Hello people,

I have some questions about using castor oil, but first I was going to mention how well the Hawthorn tincture I got from Unyquity is working. It might be working TOO well actually.

I've been having heart problems for a long time, and among many things, usually when I get up and start walking to do something and I come to a stop my heart starts racing and pounding hard. It doesn't feel good. Well, I first noticed yesterday when I went to use the bathroom (this is one place that never fails with that problem when I arrive) that this pretty much hasn't been happening at all. I don't feel as faint/lightheaded as usual when I stand up either, even if I do it quickly. I feel like there has been a decrease in the palpitations, irregular heartbeats, and that sort of thing aswell.

What really surprised me is the numbers I've been getting with pulse rate and blood pressure. My blood pressure has been great, which is good, but more interesting to me is that my heart rate has dropped a lot. It usually floats around the high-60s to low-80s, but for the past several days it has been consistently in the mid-50s: 55 or 56 BPM mostly. My heart rate recovers quicker after physical activity and it seems like it just isn't as affected by things as much as before. I was even experiencing an anxiety attack 20 minutes ago, and while my blood pressure raised slightly, by the time I got the reading my BPM was only 59! It usually shoots up high. 5 minutes later it was 51 BPM. I haven't had a slow heart rate like that since I was "back in high school" and in shape.

I've only been using it for a little over a week now, and when I started seeing those numbers and feeling those effects less often, I first passed it off because it really seems like it's too soon for it to be working that quickly as everything I've read about it says it takes at least a month before the herb starts having noticeable effects, but I can't think of what else it could be, since it is the only thing different from my usual routine of late. I'm convinced it's the hawthorn. Either way, my heart problems seem to be taking a turn for the better, and hopefully it continues that way.


As for the castor oil, it finally arrived yesterday, so I've been applying it to my neck and on the painful spots on top of my head, as I cut my hair off today for that reason. I haven't used the flannel yet, I've just been massaging it in with my hands.

It's a little more powerful than I expected. I woke up awhile ago with an anxiety attack (the attack I mentioned above), a strange taste/numb feeling in my mouth, and feeling weird in my head. It seems like I've absorbed a lot of it into my system through my neck, which explains that taste, and either my body is wondering what the oil is or the oil is moving stuff around. Probably both. Is there anything I can do about this taste in my mouth? It reminds me of when I had some dye injected into my blood via IV for a catscan I had years ago. I remember tasting the dye inside of my tongue.

I also had a pretty good bowel movement when I got up. Does castor oil have laxative or any such effects even when used externally and absorbed into the system?

Am I correct in thinking that these are not signs of my body rejecting it?

It seems like great stuff so far. Perhaps I just left it on too long? (I massaged it in several times today starting at noon, and I still had some on my neck 12 hours later when I got up)

Any other thoughts or suggestions?