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How To Take Castor Oil & Gently Cleanse Your Stomach & Gut

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If you suffer from constipation, skin disorders, slow metabolism, excess weight, fatigue or arthritis, a castor oil cleanse for your stomach and gut can help.

Why is that?

Ayurveda teaches that good health starts with a clean and healthy digestive tract. And to accomplish that, the first step is to remove any toxic build up (ama) from your system.

Castor oil is especially good for this purpose because it:

Rich in linoleic acid, castor oil will also help you retain moisture in your skin, and promote overall skin health.

Are you ready to enjoy greater health and vitality?

If so, get started with our gentle seasonal cleanse for your stomach and gut.

Why You Must Restore Your Gut Health

Why and when do toxins (ama) build up in your gut?

There are many causes including bacteria growth, the food you eat, and the environment. Normal metabolism and a stagnant gut create the biggest volume of toxins. That means the biggest source of ama is within your body itself.

When you are healthy your body removes them. But what happens if your digestion or bowel elimination is poor?

In that case undigested food lingers in your digestive tract and ferments as bacteria grow in it.

And gut bacteria produce waste products such as phenols, indols, and ammonia from digestion of proteins specifically. The volume of toxins created from fermentation by bacteria is one reason why digestion is considered to be the center of an unhealthy body.

The presence of this toxic buildup also impacts the mind. Its presence can irritate the nervous system, making you feel anxious and uncomfortable, although you may not understand why.

Eventually, if your toxin load increases, its impact will spread throughout your body compromising your intelligence, clogging your lymphatic system, weakening your immunity and preventing your organs from working properly.

How to Use Castor Oil for a Gentle Stomach & Gut Cleanse

A seasonal castor oil cleanse helps remove toxins from your colon, kidneys, stomach, liver and spleen and is an effective way to reduce your toxic waste and improve your overall health.

One approach is to use castor oil as part of a panchakarma cleanse as its strong laxative properties make it very effective for this purpose.

However, panchakarma cleansing with castor oil should only be done under the supervision of an Ayurvedic practitioner.

Another option is our gentle seasonal castor oil cleanse, designed to be safe for you to do at home.

Instructions

  1. The best times of year for a cleanse are spring and fall.

    Begin with a diet of light, easy to digest foods. For three or four days, eat simple kitchari, soups, vegetables, and broth.

    Eating heavily before a cleanse can be dangerous for the small intestine and colon.

    To get an idea of how too much heavy food can impact your digestive tract, imagine the difference between water flowing easily through a pipe compared to what may happen if it is mud or even rocks.

    Avoid meat, alcohol, and cheese throughout the cleanse. Favor cooked foods and be sure to eat your biggest meal at lunchtime.

  2. Drink plenty of fluids in the days leading up to your cleanse.
  3. When it's time to start your cleanse, take 1 tablespoon of castor oil with 1 cup of strong fresh ginger tea at bedtime for 7 days.

    You are likely to wake up at least once in the night to pass stool.

  4. During this cleanse week and 3-4 days after, continue a light diet of cooked foods. Re-introduce heavier foods slowly and gently when your cleanse week is complete..

Some Words of Caution

Contraindications: When to Hold Off on a Castor Oil Cleanse

Children or the elderly should avoid castor oil cleansing except under supervision.

A castor oil cleanse is not recommended if you suffer from diarrhea, ulcerative colitis, inflammation of your intestines, fever, debilitation, emaciation, prolapsed rectum or dehydration.

A Castor Oil Cleanse is a strong measure. Use it no more than twice a year to reboot your digestive intelligence. If you use it too often, you will compromise the integrity of your colon, which is the opposite of your intention.

As with all strong laxatives, prolonged use is habit forming and contraindicated. Be very honest with yourself while reading the list of contraindications and be sure to follow dietary guidelines for preparing your body precisely.

Castor oil may irritate the intestines and cause cramping. If cramping occurs discontinue use. Do not use castor oil if your intestines are inflamed.

Enjoy Your New Vital Self

Now that your cleanse is complete you can enjoy the new you.

The general feelings of anxiety and tension caused by your former toxic load are gone as is the fatigue you had begun to fear would never go away.

Maybe you urinate less because your kidneys are no longer working overtime to flush out toxins. And perhaps you have fewer instances of constipation as well.

There are many reasons why Ayurveda recommends twice yearly cleanses. So start your cleanse and enjoy all of the benefits of this ancient Ayurvedic wisdom.

Please check with your doctor before making any changes to your health and wellness program including a cleanse.

BROWSE SIMILAR ARTICLES BY TOPIC

Clear

CLEAR

Clear refers to anything that cleanses or flushes out wastes, or that digests ama.

SEE ALL 'CLEAR' FOODS / HERBS

Cleanse
General Laxative

GENERAL-LAXATIVE

Promotes a bowel movement. General laxative is an umbrella term that refers to several different types of laxatives.

SEE ALL 'GENERAL-LAXATIVE' FOODS / HERBS

Purgative

PURGATIVE

Where general laxatives target the colon, purgatives are strong laxatives that target complete elimination of the small intestine. Use only sporadically as it can be habit forming.

SEE ALL 'PURGATIVE' FOODS / HERBS

Stimulant Laxative

STIMULANT-LAXATIVE

Stimulant laxatives induce bowel movements by stimulating peristaltic movement (the contraction of smooth muscle in the intestines). They are effective when used on a short-term basis. On a long-term basis, they can create dependency. Aka irritant laxativ

SEE ALL 'STIMULANT-LAXATIVE' FOODS / HERBS

Downward

DOWNWARD

Downward-moving (Adho Gati Marga) substances move food downward in the GI tract, settle the nervous system, and relax muscles.

SEE ALL 'DOWNWARD' FOODS / HERBS

Constipation
Less than 1 elimination a day
Rabbit pellet / Hard lumpy stool

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About the Author

John Immel, the founder of Joyful Belly, teaches people how to have a healthy diet and lifestyle with Ayurveda. His approach to Ayurveda is clinical, yet exudes an ease which many find enjoyable and insightful. John also directs the Joyful Belly College of Ayurveda, offering professional clinical training in Ayurveda for over 15 years.

John's hobbies & specialties include advanced digestive disorders, medieval Catholic philosophy, & botany. He holds a bachelor's degree in mathematics from Harvard University. His wife and family of 7 kids live in Asheville, NC.

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(5.00 out of 5 stars) 1 rating, 96 likes
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H Levitown
2015-09-17
“Is it ok to vomit 4 hours after taking castor oil???Can i eat kichdi with ghee after the cleanse???What type of food should we eat after cleanse, can you please suggest any meals.Thanks."
Kimberly Kubicke Asbury park, NJ
2016-07-21
“Ideally you don't vomit the castor oil up. The castor oil cleanse works by elimination. Castor oil is a purgative which means a very strong laxative. Kitchari is a good choice for after cleansing."
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* These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. The information and products on this website are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.
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