Castor Oil for Anti-Inflammatory

Research suggests that castor oil, and specifically its primary active component ricinoleic acid, possesses anti-inflammatory properties that have been documented in reviews and preclinical literature, with the most clinically relevant evidence focusing on topical ocular applications. A 2021 review found that castor oil applied to the eye demonstrates anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and antimicrobial effects alongside improved tear film stability in conditions like dry eye disease and meibomian gland dysfunction, while a 2022 review confirmed that ricinoleic acid — which comprises roughly 89–92% of castor oil — carries recognized antibacterial and anti-inflammatory activity, with enzymatic extraction methods achieving high conversion rates. A 2025 review of medicinal plants further included Ricinus communis among botanicals with documented anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties. The evidence base is limited primarily to reviews, preclinical models, and indirect study designs rather than large-scale human clinical trials specifically testing castor oil's anti-inflammatory effects, and many studies in the linked literature used castor oil only as a diarrhea-inducing agent in animal models rather than as an anti-inflammatory treatment, meaning the overall human clinical evidence remains preliminary and further well-designed trials are needed to establish the scope and reliability of these effects.