If you’ve spent any time researching castor oil packs, you’ve probably heard the following:

They stimulate the lymphatic system.

They reduce inflammation.

They detoxify the liver.

They break down scar tissue and adhesions.

They shrink ovarian cysts and fibroids.

They improve circulation.

They help constipation.

They dissolve lumps and bumps.

Some people swear by them.

Others will tell you there is absolutely no scientific evidence that castor oil packs do any of these things.

So I decided to go digging a little deeper.

I wanted to truly understand how castor oil affects the body. I wanted to look at the studies, but I also wanted to look beyond the studies—to the experiences of people who have actually used castor oil, practitioners who have recommended it for decades, and people such as Edgar Cayce, the well-known psychic healer whose health readings frequently recommended castor oil packs.

I wanted to know:

What has actually been studied?

What did those studies actually find?

And even more importantly:

What hasn’t science studied yet?

Because there is a very important difference between:

“Scientists studied this and found that it doesn’t work.”

and

“We don’t have enough research to know whether it works.”

Those two statements get confused all the time.

And castor oil may be one of the best examples of it.

There isn’t nearly as much scientific research on castor oil packs as I expected to find.

But there are decades of traditional use, practitioners recommending them, case histories and an enormous number of people sharing their personal experiences with them.

That doesn’t make those experiences scientific proof. But I don’t think it makes them meaningless, either.

First, what makes castor oil so different?

Castor oil isn’t chemically like most other oils.

Approximately 90% of its fatty acids are one unusual fatty acid called ricinoleic acid.

That’s important because ricinoleic acid isn’t simply an oil that moisturizes your skin.

It is biologically active, meaning it doesn’t just sit there like an ordinary oil. It can interact with cells and receptors in the body and trigger measurable biological responses.

Researchers have discovered that ricinoleic acid interacts with specific receptors in the body, including a prostaglandin receptor called EP3.

This helps explain one thing science knows very well about castor oil: when you swallow it, it stimulates the intestines.

Your digestive system breaks castor oil down and releases ricinoleic acid. Ricinoleic acid then activates EP3 receptors in intestinal smooth muscle, causing contractions.

Scientists have also found these receptors in uterine smooth muscle, which helps explain why oral castor oil has historically been associated with stimulating labor.

Researchers have identified an actual biological mechanism.

Swallowing castor oil and putting castor oil on your abdomen are not the same thing.

If we think about it scientifically, we cannot automatically assume that because ricinoleic acid activates a receptor when it reaches a tissue internally, rubbing castor oil over that organ produces the same effect.

Right now, science has not demonstrated that putting a castor oil pack over your uterus delivers enough ricinoleic acid directly to the uterus to activate those receptors.

Which led me to another question.

Does castor oil actually penetrate through your skin and reach your organs?

You’ve probably heard that castor oil “penetrates deeply” or even that it is one of the deepest penetrating oils.

Barbara O’Neill, one of the best-known modern advocates of castor oil, frequently describes castor oil this way and recommends compresses for everything from scar tissue and adhesions to cysts and fibroids.

But the statement that castor oil penetrates deeply enough to reach an internal organ in therapeutically meaningful amounts has not been demonstrated in humans.

Laboratory research tells us that ricinoleic acid can interact with skin and that castor-oil-derived formulations can affect the penetration of other substances.

But getting into or through layers of skin is very different from demonstrating:

skin → bloodstream → uterus

or

skin → bloodstream → liver

at a concentration high enough to change that organ.

We don’t currently have good human evidence demonstrating that chain of events.

But what if we’ve been asking the wrong question?

What if castor oil doesn’t need to physically travel all the way through your abdomen and into an organ to create an effect?

That doesn’t mean castor oil wouldn’t be responsible for the effect.

Ricinoleic acid may be able to interact locally with the skin, inflammatory pathways, sensory nerves and surrounding tissues and set off biological responses from there.

Science hasn’t established exactly what happens underneath a castor oil pack yet.

And that’s what makes the next research so interesting.

Ricinoleic acid and inflammation

This is one of the most fascinating things I found.

Researchers applied ricinoleic acid topically in experimental animal models of inflammation.

With repeated topical application, they found significant anti-inflammatory effects.

They also measured something called substance P.

Substance P is a neuropeptide involved in pain and inflammatory signaling.

After repeated ricinoleic acid treatment, researchers found reduced substance P in the inflamed tissue along with reduced swelling.

Even more interestingly, ricinoleic acid behaved in some ways similarly to capsaicin, the active compound in chili peppers that is also used in topical pain products.

Researchers described ricinoleic acid as having capsaicin-like anti-inflammatory activity without capsaicin’s characteristic pungency.

There’s an important limitation:

These were animal studies.

They do not prove that wearing a castor oil pack reduces inflammation in humans.

But they do tell us something important.

The main fatty acid in castor oil has demonstrated measurable biological activity when applied topically.

That’s very different from saying castor oil is simply an ordinary oil sitting on top of your skin doing nothing.

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There is actually a human study on castor oil packs

Researchers studied 35 elderly people with constipation. Eighty percent had suffered from chronic constipation for more than 10 years.

They applied castor oil packs and measured what happened.

Here’s the interesting part.

The participants did not have more bowel movements.

They did not produce more stool.

But they experienced significant improvements in several symptoms associated with constipation, including stool consistency, straining and the feeling of complete evacuation after a bowel movement.

The researchers concluded that castor oil packs may be useful for controlling symptoms of constipation.

I find that fascinating because the packs did not simply reproduce the laxative effect of swallowing castor oil.

Something different happened.

We just don’t know exactly why.

What about the lymphatic system?

You’ve probably heard that castor oil packs stimulate your lymphatic system.

Here’s what’s crazy:

When I went looking for good human clinical research proving that claim, I couldn’t find it.

That doesn’t mean researchers proved that castor oil packs don’t affect the lymphatic system.

They haven’t.

It means I couldn’t find good modern human clinical research designed to establish exactly what castor oil packs do to lymphatic circulation.

And this is where Edgar Cayce enters the story.

Edgar Cayce and the “Palma Christi”

Long before castor oil packs became a wellness trend, Edgar Cayce was recommending them.

Cayce, who lived from 1877 to 1945, became famous for entering a trance-like state and giving what became known as his health “readings.”

Castor oil was one of the remedies that appeared repeatedly in those readings.

Cayce referred to castor oil as Palma Christi, or “Palm of Christ,” and recommended warm castor oil packs over different areas of the body.

According to the Edgar Cayce Association for Research and Enlightenment, his readings described castor oil packs as supporting circulation, particularly lymphatic circulation, assimilation and elimination, and helping with adhesions.

Cayce also commonly recommended packs over the liver and abdominal area.

His reasoning wasn’t based on randomized clinical trials.

It came from his readings.

You get to decide what weight you give that.

But there’s something about the history that I find fascinating.

People were describing effects from topical castor oil long before scientists discovered that its dominant fatty acid actually has biological activity.

Cayce couldn’t have known about EP3 receptors or substance P. Those discoveries came much later.

Yet castor oil appeared again and again in his readings.

Does that prove that Cayce understood exactly what castor oil was doing? No.

But it made me want to keep digging.

And then there’s Barbara O’Neill

Barbara O’Neill has become one of the most recognizable modern voices promoting castor oil.

She teaches that castor oil penetrates deeply into tissues and has spoken extensively about using consistent castor oil compresses for things such as:

fibroids, ovarian cysts, scar tissue and adhesions, lumps, bone spurs, and even tumors.

She also recommends abdominal castor oil compresses for digestive issues.

These are Barbara O’Neill’s observations and teachings. They are not conclusions established by controlled human clinical trials.

O’Neill is a natural-health educator rather than a medical researcher, so it’s important to understand what kind of evidence we’re talking about.

When I went looking for controlled human trials demonstrating that castor oil shrinks fibroids or ovarian cysts, I couldn’t find them.

But I also couldn’t find controlled clinical trials showing that researchers consistently applied castor oil packs for months, objectively measured those cysts or fibroids before and afterward, and discovered that they didn’t shrink.

In many cases, the clinical trial necessary to answer the question simply hasn’t been done.

And those are two very different things.

So... can castor oil actually shrink ovarian cysts?

This is my personal experience with castor oil packs.

Years ago, I ended up in the emergency room with an ovarian cyst.

I began using castor oil packs consistently.

I used them every day.

One month later, when I was checked again, the cyst was gone.

That experience eventually became the reason Arandi exists.

After that experience, I wanted to find out everything I possibly could about castor oil and its benefits.

However, I could not find a controlled human clinical study demonstrating that castor oil or castor oil packs shrink ovarian cysts.

There are practitioners and naturopathic clinics recommending them.

Edgar Cayce’s tradition includes physician-reported case histories involving ovarian cysts.

Barbara O’Neill recommends them.

There are enormous numbers of anecdotes.

There are people reporting experiences exactly like mine.

But that’s not the same thing as a clinical trial.

So here is exactly what I can tell you:

I had an ovarian cyst.

I used castor oil packs every day.

One month later, when I was checked again, the cyst was gone.

Can I scientifically prove the castor oil made it disappear? No.

But I’m also not going to pretend that experience meant nothing simply because nobody had conducted the clinical trial.

It changed my life. It made me want to understand castor oil. Eventually, it led me to create Arandi.

My experience doesn’t disappear simply because there isn’t a clinical trial explaining it.

But my experience also doesn’t become scientific proof simply because it happened to me.

Both things can be true.

What about fibroids?

Almost exactly the same situation.

Castor oil packs are recommended for fibroids throughout the natural-health world.

Barbara O’Neill specifically recommends them and says castor oil can break fibroids down.

But here is the distinction that matters:

I couldn’t find a controlled human clinical trial that actually tested whether consistent castor oil pack use reduces fibroid size.

Ideally, you would want researchers to do something like this:

measure fibroid → use castor oil packs consistently for a predetermined period → measure fibroid again

using ultrasound or MRI. Then compare those results with an appropriate control group. That would begin to answer the question. I couldn't find that study.

So when someone says:

“There is no clinical evidence that castor oil shrinks fibroids,”

that can sound like researchers tested castor oil on fibroids and discovered that it didn’t work.

That’s not what I found.

What I found is that we don’t yet have the kind of controlled human trial necessary to answer the question.

So as of now:

“Castor oil shrinks fibroids” is not an established scientific fact.

But neither is:

“Scientists have proven castor oil doesn’t shrink fibroids.”

They haven’t.

Those are completely different conclusions.

What about lumps, bumps, adhesions and scar tissue?

This is another area where traditional claims are much further ahead than clinical research.

Cayce’s readings specifically discussed adhesions.

If you don’t know what adhesions are, they are bands of scar-like tissue that can cause tissues or organs that would normally move freely past one another to become stuck together.

They can develop after things such as surgery, infection or inflammation, and are also associated with conditions such as endometriosis.

Barbara O’Neill talks extensively about castor oil breaking down lumps, adhesions, cysts and other abnormal tissue.

But again, I could not find convincing controlled human studies demonstrating that topical castor oil physically dissolves: lipomas, scar tissue, adhesions, breast cysts, bone spurs or tumors.

And again, the question becomes: Has it been properly studied?

For many of these claims, I couldn't find the kind of controlled human trial that would actually give us the answer.

If you find an unexplained lump, knowing what you’re dealing with gives you more information to decide what you want to do next.

Using castor oil and having something evaluated don’t have to be mutually exclusive.

What you ultimately choose to do with that information and with your own body is your decision.

What about “detoxing” the liver?

This may be the most common castor oil pack claim of all.

Cayce frequently recommended packs over the liver and associated them with improved circulation and elimination.

Modern wellness practitioners often translate that into:

“Castor oil detoxifies your liver.”

So naturally, I went looking for the research.

I could not find a controlled human study designed to test whether wearing a castor oil pack over the liver causes the body to eliminate specific toxins faster.

And that's an important distinction.

It isn't:

“Researchers studied liver detoxification with castor oil packs and discovered they don't work.”

I couldn't find that study.

What we don't currently have is the clinical research necessary to demonstrate that the claim is true.

We would need measurable outcomes showing it.

So I can't tell you that a castor oil pack has been scientifically proven to “detox your liver.”

It hasn't. But I also can't point you to a clinical trial proving that the traditional practice does nothing.

We simply don't have that answer yet.

This is the part of the conversation I think we’re missing

Science is incredibly powerful. But science can only give us answers to questions that have actually been investigated—and investigated well.

If nobody has conducted a randomized clinical trial measuring fibroid volume before and after months of consistent castor oil pack use, science cannot tell us what the result of that trial would have been.

It can only tell us:

We don’t have that evidence yet.

And I think we should be honest in both directions.

We shouldn’t take an anecdote and call it scientific proof.

But we also shouldn’t take the absence of a clinical trial and call it proof of absence.

So where does that leave castor oil?

I think the easiest way to understand everything I found is to separate it into three categories:

I don’t think we have to choose between blindly believing them or dismissing them.

We can simply recognize them for what they are: Anecdotes worth being curious about.

We have things science has already demonstrated.

We have things science has investigated only in animals or in very small human studies.

We have claims that have never been properly tested in controlled human trials.

And then we have something science doesn’t always know what to do with: human experience.

Edgar Cayce recommended castor oil packs again and again nearly a century ago.

Barbara O’Neill has spent years teaching about their use and sharing what she says she has observed.

Natural-health practitioners have recommended them for generations.

And then there are thousands upon thousands of ordinary people telling their own stories.

People who say their pain changed.

Their digestion changed.

Their periods changed.

Their cyst disappeared.

Their fibroid got smaller.

Their scar tissue changed.

Their body changed in some way they could actually see or feel.

Those stories are not clinical trials.

But they are still stories about real people’s experiences.

So do your own research.

Read the studies.

Read Edgar Cayce.

Listen to Barbara O’Neill.

Listen to practitioners.

Listen to people’s personal experiences.

And then, create your own experience with it.

You don’t need me, Barbara O’Neill, Edgar Cayce or a clinical trial to tell you what you experienced in your own body.

You get to decide what evidence matters to you, what you believe, and ultimately what you choose to do with your own body.