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Using castor oil for SIBO is an effective way to naturally treat it and improve your overall health. Small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) can cause constipation, diarrhea, malnutrition, unexplained weight loss, and fatigue. Antibiotics are typically the first-line treatment in SIBO. But castor oil has become a sought out treatment to manage SIBO.
Having bacteria in the small intestine can cause impaired absorption of nutrients. According to alternative medicine practitioners, sweets and starchy foods cause the worst symptoms. Treating SIBO requires killing off these unwanted bacteria and keeping them from recognizing (1). Since SIBO can be a difficult condition to treat, it is important to understand all of the different therapeutic options available.
SIBO typically develops as the result of something else gone awry in your system that renders your small intestine too hospitable to the normal, friendly bacteria that typically stay put in your large intestine (colon) where they belong (2). SIBO is a tough condition that often comes back and requires multiple rounds of treatment. Finding a remedy that can help manage this is important.
There are three ways in which SIBO is commonly eradicated:
- Prescription antibiotics
- Herbal antimicrobials (3)
- Elemental diet
The benefits of castor oil for SIBO comes from the oil’s ability to stimulate the lymphatic system.
Benefits of Castor Oil for SIBO
1. Detoxes
Castor oil packs for SIBO are used to gently detox the body. The ricinoleic acid in castor targets the lymphatic system, helping your body produce or increase the production of lymphocytes. Lymphocytes are the body’s natural disease fighter. They help drain your body of any toxins and bacteria that have built up over time. Ridding the body of this bacteria can help with SIBO (4).
Castor oil increases your body’s natural cleansing elements called Glutathione (5). Glutathione is an incredible molecule that pulls and helps with the elimination of most, if not all, toxic substances from the body including things like the dreaded heavy metals.
2. Improves Circulation
Circulation is the process by which the heart pumps a person’s blood around their body. Good circulation is vital to a person’s health. As the blood circulates, it delivers oxygen and nutrients to the body’s cells and takes away waste products.
When your body increases the production of lymphocytes and rids itself of toxins, the result is a boost in circulation. Thus, when your blood starts flowing as it should, you’ll get more oxygen to vital organs, more oxygen in cells, and reduced toxins.
3. Reduces Inflammation and Pain
A person with small intestinal bacterial overgrowth has too many bacteria in their small intestine. This bacterial imbalance in the gut can cause bloating, diarrhea, and pain.
Castor oil packs have also been used to reduce inflammation and pain caused by autoimmune diseases (6). Since the oil has detoxing properties, it works at reducing the load of white blood cells that are attacking tissue, which reduces the inflammation.
Detoxification support is critical to maintaining good health of all body systems while treating overgrowths and gut infections.
How to Use Castor Oil for SIBO
The best way to use castor oil for SIBO is with castor oil packs. A castor oil pack involves the use of cloth soaked in castor oil which is placed on the skin. It’s used by some alternative practitioners to enhance circulation and to promote the healing of the tissues and organs underneath the skin.
Supplies
- A bottle of organic castor oil.
- A piece of organic cotton flannelÂ
- A heating pad or hot water bottle
- A large gallon-size ziploc bag
- An old towel
Instructions
- Place the piece of flannel in a large glass dish.
- Pour castor oil over the flannel until it’s saturated.
- Turn your heating pad to medium or fill up your hot water bottle.
- Lie down and place the cotton flannel over your liver
- Put the Ziploc bag on top of the flannel.
- Place the heating pad or hot water bottle on top of the Ziploc and flannel.
- Place the old towel on top of the heating pad.
- Lie down and keep the castor oil pack on for about 1 hour. Then remove the pack and wipe the area with the old towel to remove any castor oil.
- Repeat as necessary.
Why Castor Oil for SIBO Works
Castor oil is a unique substance, which folk healers worldwide have used to treat a wide variety of health conditions. Its effectiveness may be due in part to its unusual chemical composition.
Castor oil is a triglyceride of fatty acids—almost 90 percent of its fatty acid content consists of ricinoleic acid. Ricinoleic acid is not found in any substance other than castor oil. The high concentration of this unusual, unsaturated fatty acid is thought to be responsible for castor oil’s remarkable healing abilities (7).
Ricinoleic acid is effective in preventing the growth of numerous species of viruses, bacteria, yeasts, and molds. This would explain its high degree of success in treating issues like SIBO, fibroids, ovarian cysts, and fatty liver.
When castor oil is absorbed through the skin, several positive events take place:
- The lymphocyte count of the blood increases.
- Lymph flow improves throughout the body, speeding the removal of cellular-related toxins and reducing swollen lymph nodes.
- As toxicity is reduced and health improves, the pH of the saliva becomes less acidic, and the Peyer’s patches in the small intestine become more efficient at fat absorption, which is essential for the formation of hormones and other components necessary for growth and repair.
- There is a general overall improvement in organ function and a lessening of fatigue and depression.
The bottom line is that the removal of cellular waste products is essential for the continued health of the entire body. In the face of any health problem, using castor oil for SIBO is a effective option.