How castor oil should actually be used

 Influencers on social media vouch for castor oil's ability to treat tumors, reduce abdominal fat, and clear blurry vision. What good does it do the body, though?

You've probably heard of castor oil if you've recently been on social media. Numerous videos exist featuring influencers praising the oil's qualities, with claims that it can eliminate wrinkles, reduce belly fat, improve vision, and detoxify the body.

According to Stefan Offermanns, a pharmacology professor at Goethe University in Frankfurt and a director of the Max Planck Institute for Heart and Lung Research, castor oil is "one of the oldest drugs." Researchers have found evidence of castor oil in 4000 B.C. Egyptian tombs. The Ebers Papyrus, an ancient Egyptian medical manuscript from 1550 B.C., reveals that the first doctors recommended castor oil as a laxative, to cure a variety of eye and skin ailments, and to induce labor, among other uses.

But since then, scientists have discovered a great deal about castor oil. While some of these contemporary claims are safe, others could be harmful to your health. Which castor oil claims, then, are supported by science?

What is castor oil, and what are its true benefits? 

The seeds of the castor oil plant, Ricinus communis, are used to make castor beans, a vegetable oil. The plant is native to the Mediterranean, North Africa, and India, where people have been using castor oil for thousands of years to induce labor and relieve constipation. 

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Offermanns believes that one of the reasons castor oil has endured for so long is because of its pronounced laxative properties. He was one of the first to investigate the mechanism by which castor oil's active component, ricinoleic acid, causes muscular contractions. He discovered that castor oil acts on the EP3 receptor, a prostaglandin receptor present in the gut and cervix, among other parts of the body, by researching mice. When this receptor is stimulated, muscles contract, causing the body to expel stool or initiate cervical contractions, which initiate the birthing process. These effects were not seen in mice lacking the receptor.

Castor oil is safe and effective to use as a laxative because the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved it for this use. A number of studies have also examined the safety of using castor oil to induce labor; however, the results have been less conclusive, and Offermanns notes that the FDA has not approved the oil for this use.

Offermanns says that despite this, he probably wouldn't advise his patients to use castor oil for its laxative properties because there are more potent laxatives available that have fewer adverse effects, such as nausea and vomiting. Furthermore, research indicates that consuming castor oil on a regular basis may irritate and harm the intestinal lining. This applies to all laxatives; overuse is likely to result in major harm to the stomach and other organs in the long run, says Offermanns.