Has anyone tried castor oil for constipation?

yes, it works a treat, so to speak. it is an old remedy that has been forgotten perhaps but it sure as hell works

magnesium works pretty well too by the way.

just leave all the cereal fibre alone!

Quoted from marjorie

Has anyone tried castor oil for constipation?

Some people don't even have to take it by mouth. They just rub it around on the entire stomach - but don't wear anything that oil will ruin! Castor oil is very soothing for a lot of problems.

Spring,
I thought of doing the pack, are you saying you can just rub it on and put an old shirt on?

rubbing the oil is good but the hot pack is better.

but it scares me!!! .. Don't want to detox too fast!

Quoted from policychecker

rubbing the oil is good but the hot pack is better.

I hate to think what a hot pack would do to some people!! They don't need a hot pack. Castor oil works all by itself, it is easy to use except for the oil factor. PC, I think you have CLEANSE on the brain!!

Quoted from Mother

but it scares me!!! .. Don't want to detox too fast!

I don't believe in doing more than is necessary. If I need a cleanse, well, so be it. But we're talking about constipation here - at least I thought we were!!

I have seen the benefits, is all.

one caster oil pack is hardly a heavy cleanse lol

Spring,
I don't want to cleanse, just go.... so what's the exact procedure? Just rub it everywhere on your abdomen? Do you see the benefits the next day? I have read the side effects to the hot pack and not really interested in that, just want a gentle laxative

Quoted from Mother

Spring,
I don't want to cleanse, just go.... so what's the exact procedure? Just rub it everywhere on your abdomen? Do you see the benefits the next day? I have read the side effects to the hot pack and not really interested in that, just want a gentle laxative

Can you have chia seeds?  For me, it's the best fiber ever!  The right amount of bulk.... facilitates an easy movement. I often find flax seeds are binding....but chia seeds....makes stool lighter and easier to evacuate.  Another thing that helps me is wheat grass.....or any green powder that contains plant fiber.  Another thing that works for me is figs.  i soak them in hot water.
I do the same with prunes.

Castor oil can be very strong when taken internally. It will get you going, but it can cause painful intestinal cramps too. Start with a very small dose, and only take more if it's not helping.

The thing is, constipation is a sign that the GI system is out of balance. Castor oil, or other harsh laxatives, will "get you moving" this once (preventing toxic  buildup) but it won't resolve the underlying problems. Using  a laxative once in a while is OK, but you shouldn't make a habit of it. You still want to identify and resolve the underlying problem.

Low magnesium can cause constipation, as can too little fat in the diet and/or imbalanced gut flora.

Castor Oil Packs are an Edgar Caycee remedy.  I've used them many times for a variety of ailments.  It's gentle healing, imho.

For constipation, I would go with magnesium oil that's sprayed on the skin.

Sharing with the best of intentions.

Ruthie, applying the stuff externally eliminates any problems with pain. In fact, it might even cure the problem of constipation and lessen pain from gas or other problems. Sometimes constipation is brought on more by strained nerves than anything else. Castor oil is not anything to be worried about if it is applied on the skin unless a person is allergic to it which I have never heard of myself. Constipation can be very temporary. Just eat way too much dry stuff and see what happens! Castor oil is way under rated. No one can prove otherwise to me.

Just to be clear, I did not say anything about a cleanse, Chloe, except in my reply to PC.

Quoted from policychecker

I have seen the benefits, is all.

one caster oil pack is hardly a heavy cleanse lol

Well, Mother seemed to get shook up about it! And to be clear here, I never said there were NOT benefits to it. A simple rub of castor oil can soothe the entire stomach, and many other areas of the body where it is applied. We don't really have to throw the whole house, health food store and/or everything else at an ailment if it is just something temporary.

Quoted from Spring

Just to be clear, I did not say anything about a cleanse, Chloe, except in my reply to PC.

I know ...I was just answering Mother ......she wanted to know how to relieve constipation...

And as for magnesium, some people have written articles about how it constipated them. They were checked and their magnesium was way over what they needed. This isn't common but should be taken into consideration.

Quoted from Mother

Spring,
I don't want to cleanse, just go.... so what's the exact procedure? Just rub it everywhere on your abdomen? Do you see the benefits the next day? I have read the side effects to the hot pack and not really interested in that, just want a gentle laxative

Yes, Mother, you will see results the very next morning unless you are really in a "bind!"

take a teaspoon of castor oil and see how it works, it works very well.

OK everyone,
I do transdermal magnesium but have only been doing it about a month. For years I have taken magnesium, mostly oxide, for constipation and has worked well. I am sick of ingesting supplements so thought topical might be a nice change. I have been constipated or irregular all my life and adding fiber always makes it worse. Flax seeds, just the thought is bloating me. Tried chia in small amounts and got scared, probably didn't give it enough time. I NEVER planned on ingesting castor oil. Too little fat in my diet is not an issue. I have changed my macronutrients many times and the only thing consistant is fiber and I don't get along. I'm OK with that as I love my diet but have always needed 'help' from mag. My worst days were the SAD diet but I didn't know about mag then. I'm sure I have underlying GI problems, don't we all? IF I stick to my diet and take mag my system is happy. I know very few people who have great digestion and can eat whatever they want. Diseases are related to digestion as well even though they think they are digesting, they are inflamming elsewhere. My health is good and I am at a great weight and I feel good. Just thought I'd try something external instead of internal. Didn't mean to cause trouble. And I'm not shook up at all, I have just read that they can have a powerful cleansing effect and I'm not looking for that.

Spring,
do you know how often you can use it?

Oh yes, TOPICAL use of castor oil is rather gentle. But using it orally can have very harsh effects on some people. I've never used it internally myself.

Thanks Ruthie, I may try it for a change