This blog is about constipation and how Castor Oil Pack treatments can help to relieve the symptoms of constipation. Castor Oil Packs heal constipation by hydrating and lubricating the intestines, helping your body to move stool more smoothly and with less discomfort. In this post, we’ll discuss what constipation is; how Castor Oil Packs work in the body; and how to perform a Castor Oil Pack treatment to reduce the symptoms of constipation.

What Is Constipation?

Constipation is described as less than three bowel movements a week by medical practitioners. Natural practitioners, herbalists and nutritionists describe constipation as not having a consistent daily bowel movements. More specifically, constipation is a condition where there is difficulty, straining, sluggish or pain when in emptying the bowels. Constipation is often associated with hard feces. If you are constipated, you know it. It’s not a mystery.

What Causes Constipation?

Constipation can be caused by several different things, which is why it is one of the most common health issues facing adults in the U.S. They include:

Not enough fiber or fresh food in your diet
Dehydration
Lack of exercise
Ignoring the urge to have a bowel movement
Medications with constipation as a side effect
Digestion issues like IBS, Crones, and colitis.
Other problems with intestinal or digestive function

What Is a Castor Oil Pack?

Castor Oil is vegetable oil that comes from the Ricinus Communis plant. A Castor Oil Pack involves putting the oil on a cloth, applying it to the affected area (in the case of constipation, your abdomen) and heating it with a warm water bottle to assist with penetration and absorption.

How does a Castor Oil Pack Help with Constipation?

Castor Oil softens and hydrates intestinal tissue, while decreasing inflammation. It also lubricates the intestinal tissue, soothing irritated areas and increasing your body’s ability to move stool through your intestines with less discomfort. Castor Oil Packs also detox your lymph and creates a healing response that decreases the abdominal pain associated with constipation and strain of bowel movements.

Dietary changes, hydration, and exercise can also help relieve constipation but for people who suffer from chronic constipation, Castor Oil Packs can put the body on a path to relief and healing.

Wildish Castor Oil Pack

Our Wildish Castor Oil Pack Kit uses organic, expeller-pressed, hexane-free Castor Oil, an organic three-ply application cloth and a non-toxic rubber hot water bottle and easy-to-follow instructions to make the process as easy and effective as possible. We do not recommend using a heating pad, as they are known to emit Electromagnetic Fields or EMF radiation. Using a heating pad directly on your body increases your exposure to EMFs.

Our kit includes a 100%, non-toxic, rubber hot water bottle because it diffuses the heat evenly and stays warm for hours. With the assistance of a heat-source, Castor Oil can penetrate up to 6 inches deep in the body during a treatment. Using hot water bottles containing toxic plastic chemicals, BPA’s and other chemicals that can penetrate into your tissues and blood stream is not advised.

What You Need: Castor Oil Pack Supplies

Gather these supplies and store them together to make the process easier each time.

Hot Water Bottle: We recommend a 100%, non-toxic rubber hot water bottle over an electric heating pad.
Castor Oil: Bottle of Organic Castor Oil. Castor Oil stains. Be aware when using it. More on this in the how-to section.
Wool or Cotton Cloth: Wool holds up with many uses and doesn’t go rancid with the oil for months. Cotton is good for 6 weeks of regular use. You can reuse your cloth over and over, and don’t need to wash it between treatments. When you are done, just throw it away.
Large Zip Lock Bag: Use this to store your wool or cotton cloth inside in the refrigerator between uses.
Towel: to wrap around you to keep the heat in.

How to Do a Castor Oil Pack for Constipation

When you are experiencing pain from constipation is an ideal time to use a Castor Oil Pack treatment. Do a Castor Oil Pack 1-2 times per day when experiencing symptoms of constipation or 3 times per week as a part of an ongoing routine.

Fill your hot water bottle with hot water from the tap. If it’s not hot enough, you can add boiled water to it. Remember: you want it hot but never burning to the touch. If it’s too hot, take the hot water bottle off until it cools.
Get comfortable in a reclined position with a towel under your back you so when you lay on it, you can wrap it around you.
Add 2oz of castor oil to your cloth, spread it around by rubbing the cloth together and then lay it oil-side down, on your lower abdomen.
Put the hot water bottle on top of the cloth on your lower abdomen.
Wrap the towel around your abdomen to keep the warmth in.
Feel free to watch, listen or read something. You can meditate or simply lay with your eyes closed.
After 30-60 minutes, remove the hot water bottle. Open up the towel. Carefully remove the cloth so as not to get remaining oil on other fabrics or clothes.
Massage the remaining Castor Oil on your skin into your lower abdomen. This is when you could use Abdominal Massage techniques if you desire.
Put the cloth in the plastic bag, seal it and place it in the refrigerator for the next use. No need to wash the cloth between uses.
Empty the water bottle and store everything together for future use. This makes it easy to access and prepare for the next use.
Add a little extra Castor Oil to the cloth the next time, however there will still be remaining oil on there from the previous use.

Other Considerations For Castor Oil Packs and Constipation

Try applying the Castor Oil Pack to different parts of your abdomen or on the most painful parts. You can start with the lower right quadrant of the abdomen, to the upper right quadrant, over to upper left and finally lower left quadrants covering the whole abdomen by the end of the 30-minute treatment. Keeping the pack in one quadrant for fifteen minutes then move it in a clockwise circular direction so the whole abdomen is activated in the session.

Abdominal Massage Is Also Effective for Helping With Constipation

Abdominal Massage is a great partner to castor oil packs. Abdominal Massage is designed to get the whole abdomen relaxed and stimulated. The blood flow increases circulation in the intestines, stimulating the digestive tract to increase movement and motility. You can do it every day for fifteen minutes, right after a Castor Oil Pack treatment. To learn more about Abdominal Massage, check out our blog post, Recover From Vaginal Childbirth with Abdominal Massage. Although, we’re talking about postpartum recovery in this post, the principles still apply to constipation.

How to Know If Castor Oil Is Working for Your Constipation

You can get results relatively quickly with a consistent Castor Oil Pack routine, a high fiber diet, and hydrating with water daily. You should feel less bloated, less strain and discomfort during bowel movements. If you experience chronic constipation, it may take longer to heal. However, it’s worth the effort to feel better and be healthier in a short time, but it can be the remedy you use for long haul challenges.

Castor Oil Packs have many different applications. To learn more about the full range of ailments from postpartum recovery to tissue and bone related injuries and more, check out our blog post, The Many Uses of Castor Oil Packs.

How to Relieve Constipation With Castor Oil Packs