PlainPill

Castor Oil

People mainly take Castor Oil for digestion, skin & hair. Based on 3 first-hand reports and 14 meta-analyses & systematic reviews in the medical literature. Ranked #1048 of 1,974 overall.

14
User score
Mostly positive
33% positive0% mixed0% negative67% unclear

Of reports that state an outcome, 100% are positive.

Clinical research
AStrong research base
14
meta-analyses
52
RCTs
2,854
papers

What Castor Oil does, according to users

Of the people who reported each effect, the share who said it got better.

What the research says

Systematic reviews and meta-analyses from PubMed, with their published conclusions.

AStrong research base

3+ meta-analyses or systematic reviews and 10+ randomized controlled trials in humans. The grade measures how much human research exists — read the conclusions below for what it found.

Dosage people report

As stated by users — not a recommendation. Follow the label or your doctor.

daily or nightlyas reported
1 tablespoonas reported

Reported side effects

How often each side effect came up across all reports.

No side effects reported so far.

What users say

Verbatim quotes, shortened only — each links to the original discussion.

“Castor oil run through hair daily/nightly.”
Source discussion ↗
“My mom used to give me a tablespoon of castor oil when I was a kid. Works great but really gross.”
Source discussion ↗
“Castor oil will clear you all out”
Source discussion ↗
Top discussions (3)

Other options for digestion

User data from public discussions; research from PubMed. Information only, not medical advice — talk to a doctor before starting, stopping or combining anything. Data updated October 2, 2026. How we rate