Dr. Edward F Group – Not so long ago, moms everywhere used castor oil as a cure-all for many ailments, from stomach pain to fever to its most famous use — easing constipation. Take a teaspoon, and you are good! Some parents threatened a spoonful as “punishment.” Ah, the dreaded castor oil! This was so popular and common that it made its way into TV shows — from “Tom and Jerry” to “The Little Rascals.”

Even before the modern era, people loved castor oil. Its earliest mention was in the 6,000-year-old Papyrus Ebers, an ancient Egyptian scroll of herbal medicine. Derived from the seeds of the castor bean plant, ancient Egyptians used castor oil to treat eye, skin, and hair conditions, as well as headaches.^[1] It also became an important oil for Ayurvedic medicine. During the middle ages, this oil’s popularity grew in Europe, most notably for its skin healing properties. Continue reading →