The Effects of Castor Oil

Humans have used castor oil, derived from the castor bean plant, for thousands of years for everything from reducing constipation to inducing labor. The effects of castor oil treat a wide variety of conditions. Modern society uses castor oil primarily as a stimulant laxative that forces muscle contractions in the bowels. However, an increasingly large number of companies and products use castor oil for its cosmetic benefits when applied to the skin.

Constipation Relief

• Relieving constipation is the most well-known effects of castor oil, which was commonly used throughout the 20th century as a stimulant laxative. According to the American Academy of Family Physicians, you should not use castor oil for laxative purposes for more than a few days. The harsh nature of stimulant laxatives like castor oil reduce the tone and strength of your bowel muscles, actually increasing your chances of long-term constipation.

Inducing Labor

• Once used by Egyptians as a cervical stimulator for easing labor, scientists have recently begun documenting the effects of castor oil consumption on full-term pregnant women. In a 2000 study at the Winthrop University Medical Hospital in New York, scientists found that 57.7 percent of the women who consumed castor oil began labor within 24 hours as opposed to just 4.2 percent of women who did not take any castor oil.

Skin Cleanser

• Treating oily but sensitive skin can be difficult because of the harsh abrasives most skin cleansers use to correct oily skin. Ironically, castor oil fights skin oil. In 2010, a team of German scientists at the University Hospital of Erlangen, Germany, found that using a cleanser with wax beads of castor oil four times a day for three weeks reduced the presence of dirt-binding particles and corrected the oily facial appearance without aggravating sensitive skin.