How to Use Castor Oil for Endometriosis Pain Relief

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If you’re just tuning into this blog series, I’m discussing a lot on how to reverse endometriosis naturally.

I’ve been using castor oil for endometriosis a lot for the past year. I’ve done castor oil packs every night (except during my period), and I’ve found it to be very relaxing. First of all, it’s really easy to make it yourself (I will show you how in a minute), and it works great for me – my endo belly is gone, I don’t feel pain or menstrual cramps anymore.

Castor oil for endometriosis also helps me to fall asleep and I sleep soundly.

For some time, I’ve used a heating pad when endo pain strikes. I bought my pad from Amazon, but it’s comfortable if I am at home. I’m really keen to try Livia because it’s had great reviews – let me know if you’ve tried it! Then I bought a hot water bottle that’s easy to use when at home.

It’s last year that I’ve added an ingredient to this heat pack: castor oil. Today I’m sharing with you the benefits of castor oil for endometriosis and how to make your own castor oil pack at home.

What you will learn
  • Why castor oil is good for endometriosis
  • How to make your own castor oil pack
  • When and how to apply a castor oil pack

Castor oil is one of my favorite natural treatments for endometriosis (which you can read about in my guide with alternative remedies).

I’ll explain why below, as well as show you a few ways to make use castor oil packs.

Why is good castor oil for endometriosis?

  • May help reduce the bloat of endo belly
  • Helps breakdown scar tissue
  • Eases cramping when used on the abdomen
  • Calms central nervous system
  • Increases lymphatic flow
  • Reduces inflammations, pain, and swelling
  • Supports liver detox when placed over the liver
  • Strengthens immune system
  • Supports digestion

What it does

Castor Oil is a great tool to help naturally promote reproductive health. It’s recommended a variety of gynecological conditions including:

  • fertility
  • endometriosis
  • menstrual cramps
  • fibroids
  • hormonal balance

Castor oil is an anti-inflammatory and antioxidant oil that can be used to soothe sore joints.

Castor oil pack harness the anti-inflammatory and lymph stimulating benefits of castor oil but allow safer external use. From a 1999 study:

“With a minimal 2-hour therapy period, this study found that castor oil pack produced a “significant” temporary increase in the number of T-11 cells that increased over a 7 hour period following treatment and then returned to normal levels within 24 hours later”.

castor oil for endometriosis is one of my favorite natural treatments
Castor oil is one of my favorite endometriosis natural treatments

How often to use castor oil for endometriosis

Use the castor oil pack daily or every other day for 30 to 60 days, except during your period, when bleeding, or if you are pregnant.

For less severe pain try using it three times per week for 30 days, except during your period

Continue less frequently (1-2 times per week) for another 2 or 3 months, eventually reducing use to twice a month

You can use a castor oil pack on any areas of the body. Obviously, for menstrual health, you’d apply the pack to the lower abdomen between your pubic bone and your belly button and come out around 7-10cm each side.

In a month, if you don’t feel better, consider also changing your diet. Avoiding certain foods is important when living with endometriosis. If this all sounds alien to you, start your Diet journey by reading my free guide to Endometriosis Diet + Free 7-Day Meal Plan.

How to make your own castor oil pack for endometriosis

You can easily do a castor oil pack for endometriosis yourself at home.

What you will need:

  1. Place a reasonable amount of organic castor oil onto a cloth. Be sure not to pour too much castor oil, because it’s sticky and can drip.
  2. Next, set yourself up somewhere you can be comfortable in a seated or supine position for at least 30 minutes. I typically administer a castor pack in the evening before bed as I’m watching TV.
  3. Then place the cloth with the oiled side directly on the skin where you experience pain. For me, endo pain is always worse on the right side by my ovary, so this is where I place the pack.
  4. After setting the cloth, put a heating pad on top of it and then cover yourself with a big towel. The idea is to keep castor oil on a piece of cloth on the skin for at least an hour with a heat source to stimulate lymph and liver function, allowing the heat to penetrate the pack and for the oil to be absorbed by the skin. I like to keep the castor pack in place for an hour, as I find this process soothing, especially if I’m experiencing pain that day.

NOTE: Even for external use, I’d consult with a doctor or naturopath to make sure that this natural remedy is OK for you. I also test any new oil (or any substance) on a small part of my arm before using it on a larger area of the body.

You can find castor oil at most health food stores and online. I purchase this one (cold-pressed, cold-processed, Hexane-free, paraben-free)

How to apply a castor oil pack for endometriosis?

There are two common ways to apply castor oil pack on your body:

1. Applying the castor oil pack to your uterus helps:

  • Detoxify the uterine environment and reduce inflammation
  • Shed stagnant tissue and promote the circulation of fresh oxygenated blood to improve the uterine lining for implantation
  • Promote circulation to the ovaries to improve egg quality and quantity
  • Prevent build-up of endometrial tissues and soften and resolve Endometriosis and fibroids
  • Promote circulation to the uterus to prevent menstrual cramping

2. Applying castor oil pack to your liver helps:

  • Detoxify the liver
  • Promote relaxation and facilitate balance hormones
  • Facilitate the function of the liver. In Chinese medicine, the Liver system is responsible for regulating the menstrual cycle and the smooth flow of blood. Castor oil packs on the liver help it perform these functions effectively.

There is one thing I want you to remember is that the castor oil will steam, so it will not steam in color, but it will steam in texture. So if you have any good clothes on it’s going to ruin them and you will see oil steam. The other thing is that once you saturate this castor oil pack, you never wanna wash this. If you put it into your washing machine, it will ruin it. So, do not wash it, get it completely saturated, and you will be able to reuse this for about three months if you keep it in a refrigerator.

Once you saturated both sides, you pick it up and put it on your liver. Your liver is on your right-hand side of your body. Then you put the hot water bottle on top of it, and then you use an old towel to wrap your self in. You wanna use an old towel because, again, the castor oil will steam everything that it comes in contact with.

DO not heat the castor oil up in the microwave because you can easily burn yourself because the oil will retain that heat. So I just like to use the hot water bottle, and then when I am done, I take the hot water bottle off, and then I pick up my castor oil pack. I full it in half, and then I put it into a plastic baggy.

So why not give it a shot?

As with any major diet and lifestyle changes, it takes at least 6-12 months of consistent change, along with natural therapies to bring about real change in the body when living with Endometriosis. So don’t give up when things get tough!

I am not a doctor, I am just sharing my own experience. While there are situations and circumstances where medical therapies are necessary, I truly believe that some natural remedies for endometriosis are foundational, and should always go hand in hand with medicinal treatments!

Have you tried a castor oil for endometriosis? What results have you experienced?

I’d love to hear from you in the comments below…

xo,

Lora

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8 thoughts on “How to Use Castor Oil for Endometriosis Pain Relief

  1. Jen @ Jenron Designs says:

    I had never heard of this kind of treatment but I will say I think I did have a massage therapist do this doing a treatment in Jamaica while I was there. She was trying to explain the process to me but I was so young at the time and had no idea what she was talking about, now I completely get it and wish I had followed up with this.

  2. Adventure Aficionado says:

    I absolutely love this post! I just recently discovered castor packs from a friend, and they are magical! There are so many natural things we can do to help our bodies, and it is just incredible how things like this can help.

  3. Emily says:

    Hi, can you tell me why it says not to use a castor oil pack when you’re on your period and bleeding? That’s when I would of liked to use it the most

  4. Lora says:

    It depends on your bleeding. It can increase bleeding, so if you have heavy periods it is not advised, but if you have light bleeding using a castor oil pack during your bleed is generally fine. Anyway, you should be really careful. Take some magnesium supplements the week before your period and the week of your period.

  5. Kerrie Ann says:

    I am soo glad I came across this post. Based on the benefits of castor oil and vaginal steaming, can you do both at the same time in relation to treating endometriosis?

  6. Aprilyn says:

    Hi, I’ve been diagnosed with endometriosis a year ago anf suffering in pain until now. I haven’t use castor oil before, I just read some comments regarding this. Can someone help me on how to use it? Thank you in advance.

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