Is Castor Oil Dangerous for You?

You may have heard of some side effects/dangers of castor oil. Is Castor Oil Dangerous? Find out what this natural product is all about!

Is castor oil dangerous? Truth is that there is a good number of folks out there wondering about the dangers of using castor oil. I decided I would make a detailed article explaining why.

As for any active substance, castor oil must be taken seriously and applied as such! However, no need to be scared!

Indeed, it should be quite the contrary. Thousands of people use it each and every day and enjoy the incredible benefits of this wonderful oil.

The leading blog in France from which this blog is inspired (it’s English sister!) advises more than 60,000 people each month! Castor oil is simply amazing whether it is used as a beauty product or simply to take care of your health naturally.

Castor Oil Dangers

Castor oil is extracted directly from the castor seed growing on the castor plant. This plant that looks very common is actually toxic. You can discover it right here.

is castor oil dangerous illustration

The castor plant dangers: a powerful toxin in its natural state

If you see it, beware! To be more specific, be careful with its seed. It is indeed very toxic for your body. 5 to 10 seeds are enough to cause death. Those seeds contain a protein that is ranked as a toxic biological agent by the CDC.

Despite this scary fact, there is no worry when using castor oil as the seeds are already left out within the extraction process.

The only thing to be careful here is when selecting an oil. A trustworthy manufacturer will provide a great oil-free of any toxin but some other oil produced by careless companies could still have some traces of the toxin.

To avoid any bad choice, choose from the best: follow my guide on where to buy castor oil.

Ingesting Castor Oil: a powerful laxative

Some people recommend drinking castor oil whether it is in case of constipation or in order to induce labor. Whatever the reason, I highly discourage ingesting castor oil. Very few studies have been conducted on the benefits of such use. However, it is 100% guaranteed that you will end up with nasty diarrhea.

Castor oil (and more specifically the ricinoleïc acid contained in the oil) alters the intestinal mucosa. This turns into an important water and electrolyte loss. Consuming heavy doses of castor oil can affect your health badly.

castor seeds

Jean, Bruneton, a French plant expert do not recommend ingesting oil directly. He has mentioned in his third edition of “Pharmacognosy, Phytochemistry, Medicinal Plants” Techniques, and Documentation.

Some rare allergies

Some people present some risks when using castor oil on their skin. The allergy is easily recognizable: a rash will appear on your skin as well as a mild itch.

If you have sensitive allergy-prone skin, do not hesitate to take a test on a small area (in small quantities applied on the back of your hand, for example). Depending on the result you can decide to apply it to a larger area or choose a suitable replacement oil (coconut oil, jojoba oil or argan oil ).

Is Castor Oil Harmful? Final Thoughts

Now that you really know what castor oil is all about, you can act accordingly. Castor oil is not a dangerous product. It all depends on what you are going to do with it and how you are going to use it.

Know that since Marianne and I started using this oil, we have only met one person allergic to it and it was a mild allergic reaction located on the person’s scalp. Everything went back to normal after she selected an oil adapted to her body’s needs.

On my website, you will find only external applications for castor oil. I do not recommend ingesting castor oil because the reactions are just too violent and not yet studied enough to allow for safe use. The benefits of castor oil used internally are more anecdotal than scientific.

What I recommend is to fully enjoy the benefits of castor oil:

What are your thoughts? What is your experience using castor oil? Please share it with me below!

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Comments

  1. Hi! I noticed in your post that you mentioned castor oil affects the mucosa of the intestines, etc. However, scientific research indicates that the main component of the castor oil–ricinoleic acid–binds to a particular receptor in the intestine. causing contractions of the small intestine. That’s why it works so well as a laxative.

    • Mahalo 🙂
      What receptor? This study shows that it has been long proven that ricinoleic acid, along with other fatty acids, affect the mucosa inside the intestines, causing them to secrete fluid. The London Medical Surgical Journal also states in their findings that castor oil negatively affects the intestinal muscous membrane by irritating it (thus affecting them, as I mentioned in my article). Thanks for stopping by!

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