Castor Oil Packs for Fertility
Castor Oil Packs for Fertility
If you are trying to conceive, you have most likely heard of Castor Oil Packs. They can be used for so many things but they are great for fertility. If you would like to know how to make them and use them, then this is the blog for you !
I first became aware of Castor Oil as a remedy for constipation. I then came across it as a remedy for problems with the reproductive area, especially endometriosis and cysts.
A castor oil pack is a piece of wool or a cloth soaked in castor oil which you can apply to the skin. The cloth may be cotton flannel or any material that will soak up a lot of liquid.
HOW DO CASTOR OIL PACKS HELP THE UTERUS ?
- They will help to detoxify the uterine cavity.
- Using the pack will help to reduce inflammation.
- It will help to get rid of stagnation and circulate oxygenated blood to the pelvic area.
- The oxygenated blood will help to improve the lining of the uterus in preparation for implantation.
- It may help to resolve endometriosis and fibroids and prevent the build up of endometrial tissues outside of the uterus.
- It will improve circulation to the uterus which will help prevent menstrual cramping.
- It will help to break down scar tissue and cysts.
CASTOR OIL AND YOUR LIVER
In Chinese medicine, the liver system regulates the menstrual cycle and encourages a smooth flow of blood. It helps to promote hormone balance.
The Castor Oil Pack helps to detoxify the liver. Place your Castor Oil Pack in the upper right hand side of the abdomen.
Do not use on the liver if you are pregnant. Follow the guidelines by applying the Castor Oil on the 7-10 days before ovulation.
How to use your castor oil pack
- Lie down on a large towel or sheet.
- Place the castor oil pack on the area around the belly button for digestive issues or down in the pelvic area for menstrual issues.
- Place a small plastic sheet or clingfilm over the castor oil pack. This helps to heat it and press it against your skin.
- Place a hot water bottle on top and leave the pack on for about an hour.
- Gently remove the pack with a warm damp cloth.
- You can store the castor oil pack in the original container which you used to soak cloths. Place in the fridge until you are ready to use them again. Reuse each castor oil pack up to 30 times.
Alternatively, just apply the castor oil directly on to your abdomen, throw on an old pair of pyjamas and put your hot water bottle on top of that.
If you don’t have a hot water bottle, put the castor oil on at night time and head straight to bed and let the magic happen !
Trying to Conceive ? When to Use Castor Oil Packs
So, if you are thinking about having a baby but haven’t yet started trying to conceive, use 3 times a week for up to 1 hour. Do not use during the bleed.
If you are actively trying to conceive, only apply the pack during the follicular phase, that is, from the end of menstruation to ovulation. For most women, this will be day 5/6 to day 14 of your cycle.
IF YOU ARE DOING IVF
Use castor oil on your lower abdomen just before retrieval, and continue using it if taking the birth control pill.
Do not use Castor Oil when you are doing oestrogen shots, or after embryo transfer.
FRESH OR FROZEN EMBRYO TRANSFER AND IUI’s
If you are doing a fresh or frozen transfer or if you are doing IUI, do not use once you start taking Lupron, Estrogen, Clomid or Femara. And do not use it after embryo transfer or after ovulation if doing IUI.
ON YOUR PERIOD
If you have bad menstrual pain, Castor Oil is good to reduce the inflammation by getting rid of the clots from the lining. But be aware that it will increase blood flow to the uterus, making your period heavier.
How to Create a Castor Oil Pack
What you will need
Castor oil (hexane free)
Cotton flannel
Medium container or bowl
Tongs
Scissors
Cling Film
♦
Cut the cotton flannel into rectangular pieces, about 12 inches by 10 inches. You can also cut them into strips or smaller squares depending on where you’ll use them.
- Use at least three to four pieces of cloth to make a pack.
- Pour castor oil into the container. You should be able to completely soak a piece of cotton flannel in the castor oil.
- Drop one piece of the cloth into the oil until it’s completely soaked.
- Use the tongs to pick up the cloth in the container. It should be dripping with castor oil.
- Lay the soaked cloth flat on the plastic sheet.
- Soak the other two or more pieces of cloth in the same way.
- Add the oil-soaked cloths flat on top of the first one.
- Once you’ve soaked and layered each cloth, you’ve made a castor oil pack.
WHAT ELSE CAN CASTOR OIL PACKS BE USED FOR ?
Castor Oil can also help with;
- soothing sunburn, insect bites, or allergic rashes.
- It can help with digestive issues like constipation.
- Helps boost your circulation especially of the lymphatic system.
- It is thought to help support the liver.
- It can be placed directly on strained joints or muscles to reduce inflammation.
- Apply to acne, dry skin, rashes, boils, age spots, and warts to improve complexion and boost moisture.
Cautions and Side effects with using castor oil packs
Some people may be allergic to castor oil. It may cause a skin rash or reaction when used on the body. If you haven’t used a castor oil pack before, do a patch test by rubbing a few drops of castor oil into your skin and leaving it on for 24 hours. If you don’t have any reaction, a castor oil pack should be safe to use.
- Do not use Castor Oil packs when you are menstruating. They are good for inflammation but will make your period heavier.
- Avoid them during the two week wait of your IVF cycle.
- Avoid using them if you are pregnant or breastfeeding.
- Do not use on broken skin.
Detox, the Ayurveda Way
My Experience with Detoxing, the Ayurveda Way
This past year I have been exploring Ayurveda, which is a meal plan based on Ayurvedic Medicine, an ancient system of healthcare. It doesn’t matter if you are vegan, vegetarian, or a meat eater !!! I learnt about this system through ayurveda.ie who regularly hold free webinars on how to eat for your dosha (Vata, Pitta, Kapha). See below for details of the next webinar.
So, this was actually my first detox. There wasn’t a juice in sight ! You actually got to eat !!! And the good news is, by the end of it, my mind was clear, my body was clear, I had loads of energy and I lost 4kg !!!
THE DETOX PLAN
Before you embark on this Detox, you should watch this webinar where the ayurvedic doctors and Noel explain about the Spring Detox, and just see if it is suitable for you to do. Spring Detox. Or, you could register for the next webinar which is on April 9th at 7.30pm (See link below)
So, before the start date of the Detox, which is doctor led, you receive an email with the herbal protocol, instructions and your recipes. You learn more recipes in the group as the detox progresses.
You receive a pack in the post with all the herbal remedies you need to take during the course of the detox.
There are a number of Zoom calls before and during the detox to see how everyone is getting on. And they also ran an evening of yoga to help us.
You will be put in a Whatsapp group where you have access to Dr. Donn Brennan and Dr. Rajvinder, the curator of this detox. If you are having any issues or have any questions at all, you can ask them. They are doing the detox with us. Mind you, the poor doctors were run off their feet with all the questions !!!
We also had to indulge in 3 baths/saunas in the week to sweat out the toxins and heavy metals from our skin. You wouldn’t need to ask me twice to this 😂😂.
SO, HOW DID IT GO ?
At this time we also take our first lot of herbal remedies. At 9am we sip on warm water, with lemon and some honey. We sipped on our detox tea throughout the day which we had to boil up and strain. It was actually OK ! Now, if you were absolutely starving, you could have stewed fruit or porridge.
1pm was lunch time. By this time you are quite hungry. We had recipes with soups, Kitchari (rice and beans), Quinoa and vegetables etc. The recipes catered for lunch and tea, so I would make up the recipe, put half in a flask for tea and then eat the other half. It made life so easy doing it that way. At lunchtime you also take some herbal remedies and also at tea time. You take your last lot of remedies at bed time.
WHAT WERE MY WORST DAYS ?
The only other day I found tough was the Friday (Day 6). Cravings were kicking in. I decided that I actually wasn’t feeling really hungry on any of the other days so I decided that I would do the soup that day. Yes, I did feel hungry on the soup and as I did my walk, I was slower and felt much weaker. This day wasn’t helped by the fact that Friday is our takeaway day in my house. While I was on a Zoom call with the group on Friday evening, my boys came in with a big slap up of chips, chicken dumplings and other stuff. One of the boys tried to feed me a chip while I was on the call. “It’s only a chip mam !!”. I refrained. Then my husband walks in with a box of chocolate brownies and says “they’re for you when you finish your detox….. OMG !!”. They went in the freezer.
Sunday, detox is over, I had loads of energy to do all the housework I didn’t do during the week !! I enjoyed by detox. As I said before, lost 4kg, whoop, whoop ! My head is so clear and I feel wonderful.
When is the next Detox ?
New Years Resolutions
“Tomorrow is the first blank page
of a 365 page book.
Write a good one !!!
~ Brad Paisley
So, Happy New Year everyone and I hope you all had a great Christmas. Let 2020 be a great year for you all !
I have to admit, I was one of those people that quit making New Year’s Resolutions, basically because I never keep them. It really is so difficult, which is why we all tend to quit !
However, this year, my approach is going to be completely different because I believe that you need to make resolutions that bring you Joy and are a joy to do.
So, this year I’m getting ORGANISED because it will make me really happy if I can balance my Family, my business and taking time for myself. And to help me with getting organised, my hubby gave me a wonderful Christmas present called a Rocketbook.
Rocketbook, what is that I hear you ask ??? Well, in a nutshell, it is a reusable notebook which you can use for planning, journaling, calendaring or for anything you want to use it for. You simply write up what’s on your mind, your plans, goals, calendar and take a snapshot of your page and it is filed in the cloud. (I use Evernote for most of my “cloud” work). You then wipe your page with a damp cloth and start again. So my plan is to use it to set my goals, write up my todo lists and include checkboxes to make sure I complete all I need to complete.
So, what’s on my Resolutions list this year. Well there are some things which are non-negotiable for me. Most of these things I have been doing in some capacity anyway;
- MEDITATION to bring inner calm and allowing me to see things more clearly. I have been doing meditation for many years now and I love it.
- JOURNALING, a way to get everything out of my head and down on paper. This includes my thoughts, ideas, feelings and anything else that’s on my mind. And while I am writing in my journal, I will also be doing my
- GRATITUDE LIST. Being grateful for what you have attracts other things in to your life. Read my other Blog Post on Gratitude !
- TAPPING. Clearing my negative blocks by tapping on certain meridians on the body and tapping the positives in to my subconscious.
- YOGA, another great way to connect with yourself and the universe whilst also keeping you trim and fit.
- TAKE TIME OUT for myself to read and learn and do somethings that I want to do. Because, as the saying goes, “All Work and No Play, Makes Jack a Dull Boy !”
- GET FIT AND HEALTHY. I say it every year but sometimes everything just goes to pot because I simply run out of time in the day to exercise and have healthy snacks on the ready.
And last but not least, and it’s bad news for my family, but I will be DELEGATING some housework to the rest of my family so I can slowly remove that sign on my forehead which says “SLAVE” !!
In a nutshell, ORGANISING myself to include everything that I love to do is what 2020 is all about for me and is what will guide me to success.
I would like to wish everyone many blessings for the New Year and hope to see you all soon.
Catherine
