Castor Oil for Lymph Nodes: An All-Natural Home Remedy | The Skinny Confidential

If you know Lauryn, you know she is all about lymphatic drainage. It’s one of the major things that helped her recover after her double jaw surgery. Draining lymph nodes was the inspiration behind lots of her products, like the Butter Brush and Le Spoon.

Between eating the right foods for lymphatic drainage, dry brushing, lymphatic drainage massage, and more, Lauryn’s got the lymph covered (or, drained, we should say).

Lymph nodes, if you didn’t know, are these small, bean shaped organs in your body. Their role is to support the immune system. They do this by filtering and removing toxins by attacking them with white blood cells (AKA lymphocytes). The lymphatic system also carries nutrients and proteins to your cells. With such a vital function, it’s important that the flow of lymph is not disrupted.

Sometimes lymph nodes get swollen and tender, though. This can cause discomfort for a lot of people and we’ve totally been there. 

That’s a major reason why lymphatic drainage has been such an essential part of Lauryn’s routine. There are a ton of benefits to lymphatic drainage in general, of course. But, there are also specific benefits to using lymphatic drainage as part of a surgery recovery plan.

As you can see, there are a variety of ways to support lymphatic drainage and they’re all natural remedies. We love feeling better WITHOUT toxic chemicals.

Castor oil is one of those cool natural remedies for swollen lymph nodes. And lucky for you, you can use it from the comfort of your own home. You may have been seeing wellness gurus showing off their shiny tummies from castor oil patches, or watching them put it on their hair (hey Brow Peptide). Either way, we’re going to talk all about castor oil for lymph nodes today.

Castor Oil for Lymph Nodes

If you’re wondering what castor oil even is, you’ve come to the right place. We’re going to dive into all the details surrounding castor oil’s incredible effects. Plus, you’ll learn all about how to use it best.

What Is Castor Oil?

Castor oil is a thick, translucent oil made from the castor plant. It’s an odorless oil that has been used for centuries on different parts of the body. Some even say Cleopatra used castor oil as a beauty product. Allegedly, she used it for her hair and the OG beauty queen knew how powerful this stuff could be.

Today, people use castor oil for many things. This includes using it medicinally for wound healing, as a laxative, or for pain relief. It’s also a product used in skincare due to its moisturizing properties.

Plus, castor oil is known to be a powerful partner in hair growth. That’s why Lauryn chose to include castor oil in Brow Peptide. It creates the best environment for hair growth, and nourishes the hair follicles while it’s at it. This helps your brows (and lashes) grow healthy and strong.

The reason castor oil is said to be so powerful is because it contains ricinoleic acid. This is an unsaturated omega-9 fatty acid. It’s naturally occurring in castor oil. 

Castor oil is actually a triglyceride of fatty acids, which means it’s a molecule that contains three chains of fatty acids. Castor oil’s fatty acid content consists of three chains of ricinoleic acid, making its unusual chemical composition super potent. 

 Is Castor Oil Good for Swollen Lymph Nodes?

Recently, we had Hannah from MacroHabits on the blog to talk about nighttime castor oil patches and how amazing they are for your body. She taught us that these patches can help with digestion, water retention, detoxification, and more. They treat a wide variety of symptoms for sure. 

But, can they treat swollen lymph nodes? Absolutely. Because ricinoleic acid penetrates the skin deeply, it’s able to support your lymph system by softening blockages. This is super important for when those lymph nodes become tender and swollen.

Still, there’s more that castor oil can do to help you out. Let’s get into all the ways it can boost your lymphatic system.

What Are Castor Oil Benefits for Lymph Nodes?

Reduce inflammation.

So, if you’ve got swollen lymph nodes, you’ve got inflamed lymph nodes. These lymph nodes become inflamed when they are actively processing bacteria or viruses. And that inflammation can HURT.

We don’t want you to be in pain like that. Luckily, castor oil has anti-inflammatory properties. It can help soothe the inflammation, bringing your poor lymph nodes back to their normal size and pain levels.

Benefit from its antimicrobial properties.

Castor oil is actually super effective in preventing the growth of numerous species of viruses, bacteria, yeasts, and molds. This is due to its antimicrobial properties. 

Because it can penetrate the skin so well, it may be able to support your lymph nodes by targeting viruses, bacteria, yeasts, and molds that may be hanging out there.

Stimulate lymphatic drainage.

Castor oil has a very stimulating effect on the body. When you’re applying castor oil to your lymph nodes, you’re stimulating the entire lymphatic system to move that lymph through the body. This helps you flush out those toxins that are bothering you.

Improve circulation.

Similarly, because of castor oil’s stimulating effects, applying castor oil to an area can stimulate circulation. This is needed to get healthy cells flowing around your body, helping you feel better. 

How To Use Castor Oil for Lymph Nodes

Give your lymph nodes the spa treatment. 

The first method of utilizing castor oil for your lymph nodes is to have a little spa day for them. For this method, apply a thin layer of castor oil to the area you want to target. Gently massage the lymph nodes. Ensure you’re not using too much pressure, as you can irritate the lymph nodes further. 

Once you’ve massaged the area, take a soft washcloth and soak it in hot water. Leave the washcloth on for 5-10 minutes, gently massaging as desired. Finally, rinse the oil off of the skin.

Use it as massage oil.

If you’re looking for a full lymph system reset, use castor oil as a massage oil. The omega-9 fatty acids help it sink deeply into the skin, potentially penetrating the lymph nodes and stimulating the flow of lymph.

Apply a castor oil pack.

To use, soak a piece of flannel or cotton in castor oil, apply it to your stomach, and wrap it in plastic wrap. Alternatively, you can use a patch instead. After applying it, use a heating pad on it for 15-30 minutes, and then sleep with it on. In the morning, you can take it off. Then, either rinse off or rub in the oil. Read more on that from Hannah of Macrohabits here.

Take cold-pressed castor oil supplements.

If you want to make sure you’re getting all the benefits of castor oil, you can consume it orally. 

The stimulatory effect should support your lymph nodes to flush out any nasty stuff you’ve got in your system. Beware, though: these are also used as laxatives.

Castor oil has so many amazing benefits for your body.

Lauryn knew all about the effectiveness of castor oil that’s why she used it in Brow Peptide. And believe us, the results speak for themselves. Check out the reviews here.

Obsessed with castor oil and all it can do? Let us know in the comments below. We’d love to hear your favorite methods of using castor oil.

x, The Skinny Confidential team
+ Want more about lymphatic drainage? Check out answers from an expert here.

++ Learn why you should book a Brazilian lymphatic drainage massage today.