A few months ago, I released a video tutorial on how to make your own castor oil pack that received an overwhelming amount of interest - you can check out the blog post here. I love that I was able to share with you how easy it is to create and implement into your daily life, not to mention the amazing health benefits of castor oil.
Today, I want to dive deeper into the benefits of castor oil and how it can help with hormone balance. If you are looking for natural remedies to promote hormone balance, fertility, and improve reproductive health, this post is for you!
The benefits of castor oil packs
The practice of using castor oil for its health benefits has been used for several centuries into ancient times. This oil helps to support our liver, lymphatic system, the colon, etc. If you’re considering its positive impact on just those three areas of your body, this oil is worth giving a try for both men and women populations.
Castor oil can also help with a “leaky” gut, metabolic energy, and sleep problems - further suggesting its value as a natural home remedy. One of my favorites as a pelvic floor PT, is castor oil's ability to assist with overall pelvic wellness - you can check out my blog post here.
But, what I really want to address in this post is how this ancient practice helps to improve hormone imbalances, specific to issues of infertility.
The primary hormone players
The primary players in an infertility situation are estrogen, progesterone, & maybe a less of an impact is testosterone. Follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) & Luteinizing hormone (LH) can also play a role in hormone imbalance.
When these hormones become out of balance, symptoms arise in all areas of the body, not just the reproductive system. Hormones work on a type of feedback loop. If we have one hormone, that is out of balance, that is going to create a domino effect impacting every other hormone within that endocrine circle.
The production and efficiency of each hormone depends upon the levels of all other hormones. It can be very frustrating for someone who is trying to bring all of these individual hormones into good working order. Oftentimes, an imbalance in hormone levels can result in irregular periods, weight loss, weight gain, hair loss, and various other health issues.
Castor oil to benefit fertility
With my training as a Mercier Therapy professional, we look at this complex system at several different angles. I am not just suggesting that we “throw” a castor oil pack at someone to see what happens. I know that the endocrine system is much more complex than that.
But, because castor oil packs are simple, safe, and effective, I think they are a great tool in someone’s toolbox battling infertility.
Targeting the thyroid & liver with castor oil packs
Regardless of where you are on your fertility journey, it is beneficial to start implementing the practice of using a castor oil pack right away without potential risk. To keep it simple, we are first going to target the thyroid, liver, and pelvis.
To break this down, let’s first address the female menstrual cycle.
Day one of your cycle is the first day of bleeding. From day one until ovulation, you want to use the castor oil compress on your thyroid one hour per day. This gland is an extremely important organ within the endocrine system and if this hormone is out of whack, it is going to affect all of the other “big players” (i.e. estrogen, progesterone, etc.). The castor oil pack can be applied to the skin at the location of the thyroid gland.
Also from day one to ovulation, you should use a castor oil pack on your liver. Place the pack at the site of your liver, which is located directly under the right side ribs. You are going to leave the pack placed in this area for at least one hour, but ideally overnight. During this first half of your cycle, estrogen is higher because it is helping to thicken the lining of the uterus and endometrial tissue.
Targeting the pelvis with castor oil packs
After ovulation and up until your cycle starts again, you are going to continue wearing the castor pack at your thyroid for one hour per day. Instead of placing another pack over your liver, you are going to move the castor oil pack to the lower abdomen, ideally covering the entire span of your pelvis.
During the second half of your cycle, the pack is going to help nourish your uterus, ovaries, fallopian tubes, etc., which is why we want to pack placed over the pelvis. The goal during this phase of your cycle is to increase progesterone to help support your upcoming period.
Be consistent with this practice. You’ll be surprised at how much better you’ll feel.
If you’re wondering what to expect after castor oil pack consistent use - as a general rule of thumb, it is going to take about three months to really see a difference in your body in terms of balanced hormones. Some of the things you might notice right away would be improved sleep, better bowel movements, reduced feeling of stress, etc. This is because your hormones are starting to align as they are supposed to.
Overnight wear of castor oil pack to optimize fertility benefits
In one of my previous videos, linked here, I walk you through how to make your own DIY castor oil pack (click the link here to check it out). This still may be a really good option, but it may not be very comfortable for sleeping overnight.
Queen of Thrones is a company that has designed and manufactured castor oil packs that are easy to use and comfortable to sleep with overnight. They have a really good castor oil in a dark glass bottle and various options for packs. Check out the Queen of Thrones castor oil products here!
This company could be an option if you are willing to spend the money for a pre-made pack. These pre-made packs are simple to use. You place the castor oil in the center of the pack and then place the pack where you want it to be for the night, securing it with the velcro straps provided.
Wearing these packs for an hour is great for the liver and pelvis, but you could receive more benefits if able to wear it overnight while you’re sleeping during your body’s prime “repair mode.” This would be just one way that you can really enhance the benefits of the castor oil pack for your body.
Wearing castor oil packs in a strategic manner in relationship to your menstrual cycle can help to bring your hormones into balance. This simple, safe, and effective practice could be for you if you are struggling with
issues of infertility or just preparing your body for conception.
If you're interested in learning more tips about how you can balancing your hormones, taking a natural approach to the process, check out my blog post here.
If you'd like to follow along with the video I created for this series, check out the link here!
If you’re interested in learning more about this topic or have questions, feel free to reach out to us at 502-939-8564 or request a consultation here.