500+ Castor seeds, Castor beans, Castor plant seeds

500+ Castor seeds, Castor beans, Castor plant seeds

Health benefits of Castor beans

Castor seeds are well-known for several health properties and chief among them is the use of castor seed oil as a cleansing laxative and purgative. Many herbalists make the use of castor bean oil in order to treat food poisoning. In Chinese medicine castor bean seeds also popularly known as castor oil seeds are used to extract the castor oil and use it as an external application. Listed below are few of the health benefits of castor beans

1. Rheumatism

Poultice prepared from castor seeds can be applied with beneficial results to gouty and rheumatic swellings. Decoction of the roots of castor plant with carbonate of potash is also useful in the treatment of lumbago, rheumatism and sciatica. Paste of the kernel without the embryo, boiled in milk, is also given as a medicine in these conditions.

2. Skin Disorders

Poultice of castor leaves is beneficial as an external application to boils and swellings. Coated with some bland oil such as coconut oil and heated, the hot leaves can be applied over guinea-worm sores to extract the worms. A poultice of castor seeds is also applied to scrofulous sores and boils due to tuberculosis of lymph nodes.

3. Bowel cleansing

Early evidence has shown that a single dose of castor oil given by mouth may help cleanse the bowels. Some research recommends that castor oil is more effective at causing bowel movements than a high-fiber diet or milk of magnesia and cascara. There is disagreement about whether castor oil is better than a commercial kit composed of magnesium citrate oral solution, phenolphthalein, and bisacodyl.

4. Problem of Breast Milk Secretion

Castor oil massaged over the breast after child-birth increases the flow of milk, as it stimulates the mammary glands. Castor leaves can also be used to stimulate the breasts, for the same purpose.

5. Dandruff

If used regularly as hair oil, it helps the growth of the hair and cures dandruff.
6. Jaundice and liver related problems
Fresh leaves of castor plant have hepato-protective action i.e. it protects liver damage. In case of jaundice in initial stage, use fresh leaf of plant to cure it. For this take 4-5 gm. of leaves and grind them. Add this to boiling water and make decoction and drink twice a day. Or take 4-5 gm. of leaves and extract its juice, mix with water and drink twice a day.

7. Constipation

Castor oil can safely be used round the year. It simply passes out after completing its purgative action, making the patient feel a mild irritation in the anus at that time.
Administration of castor oil as a purgative is very simple. About 30 to 60 grams of pure odorless castor oil is given orally with 250 to 375 grams of lukewarm milk. It acts just after an hour. Those who find its use nauseating and unpalatable: can take it with ginger water or aqua anisi in place of milk. This greatly reduces its’ unpleasantness, while destroying mucous and promoting healthy appetite.

8. Natural Birth-Control

According to Ayurvedic and Unani treatises, if a woman chews one castor seed daily for a period of seven days after the menstruation she becomes sterile. This has been interpreted by many that castor seed is an herb for birth control and if the woman swallows one castor seed, after the menstrual cycle she will not conceive during that month. When pregnancy is preferred, the practice can be given up and conception follows after a year.

9. Repellent properties

Taste of the castor oil is terrible so it has been used as a spray to repel moles. Similarly the odor of the castor plants is unpleasant; thus, they have been used as repellent when planted around the mole infested areas. Care should be taken that children and pets have no access to the poisonous seeds.