WHAT IS A CASTOR OIL LIVER PACK? 

The castor oil liver pack is a piece of flannel fabric, soaked with castor oil, then held in place over the area of the liver on the abdomen with an elastic band. It is worn while lying down for at least thirty minutes in the evening, or during the night while sleeping. Optional additions to increase the benefits of a castor oil liver pack is the addition of essential oils to the castor oil. Advanced users may also apply a heating pad covered with a towel over the pack .

 

WHEN TO WEAR A CASTOR OIL LIVER PACK.

I use a castor oil liver pack at night when sleeping to help support restful sleep.  If you don’t find it comfortable to wear, you can lie down and wear it about 30 minutes before sleeping, then take it off. Castor oil liver packs are very gentle and can be used with children that have a difficult time with sleeplessness. If you have a little one that doesn’t want to wear the pack, try calling it “knight armour” so that wearing it sounds adventurous. If wearing the liver pack is not possible, you will still find benefits from rubbing the oil directly on the abdomen. Whether wearing the liver pack or rubbing the oil onto the abdomen, make sure you are wearing a shirt that you don’t mind the oil staining.

When I first began using a castor oil liver pack, I wore it nightly for three weeks and then as needed there after. I use it as a remedy for night sweats and sleeplessness, so if either of these reappear, this is when I wear the pack again.

HOW TO MAKE A CASTOR OIL LIVER PACK.

These are the instructions for a castor oil liver pack if you would like to make one like pictured above. To make the pack, I fold a piece of flannel fabric so that it is 4 layers thick. You can purchase the fabric from a fabric store. Otherwise, most baby receiving blankets are made of flannel and are commonly available in department stores. Using my sewing machine, I reinforce the folds with a straight stitch to hold them together and prevent unfolding, though you could skip this step.

The felt fabric will be held in place over the liver area with a stretchy elastic bandage. Another modification I made with the sewing machine is to cut the stretchy bandage to the length of my abdomen and stitch pieces of velcro on the ends. This isn’t necessary, I did this to skip wrapping the band around and around and around. 

If you’d rather order the parts ready to be used, check out these products that I found on Amazon to make your own castor oil liver pack.

Continue reading to understand how to use the castor oil liver pack.

ESSENTIAL OILS WITH THE CASTOR OIL LIVER PACK.

If you would like to use essential oils with your liver pack, doTERRA essential oils are pure therapeutic grade oils that will be safe to use. When you order with me as your Wellness Advocate, I will be able to guide you in how to use the essential oils and which are best for your situation and goals. 

I like to premix the castor oil and essential oils in a glass bottle together before applying them to the flannel. This evenly distributes the essential oils.

Pour 5 ounces of castor oil into a glass bottle then add the essential oils. Some of the best oils to support calm and restful sleep are lavender, vetiver, and cedarwood. Add 10 drops of each oil to the castor oil, you could use them all or just the ones you prefer. Then give the bottle a good shake to blend it together.

HOW TO WEAR A CASTOR OIL LIVER PACK.

To wear the liver pack, begin by pouring the castor oil onto the piece of flannel to soak it. 

Next, I put the castor oil coated flannel on my abdomen over the area of my liver and wrap the elastic band around my body to hold it in place.

 

The liver pack is reusable and can be stored in a glass jar. You will want to recharge the flannel with more fresh oil every couple of days if you wear it nightly. Make a new piece of flannel when it starts to change colors, it takes a long while for this to happen. 

 

USING A CASTOR OIL LIVER PACK WITH HEATING PAD.

When you wear the castor oil liver pack, for a more deep saturation of the oil into your skin you could place a heating pad covered with a towel over the pack. However, it is not necessary to do this when you are beginning, the pack will still work. In fact, my opinion is to not use the heating pad until you have been using the liver pack for a while. My reason is if your liver is very congested it may be uncomfortable to use the heating pad. I didn’t initially use it and still benefited without the extra warmth. I occasionally use the heating pad now, however it is only an optional addition.

 

BENEFITS I HAVE RECEIVED FROM WEARING THE LIVER PACK.

Using a castor oil liver pack was suggested to me several years ago when night sweats were ruling my sleep. It was such an uncomfortable situation that I would have to sleep on towels and change clothes during the night. My pants and shirt would be completely drenched with sweat.

Leading up to the night sweat development, for several years I would wake up every night at almost exactly 3 a.m. It was quite frustrating and I could have set an alarm to myself it was such a precise waking time.

I now understand the reason for this. During the middle of the night this is the optimal time that our liver works to filter and process waste. While we sleep, the liver’s peak performance is between the hours of 12 a.m. and 3 a.m. If your liver is congested it may cause you to wake, have night sweats, restless sleep, and possible nightmares.

There are many natural remedies that you can use in conjunction with the castor oil liver pack to treat this. I prefer the liver pack because it is gentle and generally a one-size-fits-all remedy for common night time sleeping situations – regardless of their root cause.

It is easy for me to accept the reason for frequent waking and night sweats as that my liver was too congested. During that time I was taking medication for an underactive thyroid. Before the series of waking in the night and night sweats, I had a severe infection treated with antibiotics that are suspected to compromise the function of the liver and kidneys. At the time, the night sweats and waking at night seemed random, especially since I was still under 30 and thought this symptom to be reserved for my 50s. Thankfully night sweating is no longer a problem, and if I do have issues with sleeplessness I can use the liver pack to help rebalance my sleeping pattern.

I hope you give this a try to help with sleeping and nightsweats. It has been my experience that the castor oil can be used on all ages from 0 to infinity. For infants and children, they seem to love having their tummies massaged with oil as a transition into sleeping well at night. 

 

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