# Castor oil in the umbilicus stimulates the immune system, and is detoxifying? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [August 7, 2023, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/castor-oil-in-the-umbilicus-stimulates-the-immune-system-and-is-detoxifying/988215 "2023-08-07T22:50:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2023, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/castor-oil-in-the-umbilicus-stimulates-the-immune-system-and-is-detoxifying/988215/1 "2023-08-07T22:50:49Z")
I just saw this on a pharmacy website, not promoting its use but instead explaining why so many people were wanting it. Gosh, and I would have thought they were trying to get rid of gophers, and that the only internal organ castor oil detoxifies is the colon. Here’s a link that is decidedly NOT from an official website. > **[The Science behind Applying Castor Oil on the Belly Button: What You Need to...](https://www.sportskeeda.com/health-and-fitness/the-science-behind-applying-castor-oil-belly-button-what-you-need-know)** > > Castor oil is secreted from the seeds of the castor plant (Ricinus communis) and has been used for centuries for various medicinal and therapeutic purposes, which have proven to be beneficial for user ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2023, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/castor-oil-in-the-umbilicus-stimulates-the-immune-system-and-is-detoxifying/988215/2 "2023-08-07T23:51:29Z")
I’m skeptical of any claims that mention “detoxification” without specifying what exactly those toxins are. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2023, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/castor-oil-in-the-umbilicus-stimulates-the-immune-system-and-is-detoxifying/988215/3 "2023-08-07T23:55:18Z")
> [@Fear\_Itself](#): > > I’m skeptical of any claims that mention “detoxification” without specifying what exactly those toxins are. - The ones missed by the kidneys and liver that somehow only recently became potentially lethal. ---
**Author:** ![Balance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ccd318/32.png) [@Balance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balance)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2023, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/castor-oil-in-the-umbilicus-stimulates-the-immune-system-and-is-detoxifying/988215/4 "2023-08-08T00:11:44Z")
> [@Fear\_Itself](#): > > I’m skeptical of any claims that mention “detoxification” without specifying what exactly those toxins are. Especially when the agent of “detoxification” contains actual toxic chemicals. ---
**Author:** ![MonkeysBrother](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3ab097/32.png) [@MonkeysBrother](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MonkeysBrother)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2023, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/castor-oil-in-the-umbilicus-stimulates-the-immune-system-and-is-detoxifying/988215/5 "2023-08-08T00:26:27Z")
Who thinks up these things? Really. 🙄 (Do you suppose it’s someone who believes that a certain Danish king died because of something poured in his ear?) ---
**Author:** ![Balance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ccd318/32.png) [@Balance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balance)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2023, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/castor-oil-in-the-umbilicus-stimulates-the-immune-system-and-is-detoxifying/988215/6 "2023-08-08T00:49:41Z")
In this case, I would guess that it’s people pushing Ayurvedic medicine, which is keen on allegedly absorbing oils through the navel area. It’s probably needless to point it out, but there is no scientific evidence that oils–whether castor, essential, or crude–are absorbed into the bloodstream any more there than on any other part of the skin. Which is to say, not to any medically significant extent. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2023, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/castor-oil-in-the-umbilicus-stimulates-the-immune-system-and-is-detoxifying/988215/7 "2023-08-08T01:01:13Z")
It sure smells good when you burn it in an RZ350 at full throttle. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2023, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/castor-oil-in-the-umbilicus-stimulates-the-immune-system-and-is-detoxifying/988215/8 "2023-08-08T01:04:07Z")
But not on top of your navel. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2023, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/castor-oil-in-the-umbilicus-stimulates-the-immune-system-and-is-detoxifying/988215/9 "2023-08-08T01:31:08Z")
I guess outies are outie luck. ---
**Author:** ![Ulfreida](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ulfreida/32/8014_2.png) [@Ulfreida](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulfreida)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2023, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/castor-oil-in-the-umbilicus-stimulates-the-immune-system-and-is-detoxifying/988215/10 "2023-08-08T01:39:52Z")
My grandma used to rub it on my tummy when I had a stomach ache. Worked! But maybe it was the rubbing. It’s an old folk remedy I guess. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2023, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/castor-oil-in-the-umbilicus-stimulates-the-immune-system-and-is-detoxifying/988215/11 "2023-08-08T02:02:29Z")
> [@nearwildheaven](#): > > Here’s a link that is decidedly NOT from an official website. > > [The Science behind Applying Castor Oil on the Belly Button: What You Need to Know](https://www.sportskeeda.com/health-and-fitness/the-science-behind-applying-castor-oil-belly-button-what-you-need-know) Red flags include claiming that something “has been used for centuries”, as if we didn’t already have plenty of evidence of quackery and harm relating to long-used remedies, which have included bloodletting and purging with mercury and other nasty agents. Similarly, run fast and far from anything touted online for “detoxification”. Castor oil has one FDA-approved use - [as a stimulant laxative](http://ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK551626/). Unlike similar-acting drugs i.e. senna, castor oil is harsher and more prone to causing cramping, vomiting and diarrhea. Its effects on smooth muscle mean it’s also risky later in pregnancy as it might help induce labor prematurely. There’s nothing magical about umbilical application. Dripping castor oil onto skin has in some cases caused sensitization and rashes. As for getting your health info from sportskeeda; in general, sports websites, athletes and sports teams are among the worst possible sources of information on effective and safe medical treatments.\* \*case in point: a Yankees pitcher recently showed up in the clubhouse (reportedly) drunk and creating mayhem. “Helpful” types got him into a sauna to “sweat out” the alcohol, only that’s pretty much useless for speeding up alcohol metabolism, as about 99% of sweat is water. \*\*castor oil is indeed “natural”, as is another castor bean ingredient (ricin), which one would hope is always removed in the production of castor oil \*\*\*The Ancient Indian Castor Oil Umbilical Secret is probably safer than another current craze: ingesting borax. The [20 Mule Team approach to fixing what ails you](https://www.health.com/ingesting-borax-trend-not-safe-7565551#:~:text=Dangers%20of%20Ingesting%20Borax&text=Ingesting%20boric%20acid%20is%20quite,nausea%2C%20vomiting%2C%20and%20diarrhea) is inadvisable. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2023, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/castor-oil-in-the-umbilicus-stimulates-the-immune-system-and-is-detoxifying/988215/12 "2023-08-08T02:15:34Z")
I actually saw a Google entry for a parent site…Castrol vs Castor oil WTH? ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2023, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/castor-oil-in-the-umbilicus-stimulates-the-immune-system-and-is-detoxifying/988215/13 "2023-08-08T02:15:45Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > \*\*\*The Ancient Indian Castor Oil Umbilical Secret is probably safer than another current craze: ingesting borax. The [20 Mule Team approach to fixing what ails you](https://www.health.com/ingesting-borax-trend-not-safe-7565551#:~:text=Dangers%20of%20Ingesting%20Borax&text=Ingesting%20boric%20acid%20is%20quite,nausea%2C%20vomiting%2C%20and%20diarrhea) is inadvisable. - What about the common variant that has an added oxygen molecule? It’s sold as Boraxo. :washes hands of the consequences: ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2023, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/castor-oil-in-the-umbilicus-stimulates-the-immune-system-and-is-detoxifying/988215/14 "2023-08-08T04:48:54Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > But not on top of your navel. But your navel is pressed hard against the top of the tank. Close as you can get to that Bean Oil! ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2023, 4:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/castor-oil-in-the-umbilicus-stimulates-the-immune-system-and-is-detoxifying/988215/15 "2023-08-08T04:58:31Z")
(cues up 1940s music) You’re a moron if you ingest large amounts of boron! On a serious note, I use 20 Mule Team Borax as an ingredient in my homemade laundry detergent, and I also have a bottle of eyewash that has a small amount of boric acid in it. Soaking in a bathtub with some borax in the water is probably about as harmful as using Epsom salts (magnesium sulfate), not much as long as you don’t drink it. I have heard of boric acid vaginal suppositories but don’t recall ever dispensing any; that remedy is largely obsolete. (as for natural substances, asbestos is natural too.) ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2023, 5:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/castor-oil-in-the-umbilicus-stimulates-the-immune-system-and-is-detoxifying/988215/16 "2023-08-08T05:50:05Z")
Castor oil was used in the past as an abortifacient. I wonder if this is an attempt to give women an excuse for buying it? ---
**Author:** ![Ruken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f475e1/32.png) [@Ruken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruken)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2023, 10:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/castor-oil-in-the-umbilicus-stimulates-the-immune-system-and-is-detoxifying/988215/17 "2023-08-08T10:23:42Z")
> [@Ulfreida](#): > > My grandma used to rub it on my tummy when I had a stomach ache. Worked! It did not work. The “stomach ache”, whatever that is, went away on its own. ---
**Author:** ![Ulfreida](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ulfreida/32/8014_2.png) [@Ulfreida](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulfreida)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2023, 11:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/castor-oil-in-the-umbilicus-stimulates-the-immune-system-and-is-detoxifying/988215/18 "2023-08-08T11:45:40Z")
> [@Ruken](#): > > It did not work. The “stomach ache”, whatever that is, went away on its own. No. I had the cramps for more than an hour. The rubbing with oil eliminated them immediately. Like _immediately._ You of course are entitled to your opinion of an event at which you were not present. ---
**Author:** ![GaryM](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garym/32/241_2.png) [@GaryM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GaryM)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2023, 1:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/castor-oil-in-the-umbilicus-stimulates-the-immune-system-and-is-detoxifying/988215/19 "2023-08-08T13:05:56Z")
> [@Fear\_Itself](#): > > I’m skeptical of any claims that mention “detoxification” As soon as I see that, I’m done. ---
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2023, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/castor-oil-in-the-umbilicus-stimulates-the-immune-system-and-is-detoxifying/988215/20 "2023-08-08T13:22:48Z")
Every time I come across any such claim, I mentally replace _toxin_ with _demon_ and _detoxification_ with _exorcism_ and it magically becomes the cutting-edge science of the year 1023. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/castor-oil-in-the-umbilicus-stimulates-the-immune-system-and-is-detoxifying/988215.md?page=2)