Talk:Castor oil

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Childbirth section

@Bon courage I noticed you deleted a quantity of cited information in the childbirth section and replaced it with a straw-man rebuttal. No one argues that castor oil has anything to do with cervical ripening. It induces gastrointestinal contractions (the shits). These sometimes are associated with the onset of uterine contractions, kicking off the first stage of labor. I'd like to restore the deleted material and if need be balance it with published studies that discourage the use of castor oil as a result of studies that correctly apply the scientific method. jengod (talk) 03:52, 17 August 2024 (UTC)[reply]

We'd need WP:MEDRS. The existing section was based on old primary sources and questionable journals. The Cochrane source we have is A1. Its explicit remit was "To determine the effects of castor oil or enemas for third trimester cervical ripening or induction of labour in comparison with other methods of cervical ripening or induction of labour". Bon courage (talk) 03:54, 17 August 2024 (UTC)[reply]

the Journal of Nurse-Midwifery, now the Journal of Midwifery & Women's Health, is peer-reviewed journal published by Wiley for the American College of Nurse-Midwives
the Altern Ther Health Med appears to be a garbage journal but the study was done at a community hospital in Brooklyn, NY and the authors seem to have published widely on ob/gyn?
The Iranian Journal of Nursing and Midwifery Research is a peer-reviewed journal published by Lippincott.

Are we sure these are all garbage sources? Is there a Big Castor Bean lobby funding crummy studies to sell more oil?

I would argue that journals of midwifery are exactly where you would find studies on castor oil because it's only something you'd ever want to mess with if you were dealing with a large quantity of dull-normal, healthy, low-risk and/or multigravida pregnancies. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

jengod (talk) 04:17, 17 August 2024 (UTC)[reply]

The first journal is fine, but the cited study was a primary source so failing MEDRS. The second journal is altmed so not reliable for any biomedicine. The third journal is not MEDLINE indexed, which is a red flag (particularly given we have reputable sources to use). As it happens there is a recent (2022) review article from J Midwifery Womens Health which is a strong source. I have added it; see what you think. (Incidentally, castor oil is a $billion+ industry.[1]) Bon courage (talk) 04:30, 17 August 2024 (UTC)[reply]

@Jengod: why are you adding back[2] material based on unreliable sources? We need, and we have, WP:MEDRS. Bon courage (talk) 04:51, 17 August 2024 (UTC)[reply]
Is this a reliable source?

Methods for the induction of labor: efficacy and safety

Luis Sanchez-Ramos et al. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2024 Mar.

. 2024 Mar;230(3S):S669-S695.

doi: 10.1016/j.ajog.2023.02.009.Epub 2023 Jul 13.

Castor oil "This extract from Ricinus communis is an oil consisting of ricinolein acid (Figure 14). Ancient Egyptians used this agent for labor induction, and it continues to enjoy support in public folklore. In the early 1950s, over half of US academic obstetrical departments surveyed used either orally administered castor oil singularly or in combination with soap suds enemas. Since the advent of pharmacological interventions, castor oil is no longer used in hospitals in high-income countries. However, this substance is still used in low-resource settings and by the lay public. A recent systematic review and meta-analysis concluded that oral administration of castor oil is effective for cervical ripening and labor induction (OR, 11.67; 95% CI, 3.34–40.81). The exact mechanism of action has yet to be fully understood, but given gastrointestinal symptomatology, a prostaglandin mediation has been suggested but not confirmed. Potential complications from castor oil include meconium staining and maternal electrolyte abnormalities from diarrhea. Most patients self-administer and use various dosing methods patients self-administer and use various dosing methods."

jengod (talk) 05:01, 17 August 2024 (UTC)[reply]
It's a reliable source, but the systematic review they mention is not. Bon courage (talk) 05:07, 17 August 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Castor Oil Wraps

Came to the page for info on wraps as I assumed their touted health benefits (thyroid, inflammation, pain relief, etc) were bogus, but didn't see anything about it. Found a page debunking them with a quick search. Unsure whether it'd be considered a reliable source, but putting it here just in case: https://www.drweil.com/health-wellness/health-centers/women/why-bother-with-castor-oil-pack 172.56.81.22 (talk) 22:48, 7 September 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Castor oil wraps are bogus and Weil's website is not reliable - see WP:MEDRS. Zefr (talk) 23:02, 7 September 2024 (UTC)[reply]