I am back from Ohio and what a holiday it was! Who knew Southern Ohio was a mecca for beauty, artists, ethical growers, hiking, biking, markets and other delightfulness. This nutritionista sure didn’t. Obviously, this is only the first of many Ohizza inspired posts. Let’s get down to business.
On Sunday, because the rain let up and we had heard of a beautiful bike path along the Ohio river, we loaded up some bicycles and headed on over.
See… beautiful. Towards the end of the ride, we came to an absolutely beautiful and well loved community garden, so we thought we’d leave our bikes and have a wander. 
That is how I found this Castor Plant.
I’ll be the first to admit that I have been misinforming people about the origins of castor oil. I thought it came from a bean! My very wise companion on this community garden exploration kindly righted my wrongs and I now know better.
Castor oil is amazing. It is one of those items that is always by my bed and in my bathroom. It is my go-to remedy for almost everything skin and immune related and can be viewed as an alternative to cortisone or antibiotic creams. The ricinoleic acid in castor oil prevents the growth of bacteria, yeast, and viruses. When I have joint pain anywhere, I rub it on the joints, if I have swollen glands, I massage it into neck/gland area, if I am feeling a little backed up- on to my belly it goes (massaged in a clockwise direction- the same direction stuffy moves through the large intestine). With a cold or congestion, I’ll mix in a little comfrey and eucalyptus and massage it into my chest. Be warned- it will stain your clothes so out on the old and uglies for this one.
Castor oil has many beneficial uses in health and beauty products as well as in industrial uses. Gots to be focussing on health here though, so here it goes:
Taken Internally
- Has a laxative effect (anyone who grew up in the West Indies, India or some South American countries will likely have vile memories of lining up with their siblings to take down a spoonful of this bitterness).
- Help the intestinal system with inflammatory bowels and dysentery.
- It is said to increase the appetites of the ill
- Destroy mucous to cure runny noses and congestion.
Topically
- A castor oil soaked bandage can remove swelling and infection from any wounds including ringworm, inflammation, and sun burns. (The best way to use this as a topical cream is to pre soak the infected area with Epsom salt to soften the skin, then wrap the area with a cotton cloth soaked in castor oil- worked like a charm when I burnt my arm this summer).
- Castor seeds or roots boiled into a topical poultice are applied liberally to rheumatic and arthritic swellings.
- Massaging the body with castor oil prior to a bath once a week will help the skin retain its natural healing properties as well as stimulate the body’s muscles and internal organs.
- Rubbing castor oil on hands and feet at night will help maintain healthy and soft skin, as well as reduce callous and dry skin.
Castor Oil Packs
And at last, my great grand-diddy of healing practices- the Castor Oil Pack! Take a cotton flannel or cloth and soak with castor oil. Apply to the skin that you wish to detoxify or increase energy flow, cover with a little plastic and then lay on a hot water bottle or heat pack. Leave it on for anywhere from 20 minutes to an hour and just chillax while this is going down. Castor oil packs soaked through the skin and improve the body’s ability to assimilate nutrients, eliminate toxins, and stimulate circulation. The castor oil pack can be repeated many times, so the pack is not thrown away. This can be done daily, three times a week- whatever floats your boat.
And here are some more pics from that beautiful garden.
Snack time!
I imagine this is a large squash of some kind… but I can’t be sure.
Pretty as a flower.
Chard and Kale = Lunch time
Win a bag of My Favourite Granola if you can correctly identify this purple bean. Here is your clue: the beans inside were green. The first to get it right, with a source for your answer, will win the goods!
More to come soon. And I’ll bet you’re wondering who my wise bicycle/garden snooping companion was. He/She makes an appearance in the very first picture at top…. in the reflection of my sunglasses. Soon, soon ladies and gents.
Are they purple hyacinth beans?
http://gardeningwithwilson.com/2008/05/21/purple-hyacinth-beans/
http://gita-q-a.blogspot.com/2008/09/purple-pods-of-he-hyacinth-bean.html
I was going to say hyacinth bean, but someones beaten me to it!
Wow, I didn’t know half of that about castor oil! I use it mixed with jojoba oil to clean my face (oil cleansing method) and love it, but besides that and using it as a laxative, I had no clue. Thanks for all the tips!
I do believe I have the most beautiful and wise readers there ever was. Thanks ladies! You can both be winners. Everyone wins at Making Love In The Kitchen. Granola for the first right answer… e-book for the second!
Looks like I am in need of some castor oil!! To Whole Foods I go!
what a scrumptious time you had! can’t wait to learn more from you. Castor Oil for all!
WELCOME BACK FROM MY HOME STATE!!
Your trip to Ohio looks so beautiful!
Thanks for all the castor oil info! I’m going to put some on my grocery list and try it out.
If some had asked me what castor oil was previous to reading your post today, I would have told them that it probably goes in the car. How wrong would I have been! Good thing it never came about in any of my conversations. But I hope it does now!
Oooh I want to try those beans, they are just sooo pretty. Colorful food is the only kind of food I eat.
Can’t wait to hear and see more from your Ohio getaway.
I had no idea Castor Oil had so many uses. I had heard of people drinking it to try and bring on labour. I dont think Ive ever actually purchased a bottle. But Im keen to give it a try.
lima beans? ciao!
I had no idea purple hyacinth bean was edible! I also know it as Jefferson vine and grow it on my front porch trellis here southwestern Ohio! Glad you enjoyed yourself in my home state!
Thanks for all the info on Castor Oil, I never would’ve guessed it was so useful.
Also, unless I’m mistaken I think the mystery melon might be an Oriental type I’ve heard called Bitter Melon. I worked in a Chinese restaurant and the chef used to put it in meals for his family.
Glad you had a wonderful time in Ohio Meghan. Beautiful pics. so far. Thanks for all the castor oil tips – I never new much about it. Sounds like great stuff!
Wow! I need to get some castor oil! Thanks for all the info! Such beautiful pics!!
Wow, when I was little, my mum used to put scratchy castor-oil-soaked wool packs on my chest when I was congested, and I recall that it worked quite well. And yes, it’s as uncomfortable as it sounds…
I never knew it had all those other abilities though…the anti-inflammatory properties especially intrigue me! Amazing that it can penetrate so well!
Also, those pics are INCLREDIBLE!!! It truly looks like paradise (or at least MY kind of paradise). Allll that greeeennn! Lovely.
Ps. You look beautiful and happy too in that setting!
Hi there,
That squash of some kind is a luffa. The young fruits are cut and cooked like a vegetable. Older fruits become fibrous and no long palatable. They can yield a network of fibers which can be harvested to make vegetable sponges.
Wooohoooo , off to look at the e-books!
Made my day. I was spring cleaning the living room and starting to feel quite tiresome. Now Im all bouncy and excited!
Thanks Meghan
BTW, just had to mention that my husband peeked over my laptop the other night to see the title ‘making love in the kitchen’ and got totally the wrong idea about what I was looking at! haha.
And what a beautiful home state it is!
Wow Wilson! Thanks for all that info.