Castor Oil Packs

There are a few different ways to make a castor oil pack. As written in the book, my preferred method is using a hot towel directly over castor oil on your skin.

A slightly different traditional method is to soak a flannel towel in organic castor oil (cold pressed and unrefined) that is big enough to cover your stomach. The area you are covering is from directly under your chest i.e. the base of your sternum, to about 10-12 cm below your belly button and across both sides of your rib cage.

Lie down on your back and place the oil soaked towel on your stomach. Then cover the towel with a plastic bag.

Then place a heated blanket or hot water bottle over the plastic bag. You could also use a hot pack (which is like a scarf filled with wheat) but you might have to re-heat this half way through.

Leave the pack on for 45-60 minutes. Make sure you have a loved one nearby in case you want something to drink or – if you’re on your own – then have everything you need near you like the TV remote, mobile phone etc. It’s OK to move especially if you are on your own and you need to re-heat up your hot pack or hot water bottle but try to keep it to a minimum.

Make sure you stay hydrated: castor oil packs can make you de-hydrated. It’s a good idea to bend your knees or put a cushion underneath them to relax your back muscles and make sure you go to the toilet before you start!

When you’re finished you can keep the towel in a glass jar in the refrigerator for future packs, I would suggest another 3-4 before washing it, ideally with non-toxic washing liquid. To wash any residual castor oil off your skin use a tablespoon of baking soda in half a litre of water.

It’s best to use the packs for 3-4 continuous days per week and for 1-3 months. Even if you just do this for a month you should notice a difference.

Good luck!