Castor oil is a multi-purpose vegetable oil that people have used for thousands of years.

It’s made by extracting oil from the seeds of the Ricinus communis plant.

These seeds, which are known as castor beans, contain a toxic enzyme called ricin. However, the heating process that castor oil undergoes deactivates it, allowing the oil to be used safely.

Castor oil has a number of medicinal, industrial and pharmaceutical uses.

It’s commonly used as an additive in foods, medications and skin care products, as well as an industrial lubricant and biodiesel fuel component.

In ancient Egypt, castor oil was burned as fuel in lamps, used as a natural remedy to treat ailments like eye irritation and even given to pregnant women to stimulate labor.

Today, castor oil remains a popular natural treatment for common conditions like constipation and skin ailments and is commonly used in natural beauty products.

Castor is a plant that produces seeds (beans). Castor oil is produced from ripe seeds that have had their outer covering (hull) removed. Castor oil has been used as a medicine for centuries.

Castor oil is used for constipation and bowel preparation prior to colonoscopy, childbirth, and many other conditions, but there is no good scientific evidence to support these uses.

• Emptying the colon before a colonoscopy. Taking a single dose of castor oil might be effective for emptying the colon. However, it does not seem to work as well as other bowel preparations, such as sodium phosphate or bisacodyl plus magnesium citrate. Castor oil is not recommended for people who are preparing for a colonoscopy.
• Constipation. Castor oil works as a stimulant laxative for reducing constipation when taken by mouth.
• Dry eye. Using eye drops containing castor oil might reduce symptoms in people with dry eyes.
• Childbirth. Taking a single 60 mL dose of castor oil might start labor within 24 hours in some women who are at their delivery date but have not gone into labor.