Beauty and Health Secret of the Past

                                                     Castor Bean

The Hollywood portrait of Cleopatra, the famed seductress known for her beauty, is of course, Hollywood.  The book “Egyptology:  The Missing Millennium, Ancient Egypt in Medieval Arabic Writings” is a more accurate portal.  As a child of royal blood she was highly educated.  The text suggests that queen Cleopatra VII was a brilliant mathematician, chemist, philosopher, physician and author of scientific books.  Many of the medical concepts of today are the result of Egyptian medicine.  CASTOR OILis one of the treasured medicines of this ancient culture.

Just bring up Castor oil to anyone over 50 and you will get a grimace.  A dose of castor oil produced stomach cramping and perhaps explosive evacuation.  One person said his mother would always give him a dose if he came home early from school.  Of course he stayed in school.  Castor oil is well known as a laxative.  It was also a controversial method to induce labor.  I don’t think I would want to be the doctor delivering that child. 

“Cold drawn” from the castor oil bean, also known as Palma Christi for the palm of Christ, the healing touch.  From a native tree of Egypt and India, castor oil has been used as healing oil for ages.  The leaves of the tree were also boiled and spread on the breast to increase quantities of milk in nursing women.  It was a beauty secret as a nighttime face treatment. 

Castor oil has also been used successfully for joint problems including inflammation, pain and degeneration.  This can be highly effective.  This healing oil contains fats that included ricinoleic acid, and linoleic acid.  It can be applied directly to the joints or mixed with another oil.    Blending it with olive oil, sweet almond oil (rejuvenating), apricot kernel oil (rejuvenating), or grape seed oil (toning) can make a wonderful body oil.  Using this for foot massage before bedtime can aid in sleep.  Most commercial castor oil found in the drug store, as a laxative is solvent extracted.  Always use the cold pressed or cold drawn oil for topical use. 

A common naturopathic, use it to make a castor oil pack with cotton flannel.  This is done to “detoxify” organs such as the liver.  It has also been used for problems with the female breast.  Castor oil is a great addition to your natural remedies.

Stay Well