Castor oil packs on stomach: Is this social media trend really worth the hype?

Wellness influencers are praising heaps about castor oil packs on social media. Although castor oil packing is said to offer several health advantages, its capacity to cleanse and detoxify the liver is its most well-known use. Users of TikTok are gushing about the benefits, which include everything from skin improvement and period cramp management to detoxification, weight loss, and digestive help.

How to prepare a castor oil pack

Cutting a piece of cotton or wool into the appropriate size of rectangular pieces is the first step in creating a castor oil pack. Three to four pieces of cloth should be soaked completely in castor oil once it has been poured into a container. To make a castor oil pack, place them on top of one another.
After that, cover the castor oil pack with a plastic sheet and lie on a towel to prevent spills. After that, you can apply the pack straight to the area you want to target; many people suggest heating it by covering the plastic sheet with a heating pad. After 30 to 60 minutes of applying the castor oil pack, replace the pad in the soaking container.

Known benefits of castor oil

Throughout history, castor oil has been utilized in many cultures for:
Laxatives
Inducing contractions in the uterus
Antimicrobial action
The metabolism of lipids
Relief from constipation
Healing of wounds
Relief of headaches
Pain treatment for arthritis
Menstrual cramps are less common.
Induction of labor
Inflammation of the eyelids, dry eye, and other eye disorders
Skin disorders
Detoxification
alleviation of intestinal problems

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of the United States has declared castor oil to be both safe and effective. When used as a bowel prep before diagnostic procedures like colonoscopies, it is beneficial. For hundreds of years, alternative medicine practitioners have employed off-label, FDA-unapproved purposes.

Can one benefit from using castor oil packs?

Many supporters think that the oil that is absorbed from the pack has the ability to alter the interior organs of the body by penetrating far beneath the skin.
Supporters on social media assert that using castor oil packs can aid in the breakdown of cysts or tumors, liver detoxification, cramping, and gastrointestinal issues.
The experts caution that there is no scientific proof that any of these effects may be achieved by applying a castor oil pack to the skin. Castor oil must be consumed in order for the body to benefit from it in treating constipation, and the liver is the body’s natural detoxifier when it comes to toxins.

Constipation and other gastrointestinal problems can be alleviated by taking castor oil orally. There may be a laxative effect from castor oil. Although castor oil is not advised as a first-line treatment because of side effects like cramping, the FDA has actually approved its usage as an oral stimulative laxative.
Despite its cultural and historical significance, there is no proof that putting it on your stomach has any negative effects on your stomach, GI tract, or other vital internal organs.

The takeaway

If you’re interested in trying it and don’t have any health issues that would prevent you from using it, castor oil navel pulling is probably safe, but you should always speak with your doctor before doing so.