Conclusion: 2022;21(7):751-757. doi:10.36849/JDD.6972.
PubMed 35816075 ↗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.
Of reports that state an outcome, 100% are positive.
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.
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.
Conclusion: Larger randomised controlled trials need to be conducted, especially in South Africa, to establish the safety and efficacy of commonly-used remedies.
PubMed 27246791 ↗Conclusion: In inflammatory bowel disease population, PEG low-volume regimen seems not inferior to PEG high-volume to clean the colon, and yields improved willingness-to-repeat. Further additional research is urgently required to compare contemporary products in this population.
PubMed 28932092 ↗Conclusion: Research is needed to determine benefits and harms of many induction methods.
PubMed 22032440 ↗Dosage people report
As stated by users — not a recommendation. Follow the label or your doctor.
Reported side effects
How often each side effect came up across all reports.
What users say
Verbatim quotes, shortened only — each links to the original discussion.
“Castor oil run through hair daily/nightly.”
“My mom used to give me a tablespoon of castor oil when I was a kid. Works great but really gross.”
“Castor oil will clear you all out”
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