayurvedic and Egyptian[1] medical texts, and the founding fathers of modern medicine such as Hippocrates and Galen advocated its use for breast cancer, eye health, skin health and more.[2]
Famous ‘medical medium’ Edgar Cayce was a BIG fan
A famed bedside healer named Edgar Cayce was largely responsible for the popularization of the castor oil pack practice in North America. He was known as a ‘medical medium’, as he would go into a trance state and a specific prescription for a person’s health would come to him. He was renowned for these readings and the use of the castor oil packs which he used with over 1800 clients.
The use of the packs, as part of traditional medicine, re-surged with naturopathic doctors, holistic practitioners, nutritionists and health food stores alike. Many making it the very first prescription with their patients or clients.
Why is the Castor Oil Pack the First Prescription?
As Hippocrates stated, “all disease begins in the gut.” Known as the father of medicine, he was renowned for having created many advances in clinical medicine, understanding how to judge disease and progress forward with it. He knew what is now finally becoming mainstream knowledge; that your health has its roots in the health of your gut.
In the gut, there are many processes occurring that are necessary for life, and imbalance will cause dis-ease. What the ancient doctors were aware of was that for ultimate health to be possible and for the body to be free of disease, the gut needed to be in working order. Not like a machine, but a vibrant garden or ecosystem.
The first prescription needed to address the foundation for healing, and it needed to invigorate the “VIS”, the natural vital force inside all of us that keeps us healthy.
Activation of Our Natural Vital Force
There is an old saying in medical circles that goes, “The doctor dresses the wound and nature heals it.” Following this principle, the castor oil pack is the perfect partner to stimulate the “vis” of the body and more importantly to set up the foundation of health so that all the supplements, exercise, food and practices we are doing can help us more efficiently.
The foundational functions that castor oil packs support are the most important to align in our bodies no matter the health challenge that is occurring, or if we simply want to be as healthy as we can be.
Castor oil packs help realign the FUNCTION OF DIGESTION, ABSORPTION AND ELIMINATION, obviously extremely vital to our health. We often hear, “you are what you eat”, but I also believe you are what you actually absorb and eliminate.
So many of us take countless supplements and expensive food, yet the state of our digestive tract is such that we absorb very little of what we are consuming. Castor oil packs improve the physiology of how you digest and absorb by many mechanisms,[3] and help most importantly with elimination.[4]
Castor oil packs have been shown to help with ANTIOXIDANT status. Not only a source that promotes glutathione,[5] the master detoxification agent, but also fat soluble nutrients like vitamin E, omega 6 and 9,[6] plus nitric oxide promotion,[7] an anti-aging molecule. It really packs a good, healthy antioxidant punch.
Castor oil packs have been shown to balance INFLAMMATION and IMMUNITY. The reality is we need balances in both to have vibrant health. Too much inflammation and it is destructive, too little and we have no protection or ability to heal our wounds. Castor oil packs balance these very important essentials to health.[8] [9]
Castor oil packs help to reset TENSION/STRESS. It is the most damaging mechanism in our bodies for causing disease. It is a pandemic for people these days. Who can’t shut off stress? Castor oil packs are like the escape button on your computer, saving the day by moving your body from the stressed state into the relaxed state.[10] [11] [12] The more you practice them, like an Olympian athlete, the more resilient you will be at managing stress.
Castor oil packs help your HOST MICROBIOME. They are scientifically supported to help with reestablishing the very important bacteria that live within our body. Castor oil even naturally breaks down something known as biofilm,[13] [14] [15] which for people with a large bacterial load is nearly impossible to break down. Castor oil packs also excel with the treatment of Candida[16] as they promote nitric oxide production which is a Candida-reducer.[17] Wearing the pack for seven days in a row for at least one hour is the ideal.
As you can see, this is a plentitude of vital processes that castor oil packs help. To remember these foundational pillars of health that castor oil packs support, I love to use the word FAITH.
Faith In Our Healing Potential
Essentially, castor oil packs help restore FAITH in our body’s ability to heal.
F- Function of the digestion, absorption and elimination.
A- Antioxidant status.
I- Inflammation and immune balance.
T- Tension and stress reduction.
H- Host microbial balance.
The best part about castor oil packs is that they are an easy practice can be done in the comfort of your own home.
Castor Oil Pack How To
To do a castor oil pack, simply pour 1-2 tbsp of organic, cold-pressed, hexane-free castor oil from a GLASS bottle (such as Queen of the Thrones™) onto the center of your organic cotton compress. Then tie your compress onto your body, over your liver, and wear for at least 1 hour or overnight.
This ancient foundational practice will be the catalyst for everything else you are doing to work better and faster.
Read Part 1 of the series here.
Read Part 2 of the series here.
Read Part 3 of the series here.
References:
[1] Tunaru, S; Althoff, TF; Nusing, RM; Diener, M; Offermanns, S (2012). “Castor Oil Induces Laxation and Uterus Contraction via Ricinoleic Acid Activating Prostaglandin EP3 Receptors”. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 109 (23): 9179–9184. doi:10.1073/pnas.1201627109. PMC 3384204. PMID 22615395.
[2] Lukong KE1 Understanding breast cancer – The long and winding road. BBA Clin. 2017 Jan 27;7:64-77. doi: 10.1016/j.bbacli.2017.01.001. eCollection 2017 Jun.
[3] Sorin Tunaru,a Till F. Althoff,a Rolf M. Nüsing,b Martin Diener,c and Stefan Offermannsa,d,1 Castor oil induces laxation and uterus contraction via ricinoleic acid activating prostaglandin EP3 receptors. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2012 Jun 5; 109(23): 9179–9184. Published online 2012 May 21. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1201627109 PMID: 22615395
[4] Arslan GG, Eşer I. An examination of the effect of castor oil packs on constipation in the elderly. Complement Ther Clin Pract. 2011 Feb;17(1):58-62. doi: 10.1016/j.ctcp.2010.04.004. Epub 2010 May 18.
[5] Holm T, Brøgger-Jensen MR, Johnson L, Kessel L.Glutathione preservation during storage of rat lenses in optisol-GS and castor oil. PLoS One. 2013 Nov 19;8(11):e79620. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0079620. eCollection 2013.
[6] Marwat SK, Rehman F, Khan EA, Baloch MS, Sadiq M, Ullah I, Javaria S, Shaheen S. Review – Ricinus cmmunis – Ethnomedicinal uses and pharmacological activities.Pak J Pharm Sci. 2017 Sep;30(5):1815-1827.
[7] Mascolo N1, Izzo AA, Autore G, Barbato F, Capasso F.Nitric oxide and castor oil-induced diarrhea.J Pharmacol Exp Ther. 1994 Jan;268(1):291-5.
[8] Vieira C et al. .Effect of ricinoleic acid in acute and subchronic experimental models of inflammation. Mediators Inflamm. 2000;9(5):223-8
[9] Grady H. Immunomodulation through castor oil packs. The Journal of Naturopathic Medicine. Volume 7 Jan 1 1998; 7(1): 84-9
[10] Löken LS, Wessberg J, Morrison I, McGlone F, Olausson H. Coding of pleasant touch by unmyelinated afferents in humans. Nat Neurosci. 2009 May;12(5):547-8. Epub 2009 Apr 12.
[11] Rolls ET et all. Representations of pleasant and painful touch in the human orbitofrontal and cingulate cortices. Cereb Cortex. 2003 Mar;13(3):308-17.
[12] Walker SC1, Trotter PD2, Swaney WT2, Marshall A3, Mcglone FP4. C-tactile afferents: Cutaneous mediators of oxytocin release during affiliative tactile interactions? Neuropeptides. 2017 Aug;64:27-38. doi: 10.1016/j.npep.2017.01.001. Epub 2017 Jan 19.
[13] Andrade IM1, Andrade KM2, Pisani MX1, Silva-Lovato CH1, de Souza RF1, Paranhos Hde F1.Trial of an experimental castor oil solution for cleaning dentures. Braz Dent J. 2014 Jan-Feb;25(1):43-7.
[14] Badaró MM, Salles MM, Leite VMF, Arruda CNF, Oliveira VC, Nascimento CD, Souza RF, Paranhos HFO, Silva-Lovato CH. Clinical trial for evaluation of Ricinus communis and sodium hypochlorite as denture cleanser.J Appl Oral Sci. 2017 May-Jun; 25(3):324-334.
[15] Salles MM, Badaró MM, Arruda CN, Leite VM, Silva CH, Watanabe E, Oliveira Vde C, Paranhos Hde F. Antimicrobial activity of complete denture cleanser solutions based on sodium hypochlorite and Ricinus communis – a randomized clinical study.J Appl Oral Sci. 2015 Nov-Dec; 23(6):637-42.
[16] Valera MC1, Maekawa LE, de Oliveira LD, Jorge AO, Shygei É, Carvalho CA. In vitro antimicrobial activity of auxiliary chemical substances and natural extracts on Candida albicans and Enterococcus faecalis in root canals. J Appl Oral Sci. 2013 Mar-Apr;21(2):118-23. doi: 10.1590/1678-7757201302135.
[17] Stasko N1, McHale K2, Hollenbach SJ2, Martin M2, Doxey R2. Nitric Oxide-Releasing Macromolecule Exhibits Broad-Spectrum Antifungal Activity and Utility as a Topical Treatment for Superficial Fungal Infections. Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 2018 Jun 26;62(7). pii: e01026-17. doi: 10.1128/AAC.01026-17. Print 2018 Jul.
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Dr Marisol Teijeiro, ND, is the director of Sanas Health Practice in Petersburg, Ontario. Her focus is on cleansing and gut health, and she’s appropriately been dubbed the Queen of the Thrones™ by her patients as she’s helped thousands overcome digestive issues and take control of their toilet troubles. She has spearheaded the Queen of the Thrones™ line of lifestyle entertainment products that includes an easy, mess-less castor oil pack and castor oil in a glass bottle. Dr. Marisol speaks internationally at educational conferences for practitioners, teaches a course on castor oil at the Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine and will be releasing her debut guide book on digestive health, Oh Sh*t, later this year. Her passion lies in teaching people how to digest, absorb, and eliminate well, so that they can live well and achieve their dreams.