Q. I’ve been having some knee stiffness and pain that interferes with my bicycling. When I read on your website that castor oil might reduce inflammation and ease knee pain I bought a bottle. I think it cost less than $2.
I have been rubbing castor oil on my knees twice a day. Amazing! I honestly got real relief within a couple of days. I don’t know how or why it works, but it did for me.
A. Castor oil is derived from the seeds of the plant Ricinus communis. The oil from castor beans has been used medicinally for thousands of years. When swallowed, it acts as a powerful laxative. Applied to the skin, it has been used as a massage oil, anti-inflammatory agent and muscle relaxant.
Over the years we have heard from many readers that castor oil has miraculous powers. Here are just a few examples:
ARTHRITIS
“I am a living witness that castor oil works for joint problems. I rubbed it on my knee for a couple of nights at bedtime and the knee pain went away, but it’s good to keep rubbing it in.” Cee
“Warm castor oil wrapped in a towel around swollen joints or swollen areas will reduce pain and swelling. Also very good for arthritis sufferers. Try it, you’ll love it.” Peter G.
“Using castor oil externally helped my husband’s knee. I had a pharmacy tech at Target order 2 tubes of Castiva with CAPSAISIN. They arrived the next day. At about $10, it is well worth it. (I do not own any or stock nor am I connected to Castiva’s manufacturer.)
“Castor oil must be rubbed onto the skin. A doctor in Springfield, MO, explains that castor oil reduces inflammation, among other things.)
“A friend’s husband had awful knees. She applied the oil at night, as per instructions, and used Castiva during the day, because it would not stain clothes, as castor oil will not wash out completely. She told us that her husband’s knees improved greatly. She told her sister about castor oil, etc., and her knees were improved.
“It might not help everyone, but, hey, a bottle costs less than $5.00, and an old rag and zippy-bag costs little to nothing.” S.H.
WARTS
“I had a wart on my thumb since childhood. I tried everything I read about and it always came back. I read on People’s Pharmacy about using castor oil on knees and joints and started using it. My joints were feeling so much better.
“While telling a friend about using the castor oil, she said her grandmother had put it on the warts on her hand as a child. In a week they were gone. I then looked at my thumb and low and behold the wart on it was gone. The skin is smooth with not a trace of roughness:-) Thanks to the castor oil I think it is gone forever. I don’t know if it will work for plantar warts but castor oil is cheap and worth a try.” Mary
“Both my son (when he was seven) and grandson developed plantar warts on their feet. I applied a small piece of cotton soaked in castor oil to the wart, then covered with gauze and tape each night before bed, and again in the morning before school.
“After a few days, the wart would begin to turn black. I would have them start soaking their foot for 20 minutes or so each evening before the wart treatment. After two to four weeks the ‘core’ fell out, leaving nothing but a hole behind.
“With my son, the wart never returned; with my grandson, fingers crossed, as it was only a few days ago. My other grandson has common warts on his fingers. The doctor put beetle juice on them – saying he would probably need three or four more treatments for complete removal.
“After spending over $100 for this surgical procedure, I think I’ll try and convince my daughter to try castor oil on the ‘common warts.'” K.B.
SKIN TAGS
“I used castor oil successfully to get rid of some small, fleshy bumps that appeared on the skin. I just rubbed a tiny bit of castor oil on them once or twice a day, and in about a month they were gone. A friend of mine had the exact same experience.” Tyler
BRUISES
“Castor oil definitely works! I am a huge bruiser, especially since I am borderline anemic. Whether I bruise and apply castor oil right away or wait 24 hours before I apply castor oil directly to the bruise and rub it a bit, it significantly minimizes the bruise right away and/or decreases the severity or number of days it shows! I love it!” M.M.
“I used it in Lacrosse for years. Put on castor oil and wrapped it with plastic wrap. The bruise would at times be gone the next day.” Tom
“Doing a lot of outside work, I’ve used castor oil for bruises, especially on the back of my hands. While not a controlled study, it seemed to help heal faster than what I thought as normal healing without treatment of any type.” Alx
“Whenever my children hurt themselves, the first thing I reached for was the castor oil. My mother-in-law’s uncle was a boxer and castor oil was what they used after a boxing match to prevent hematomas and bruising. It works like a charm. It has been passed down as a remedy in my family for many years.” L.C.F.
FROSTBITE
“In Arctic Canada, castor oil protects from frostbite during extreme cold. Castor oil reduces the peeling of skin, should frostbite occur and minimizes the impact of the long Arctic winters on our skin. Of course prevention of frostbite is our priority focus. But castor oil helps a lot.” Yellowknife
PLANTAR FASCIITIS
“I use castor oil to treat plantar fasciitis. Put the affected foot across the opposite knee, pull the toes back to expose the tendon that runs from the heel to the ball of the foot. Apply castor oil to the sore part of the heel and massage the tendon with as much pressure as can be tolerated. The castor oil lubricates the area being massaged and works some magic on the inside as well.” Tony
We would love to learn about your experience with castor oil. Has it helped or was it a waste of time? Share your story below.
If you appreciate home remedies as much as we do, you will want to know that we have collected many of our favorite arthritis and wart remedies in our book from National Geographic, The People’s Pharmacy Quick & Handy Home Remedies. In addition to arthritis and wart remedies we have something for almost anything that ails you:
- Allergies
- Arthritis
- Asthma
- Back pain
- Body odor
- Burns
- Bursitis
- Canker Sores
- Colds Colitis
- Constipation
- Coughs
- Cuts & bruises
- Dandruff
- Diabetes
- Diarrhea
- Diverticulitis
- Dry Skin
- Eczema
- Fibromyalgia
- Gas
- Gout
- Headaches
- Hemorrhoids
- Hiccups
- High Blood Pressure
- High cholesterol
- Hot flashes
- Insomnia
- Kidney Stones
- Lice
- Dizziness
- Muscle cramps
- Nausea
- Nerve pain
- Psoriasis
- Raynaud’s disease
- Sinusitis
- Vaginal dryness
- Wound care
Here is a direct link to the shopping cart.
