26 September, 2018
How to Use Castor Oil Packs for Liver Support
I recommend castor oil packs all the time to my clients. They can be really beneficial for a few things, but the most common reason I suggest them is for gentle liver detox. An overworked liver due to excessive toxins is not a good scenario for healthy hormones or digestion. And since your hormones and gut are so connected, you can’t work on one without addressing the other.
You are always detoxing – not just when you do cleanses (which I am not a fan of, by the way). The best way to support detoxification is to avoid as many toxins as possible in the first place, eat a nutrient-dense diet including complete protein so the liver has what it needs to work well, and support the liver any way you can.
How can you avoid toxins?
Clean up your beauty products. When you use chemical-filled products, toxins get absorbed through your skin and your liver has to work hard to eliminate them from your body. Think shampoo, lotion, toothpaste, makeup, deodorant, and soap. You could unknowingly be exposing your liver to hundreds of unnecessary chemicals every single day.
Next: eat real food. This is one reason why I always recommend reading the ingredient list on your food labels vs. nutrition facts. Ingredients you can’t pronounce or that don’t sound like food are often made in a lab by chemists. These are essentially toxins that are added to food and create an extra burden on your liver.
How the castor oil pack works
Warm castor oil packs can be placed on many different areas of the body for healing.
Castor oil has a drawing power that clears the body of excess tissues and toxins. The packs help by stimulating the lymphatic and circulatory system. Lymphatic congestion is a major factor leading to inflammation and disease.
The lymphatic system removes toxins and waste from the area stimulated by the castor oil pack. Lymphatic tissue also produces and stores lymphocytes which are your immune system’s disease-fighting cells. When castor oil gets absorbed into your skin it can also improve you lymphocyte count which in turn can speed up the removal of toxins from your tissues.
Castor oil packs can also increase circulation, which brings in fresh oxygenated, nutrient-rich blood to the area (in this case the liver).
How to do a castor oil pack
Supplies you will need:
- Castor Oil (hexane free always)
- Organic white cotton or flannel fabric
- Heating pad
- Piece of wax paper or old towel (NO PLASTIC)
- Glass container with a lid
You can do a castor oil pack initially every day for about 20 minutes for at least one month and then cut back to 3-4 times per week. I recently started adding Zendocrine detoxification blend from DoTerra, which is optional, for even more detox support. I just dab a couple drops of the oil over my liver. Then apply the pack directly to my liver (right side of your body under the rib cage). I recommend NOT doing packs when you are on your period but the rest of the month is fair game.
Directions:
- Fold the fabric so that it is large enough to cover your liver, about 1 foot by 1 foot. Saturate the fabric with castor oil. You don’t need it to be dripping with the oil but the fabric should be moist.
- Apply the moist pack to your liver (right side of your body under your rib cage). Note: the oil can stain so I don’t wear a bra and be sure any clothes I am wearing is away from the pack. Consider wearing something you don’t mind getting stained and lay on a towel to keep your furniture clean.
- Take a piece of wax paper or towel you don’t mind getting stained and cover the castor oil pack with it. Please don’t use plastic wrap.
- Cover that with an electric heating pad or hot water bottle and relax for the 20 minute process.
- When done I use a towel to remove excess castor oil from my skin or you could also jump in the shower.
- The pack can be kept and reused over and over for at least 3 months before you want to purchase a new fabric. I keep mine in a glass container with a lid. If it starts to dry out you can add more castor oil to it to re-hydrate.
Other Benefits
Today I focused on using castor oil packs for liver support, but they have many uses. You can use them over uterine fibroids or breast cysts, make a smaller pack to use over your thyroid, or even put them over your abdomen to help with bloating or constipation. They are helpful to alleviate pain, inflammation, and swelling, but also make sure you are working with a professional to get to the root cause of your symptoms!
Have you used castor oil packs? How do you use them? What benefits have you noticed? I’d love to hear! Let me know in the comments.
References:
Kennedy, DA & Keaton D. Evidence for the Topical Application of Castor Oil. Int Jrnl Nat Med. Apr 2012;5(1).
Grady Harvey. Immunomodulation through castor oil packs. Journal of Naturopathic Medicine. Unknown; 7(1):84-89.
33 Comments
Very interesting article about castor oil. This is really helpful
I am happy you think so
Is it safe to do this while pregnant?
No it isn’t
Why not saran wrap?
Because of the toxins that can come along with plastic
Very interesting. I will be giving this a try. Thanks for sharing.
Very interesting. I will be giving this a try. I was recently informed I have a fatty liver. Thanks for sharing.
Glad you found it interesting. I find fatty liver is much more about a blood sugar issue. When blood sugars are high your body has to move sugar out and it can get stored in the liver. Sugar gets stored as fat. So addressing it will likely be more than just doing castor oil packs.
Why not on your period?
Because for some women doing them on your period can cause heavier flows.
Are there any visible or noticeable changes that indicate the castor oil pack (over my liver) has done anything?
Yes some will have noticeable changes. But not everyone will have significant noticeable changes. Health is about all the things you do collectively to support your body.
Hi Sara, thanks for this info. Very helpful, particularly about not using a plastic covering. I have a couple of questions – firstly, when in relation to mealtimes is a good time to do a castor oil pack? And secondly, could I do two castor oil packs simultaneously (eg one for liver, one over pelvic area) or is that not advised?
Timing doesn’t matter much as far as mealtime goes. But if you feel best doing it at certain times then listen to your body. Yes you can definitely do them over different parts of your body at the same time.
Hi Sarah! I have discovered your blog. I just found out I have NAFLD. I am going to try this castor oil pack on advice of my doctor. I hope it works. I do not have sugar issues, as I have been doing keto and intermittent fasting for a very long time. All my other blood work thus far has shown great cholesterol ratio, low triglycerides and very low glucose. I have had high serum ferritin levels that I keep under control by giving blood. I have very high B12 levels. I am perplexed as how I developed a fatty liver. I drink alcohol socially but very responsibly. Lately, since I’ve found out about NAFLD, I do not drink at all. 23andMe health report (about 10 years ago) did say I had a higher than average propensity to develop NAFLD. So is it just genetics? Or did something in my “healthy”, high fat diet cause this? Recently, I read that if you have NAFLD do not use MCT oil but coconut oil is okay. I have used MCT oils in the past but not a crazy amount. I LOVE BUTTER, olive oil and avocados. No dairy either other than grass fed butter. I take a lot of supplements, some supposedly good for the liver: NAC, niacin, milk thistle. Maybe my Omegas are out of balance? Too many nuts could be too high in Omega 6? I thought they were high in 3’s but found out actually high in omega 6! I lost 27 lbs in about 6 months, 5 years ago and have kept it off. I am 5’6” and currently my weight fluctuates between 122- 130. Any thoughts? I need Dr. House!
We can develop fatty liver for many possible reasons. I would also possible consider anything that can stress out the liver so yes alcohol and blood sugar imbalances can do that but so can thing like…gut dysfunction (the gut is the biggest source of toxicity in the body), toxic metals and MORE!
What is the difference between using a castor oil pack and just put in the oil on your stomach before you go to bed at night? I actually put it all over my body a few times a week after a bath.
What are common side effects of the castor oil pack on the liver area?
There aren’t common ones. Most impacts might show up if one is going too fast with them.
I am doing the castro oil pack to the liver prior to my thyroid for a month. But I am curious, how long should or does one continue to apply the packs to one liver? You say 3 to 4 times a week, do you ever reduce this amount?
Depends on the case. There is no one size fits all to usage. Overall good health is more than just doing castor oil packs so if all is well one might not have to do them as often.
Do you mix cayenne pepper with the castor oil to make the pack and does it help with low enzymes in the !iver?
No you don’t mix cayenne pepper with the castor oil. Proper gut health overall is what needs to happen to help our bodies many enough enzymes.
None so far – just new and hoping to TRY it soon
Thank you for this very helpful article! May I ask what one hopes for by applying packs to the thyroid? Thanks!
Glad it was helpful. Putting castor oil packs on the thyroid may aid in helping to draw toxins out of the thyroid.
Interested in castor oil packs.
Glad to hear it. Hope this article helps.
Hi Sara! Great information!! Can you put the castor oil pack on at bedtime and leave it on overnight? If so, how many nights a week would you recommend? Thank you!
Some people like to do that but I have had some clients do that an experience diarrhea so it will completely be dependent on the individual. There is no one-size-fits-all approach.
Amazon sells adhesive organic cotton pads 8.7” x 7.9” to be used for castor oil packs. I like that they are neater and cleaner than some other methods. What are your thoughts? Thanks again!
I’ve never seen those so I can’t provide any input.