Harmony Hub Health
Functional Medicine, Hormone Health and Weight Loss with Michele Postol, CRNP
Harmony Hub Health
From Sluggish to Slick: Castor Oil Detox Deep Dive
Reclaiming ancient wisdom for modern healing, this episode unveils the extraordinary potential of castor oil therapy as a cornerstone of functional medicine detoxification. From its therapeutic compound—ricinoleic acid—to its impressive mechanisms of action, discover why this simple remedy deserves a place in your wellness toolkit.
The science is compelling. Castor oil works transdermally to reduce inflammation, improve microcirculation, activate lymphatic flow, and stimulate the vagus nerve. When applied with gentle heat over targeted areas like the liver or thyroid, it creates a cascade of healing responses throughout the body. We explore specific applications for detoxification support, hormone balance, thyroid health, skin clearing, and digestive regulation—complete with a remarkable case study showing significant reduction in thyroid antibodies after just eight weeks of consistent use.
But the true magic lies in combining castor oil packs with quality binders like purified zeolite, activated charcoal, and fulvic acid compounds. This powerful synergy creates a complete detoxification circuit: castor oil mobilizes toxins from tissues, while binders act as "toxin magnets" in the gut to prevent recirculation. I share my personal morning routine incorporating these therapies alongside peptides and sauna sessions, along with practical timing recommendations for maximum effectiveness.
Whether you're addressing stubborn hormone imbalances, autoimmune conditions, environmental toxicity, or simply supporting your body's natural cleansing systems, this episode provides a clear roadmap for implementation. Learn how to incorporate this affordable, evidence-based therapy into your daily routine for noticeable improvements in energy, skin health, digestion, and hormonal balance. Ready to experience the transformative effects of this ancient remedy? Connect with Harmony Hub Health for personalized protocols tailored to your unique health journey.
Welcome to Harmony Hub Health, where my mission is to provide comprehensive, affordable integrative care that addresses the root cause of health issues. At the Hub, the focus is on individual patient journeys. I strive to optimize health, vitality and longevity, fostering a community where each person can thrive in body, mind and spirit.
Speaker 2:So at Harmony Hub Health, I'm a big fan of effective, affordable and evidence-based therapies, especially the ones that give you noticeable results without draining your wallet or your nervous system. One of my favorites that I've been talking about lately are castor oil packs. Whether you need to support detoxification, hormone balance, autoimmune regulation or your lymphatic flow, castor oil packs are a staple in my protocols and, yes, I use them in my routine as well. But what is castor oil and why do we use it? So castor oil is extracted from the seeds of the Racinus communis plant. Its magic lies in the primary active compound, racinoleic acid, which accounts for more than 90% of its fatty acid content. Rather than ingesting it please don't do that, this isn't 1910, we use castor oil transdermally, applying it over targeted organs like the liver or the thyroid, with a soft pack and some gentle heat. This method stimulates the lymphatic system. It improves blood flow and reduces inflammation in a localized, controlled and research-supported way. So let's talk about the mechanism of action of the racinoleic acid. So it does reduce prostaglandin E2, also known as PGE2, which lowers inflammation. It increases nitric oxide production, which improves microcirculation. It activates lymphatic flow, so it clears waste and fluid retention, and it stimulates the vagus nerve, so this encourages parasympathetic rest and digest mode. When you pair it with heat, the oil penetrates the skin and sends signals to your immune and detox systems. This results in better drainage, improved digestion, lowered inflammation and calmer nervous system regulation, especially when you use it consistently as a functional medicine practitioner.
Speaker 2:Juggling patients, protocols and peptide therapy. Mornings are my sacred hour of self-care because I take growth hormone stimulating peptides in the morning. We eat dinner late and I can't stay awake that long at night to take it at night because you need to take it on an empty stomach. So I have to wait a full hour before I can enjoy my beloved cup of coffee, if I have one in the morning, and that leaves me with 60 glorious minutes to be productive without eating or drinking. So my morning often looks like this I can apply my castor oil liver pack.
Speaker 2:I plug in my heating pad I do have one that's shaped like an axolotl. It brings me a lot of joy. I found it on the fast shipping delivery service and then I can either apply a face mask or LED light therapy, or I can hop into my sauna bag if I want a full detox stack. Winston, my friend, she does not allow me to go to my infrared sauna in my basement. He doesn't like to be that far away from me in the morning.
Speaker 2:But this is a very efficient combo. It's restorative, it supports my liver, my lymph, my skin. And one quick heads up if you are using a liver pack on an empty stomach, make sure that you can have time to go to the bathroom. Number two it's very effective at stimulating motility and bile flow, and you've been warned. Very effective at stimulating motility and bile flow, and you've been warned. So castor oil is a powerhouse when it comes to supporting detoxification and drainage, especially when you use it topically as a castor oil pack.
Speaker 2:Um, you place this castor oil pack over the liver and it helps stimulate lymphatic flow. It increases glutathione production and it improves phase one and two liver detoxification. So it can help clear out environmental toxins, hormonal metabolites like estrogen, medication residues if you're taking prescription medications, alcohol byproducts, mold and mycotoxins. With binder support, castor oil also stimulates the movement of lymph, especially in areas like your underarms. It's great for deodorant detox or if you're having breast tenderness, your neck to reduce puffiness, headaches, skin congestion and the abdomen for that deeper organ drainage. When you place it over the abdomen, you can improve your bowel flow. You can stimulate the vagus nerve and parasympathetic tone and relieve that constipation and gas. And it also helps mobilize stagnant waste in your GI tract. So this is perfect for anybody on GLP-1 that already has a slowed GI tract to begin with. You can also use it for reproductive detox or for hormone balance by placing the castor oil pack over your pelvic region so it reduces period pain and blood stagnation. It can shrink fibroids and cysts over time and it supports that estrogen metabolism for those that are estrogen dominant. And while castor oil doesn't bind metals directly, it does enhance drainage from the liver and lymph, making it a great supportive therapy.
Speaker 2:Alongside binders like Zeolite, activated charcoal Z-binder is one I use a lot in my protocols. You can use it topically without heat. It can pull out impurities from your pores, you can calm inflamed skin and you can improve acne prone areas, especially around the jawline and lymphatic zone. So you could use castor oil for a skin detox. And remember, the liver is your detox CEO. It processes hormones, it metabolizes toxins, it clears histamine, it supports digestion. So when you place it over that liver you boost that bowel flow and support phase two detox. Um, you know, hormonal balance and acne due to estrogen metabolites being high. It can assist with metabolism of those. It helps with bloating skin issues and sluggish digestion and support histamine clearance and reduces inflammation in any mold or autoimmune protocol.
Speaker 2:The thyroid area which is at the base of your neck is home to dense lymphatics which often become congested. If you have Hashimoto's, if you've had viral illnesses or chronic inflammation, you can apply the castor oil pack here. I do have thyroid packs at Monarch Beauty and Spa, along with liver packs, and the thyroid pack reduces neck puffiness and lymph stagnation. It improves thyroid circulation and immune regulation. It can reduce those antibody levels and improve energy and mental clarity and it enhances vagal tone for whole body calm. I recommend and what I carry at Monarch Beauty and Spa is the Queen of Thrones Castor Oil Packs because they use organic cold press hexane free oil. It's non-toxic, it's reusable and they have a very good mess resistant design. It's a very comfortable cotton flannel layering and it has secure straps so you can move it to the area you want to use. They have very thoughtful packaging and it's by functional medicine trained practitioners. It's also affordable and it can last up to three months with proper care and it makes it one of the best detox toolkits you can have at home.
Speaker 2:There is another oil that I do like from Higher Dose. I do have a discount code if anybody's interested in that. It's called endorphin oil and it's great to use during sauna sessions. It amplifies sweat, detox your core body temperature, and they also feature cold press organic castor oil with magnesium and a warming essential oil blend, and it's their modern take on the ancient tradition of castor oil detoxes, so it's perfect for when you're going to sweat. Okay, because castor oil is the world's oldest and most effective herbal remedy. It's like a thick golden oil and it has been prized for its healing properties for thousands of years. This is not a new treatment and I just love the higher dose because it has the organic castor oil, magnesium, jojoba oil, broccoli seed oil and the healing essential oils, and it's a great combination and it smells really good.
Speaker 2:One of my favorite success patients that I use as a case study was a 49-year-old woman that had high TPO antibodies the thyroid peroxidase antibodies. She had Hashimoto's and had some swelling. Her TPO antibodies were greater than 750. So she was having some neck swelling, some fatigue, she had some cold intolerance and she had dry skin. We started using the thyroid castor oil pack nightly. We also supported her thyroid with selenium and NAC and did some gut healing with orthobiotic, and in eight weeks her TPO antibodies dropped by 250 points. She had no more neck swelling. She had improved skin and bowel regularity, so that was a win.
Speaker 2:Okay, you always want to make sure that you use a patch test first. If you have sensitive skin, you want to use organic oil only. You don't want to use diluted or synthetic versions of castor oil. You do not want to use castor oil during pregnancy, especially over the abdomen, because it can induce some labor and you have to expect increased bowel activity, especially if you use it on an empty stomach. And just make sure you protect your clothes. That's why I love the Queen of Thrones products.
Speaker 2:And you know binders. I mentioned binders earlier. They've been used for centuries as well as a remedy for toxin exposure and for many practitioners. Today, binders play an important role in any detoxification protocol and it has a really important role in protecting the gut lining. Every single person that I have on Vicon has either a binder inside their protocol or it is on the side. Anybody that has heavy metals I usually put on heavy binders. Anybody that we're detoxifying from anything I put on heavy binders, anybody that we're detoxifying from anything I put on a binder. So while dietary fiber is a cornerstone in daily detoxification, z-binder is more targeted and it's used to bind and remove specific toxins from the GI tract for a thorough detoxification protocol. So Z-binder that I use from Orthomolecular supports elimination to reduce hepatic reabsorption, so things going back into the liver to help relieve toxic lewd. So individuals with highly reactive immune systems. Z binder works to limit the effects of die-off reactions and it kind of sweeps away toxins from the gut lining before they can cause a severe reaction or immune response.
Speaker 2:So the mineral content in Z-Binder comes from the purest sources from several geographic areas, from rich mineral deposits in Eastern Europe to the vast mountains of Central Asia. All ingredients in Z-Binder have been thoroughly tested under strict quality protocols to make sure that it's pure and it's potent tested under strict quality protocols to make sure that it's pure and it's potent. It also has G-Pure, which is purified zeolite. These are just some of the ingredients that come in Z-Binder, since it's one of my favorites. It is a purified zeolite mineral with a distinctive affinity to ionically bind and absorb heavy metals and unwanted organisms. So G-Pure has a high homogeneity of clinoptilolite matrix crystals, which is standardized to contain 70% clinoptilolite, which would have a cup shape, and it easily entraps toxins for safe elimination. So G-Pure is sourced from rich mineral deposits and is thoroughly tested for inorganic impurities.
Speaker 2:Z-binder also has activated charcoal, so it has a long history of use in reducing harmful effects of a wide variety of toxins. Unlike charcoal from wood or peat, the coconut shell, charcoal in Z-Binder is highly purified, dense, clean, naturally dust free, making it safe and a viable binder for toxin removal, especially for unwanted organisms. So it's carbon lattice is a porous structure and it's ideal for trapping and removing a variety of toxins, preventing absorption, your gut lining and safely carrying the toxins bound to its surface out of the body. It also has the purified Shilajit called PrimaV. This has been very popular. I've seen it a lot on social media people talking about it, but I've been using it for a very long time. It's not new either. So PrimaV is a highly purified form of shilajit. It's diverse in many bioactive compounds. It has over 40 different minerals, including a rich source of fulvic acid, and these types of organic acids have absorbent properties that are best known to bind various agents, including many organic compounds, and because of the unique liposomal structure of the PrimaV, it encapsulates such toxins and is really efficient in removing it from the body.
Speaker 2:So after taking a Z-binder for four weeks, what we typically see is improved bowel regularity and in this 49-year-old it went from twice a week to daily, which is great. Reduced headaches, reduced skin breakouts, significantly reduced estrogen symptoms. So this is PMS symptoms, breast tenderness, mood swings, all reduced. Her liver enzymes that were a little elevated normalized and within 10 days she had better sleep and better energy. So this is why combining Z-Binder from Orthomolecular with the castor oil packs creates a very powerful one-two punch for detox. So castor oil stimulates the drainage and then the Z-binder captures and escorts toxins out of the back door, also known your bowel, so they don't recirculate and wreak havoc.
Speaker 2:There are other binders like silica. That's one of the reasons why I like Fiji water. Silica can help support skin collagen and detox. There's humic and fulvic acid, which is one of the most popular ones that I add to the Vicon. There's bentonite clay and then aloe vera and glycine. They all soothe the gut lining. But these are all great to use with your castor oil packs and the main reason why I like to kind of combine the castor oil packs with Z binder or with a binder is because castor oils they stimulate toxin release but they also don't trap or eliminate those toxins directly. So if you're releasing stored toxins from the liver, the gallbladder or the lymph and you don't have binders on board, they can recirculate in your bloodstream and this can cause headaches or fatigue, skin rashes, the Herxheimer reactions, which is die off of those microorganisms, hormone flares. So you can have worsening PMS or estrogen symptoms because you're releasing those metabolites right back into your system and can cause some bloating or GI upset. And this is where Z-Binder comes in, because it sits in the gut like a toxin magnet and it captures what is dumped from the liver into the intestines and safely removes it by that bowel movement.
Speaker 2:One of my most popular morning routines would be you wake up. You know you can take your growth hormone peptide or you can go and apply your castor oil liver pack, axolotl optional. You sit with that for if you're starting I would say 30 minutes but you can go up to 45 to 60 minutes. You can read. You can sit in the sauna. You can put on a face mask After you take off your pack. You want to take that Z binder still on that empty stomach with some water and then you want to wait 30 to 60 minutes after your Z-binder before eating or taking any other supplements. If you prefer in the evening, you can use your castor oil pack to the liver or thyroid in the evening 45 to 60 minutes.
Speaker 2:Some people will sleep in their castor oil packs. You want to remove the pack when you're done, drink some water. You can take Z-Binder at bedtime but Z-Binder should be two hours away from any food or any other supplements and that is a sure way to have a great healthy bowel movement in the morning as well. The other thing I like to combine with my castor oil packs are glutathione. This is really to help push toxins because castor oil, remember, helps to remove the drainage Z-binder to trap them and then you can combine it with glutathione to really push it out. So any protocol I use for mold or for heavy metal clearance or estrogen dominance or histamine intolerance or any post-viral recovery whether it be EBV or Lyme's or any post-viral recovery, whether it be EBV or Lyme's it's just very helpful with skin breakouts, brain fog and GI symptoms during cleansing phases you want to make sure you always stay hydrated.
Speaker 2:Binders can be constipating without enough water and one of the most important things is making sure if you're taking Z-Binder you want to avoid taking it within two hours of any medicine or any supplements. You do want to pair it with daily magnesium or motility support, especially if you are prone to constipation and if you're very sensitive. You want to start with a lower dose, so you can start with one cap a day of a binder and work yourself up to two to three. The main point to remember is that castor oil packs mobilize toxins. The Z binder captures them, so you can use them together to support clean, efficient detox and avoid the classic you know, I feel worse before I feel better trap.
Speaker 2:If you really want to optimize your regimen, you can use the castor oil pack first, then take your glutathione. It could be oral, the transdermal, or it could be the subcutaneous shot, it could be a muscle shot or we have it IV at Harmony Hub Health, so this really primes circulation in your lymph and use the castor oil packs consistently I would say four to six days a week for the best drainage. Then combine it with your binders, like your Z binder or GI detox or activated charcoal to catch what the glutathione pushes out. Drink plenty of water and support bile with bitters. If you do have a hard time, I do like to add phosphatidylcholine. That is a great combination as well as you can see, I make a lot of different protocols, and then you can also stack it with the infrared sauna. You could even use a pump mat for added detox support.
Speaker 2:I'm not a huge fan of coffee enemas, but I am a fan of dry brushing. So if there are any signs of stagnant lymph or toxin recirculation then we can talk about those after. But I rarely, ever recommend the coffee enema and when I do that combination I tell people to think of glutathione as your biochemical fire extinguisher. Castor oil packs are the exit route for the smoke. You can't just neutralize toxins, you have to move them out. So the combo is really good for chronic fatigue. If you have skin eruptions with histamine issues, you can usually see it on the arms.
Speaker 2:Hormone clearance, any mold, metal, mycotoxin detox, liver inflammation, thyroid congestion, toxin detox, liver inflammation, thyroid congestion, chronic fatigue, any type of GI sluggishness than I would put on this types of regimen and I personalized detox and hormone support protocols based on genetics, based on symptoms and lab data. So I like to use these protocols for MTHFR and COMT variants, these protocols for MTHFR and COMT variants, anybody with Hashimoto's and thyroid dysfunction, anybody with mold illness and mycotoxin protocols, or anybody that is hormone rebalancing that has GI motility issues. So definitely schedule a consultation today if you want to find out the best protocol for you and if castor oil therapy is right for you. You can schedule a functional medicine consult. You could see me in person at Monarch Beauty and Spa in Manchester, maryland, or you can come find me online at wwwharmonyhubhealthcom. I can walk you through best placement, best timing, how to layer it with binders or sauna or peptides and make sure that it's the right fit for what your body needs. You could even send me an email at michelle that's M-I-C-H-E-L-E at harmonyhubhealthcom and I'd love to get you started. I also have a Facebook page on Facebook called Harmony Hub Health.
Speaker 2:I'll be posting affiliate links to Queen of Thrones and Higher Dose this week as we talk about these castor oil packs, and this podcast is for educational purposes only. I'm not your personal medical provider Unless I am, then hello and while castor oil packs are basically the Swiss army knife of detox tools, they're not a magical cure for everything. If you are pregnant, trying to become pregnant, have a weird rash, unexplained pain, or think castor oil is a fun salad dressing, please consult with a health provider first and do not eat the castor oil In this context. Your colon will never forgive you. Also, if you slather it on your body and your body says, nope, listen to it. Detox reactions are real, but so is common sense. So proceed with intention a heat pack and maybe a towel you're not emotionally attached to.