RE: Re: Palma Christe Castor Oil pack

February 5, 2011

Caster oil is a triglyceride that contains about 90% ricinoleic acid. This

is an analgesic anti-inflammatory.

As such it does little to address an underlying problem but I can see how it

would make a person feel better. A person could use ketoprofen cream the

same way, get similar results, but without the mess. Surely you'd rather

support a pharmaceutical company.

It makes no sense to me to make a pack to put over the liver, but it might

be useful to spread it thinly over the whole body such as prior to a sauna

to help induce sweating. At the Center we recommend that women apply it to

their genitals before attempting a Zalmanov bath. I have not tested this

against the use of other protective oils, but as long as the women don't

scream when they sit in the hot emulsified turpene and salicilate water, I'm

fine with it. We get a number of Russians at the Center. I guess this is

home away from home. We do a number of uniquely Russian treatments

including an updated version of the Shevchenko treatment.

There is a fascinating Wikipedia entry on caster oil that includes:

" Use as a means of intimidation in Fascist Italy

" In Fascist Italy under the regime of Benito Mussolini, castor oil was one

of the tools of the blackshirts. Political dissidents were force-fed large

quantities of castor oil by Fascist squads. Victims of this treatment did

sometimes die, as the dehydrating effects of the oil-induced diarrhea often

complicated the recovery from the nightstick beating they also received

along with the castor oil; however even those victims who survived had to

bear the humiliation of the laxative effects resulting from excessive

consumption of the oil.

" It is said Mussolini's power was backed by " the bludgeon and castor oil " .

In lesser quantities, castor oil was also used as an instrument of

intimidation, for example, to discourage civilians or soldiers who would

call in sick either in the factory or in the military. Since its healing

properties were widely exaggerated, abuse could be easily masked under

pretense of a doctor's prescription. It took decades after Mussolini's death

before the myth of castor oil as a panacea for a wide range of diseases and

medical conditions was totally demystified, as it was also widely

administered to pregnant women, elderly or mentally-ill patients in

hospitals in the false belief it had no negative side effects. "

Recommended Posts