castor oil...is it poisionous? Customer is asking me...

[awi]

I just received this question on my website regarding castor oil...I haven't heard this, so I am not sure how to reply...

I have a question regarding the Castor oils used in your soap.
All my life I was taught that the oils from the castor bean were very poisonous.
Ricin is a very deadly biproduct of the Castor bean.
How can you assure me your product is not deadly?

 

[dagmar88]

I'm still alive. No, seriously, the pulp left over from the beans after pressing them does contain ricin.
And castor oils has been used to torture people by making them drink 2 pounds of it. While in that amounts it can be lethal; it will do no harm in the quantities we use for soap making purposes.
Small amounts of castor have been used for ages to induce labour or as a laxative...

 

[carebear]

yes it's extremely toxic which explains why I have not repeat customers...

JK

 

[awi]

I just recently opened my webstore and I guess this is the type questions I have to look forward to....HaHa. I wasn't sure if this person was serious or playing with me. I would love to reply back saying what you did carebear! Very witty!

 

[Bajramovic]

It's safe...it can be dangerous if ingested in large quantities. Up to few grams it can have therapeutic value on certain conditions...so even if he ate half of your bar of soap he would be safe...well from castor oil anyway :wink:

On the skin,on the other hand, it's fantastic
Castor oil you can buy does not contain ricin so tell the guy to relax...

 

[Deda]

yes it's extremely toxic which explains why I have not repeat customers...

JK

I'm reformulating all my recipes Toot Sweet.

 

[carebear]

Thanks :twisted:

seriously, though - it's not toxic.
if ingested it can cause violent cramping (and diarrhea) which is why it was once recommended as a way to jump start labor (don't try that). and the ricin has been removed so it's not gonna kill anyone.

on skin it's got lovely emollient properties and saponified it makes nice bubbles.

 

[Absinthe]

The real concern is the chemical called RICIN, it comes from the castor bean and is extremely toxic. It is a chemical used by terrorists at least potentially and made the news not too long ago. Every time the news would mention it they had to say that it came from the castor bean, which is where we get castor oil... (drove me crazy)

It is not in castor oil, it is a waste product of the process that makes castor oil.

 

[carebear]

yep

No, seriously, the pulp left over from the beans after pressing them does contain ricin.

 

[SilverMaple]

Unless the person is eating your soap by the ton, it's fine. Heck, castor oil is used in commercial lip products all the time! Sounds like this person is just trying to stir trouble.

 

[Absinthe]

if you go to buy castor oil in the pharmacy now, they have in with the children's things, the pharmacist told me that it was sold as pediatric laxative.

 

[IanT]

(I think this rule applies here too...moderation = key)...


In the words of Katt Williams.....


"Aspirin is good...take 1 or 2 of them and it takes away your pain....but eat 12 or 13 of them m-f-ers and it will be your LAST headache..."

 

[Absinthe]

hmmm aspirin... One of the best drugs ever.

Knew a girl in HS that decided to commit the unthinkable over the loss of boyfriend. She thought she would do it by eating a bottle of aspirin. I don't know how many were in the bottle, but it didn't kill her. However, besides the fact that it tore up her stomach, it gave her a ringing in her ears that lasted 3 days. (Gave her a headache) Which in my sick sense of humor and irony I found hilarious. The fact that the aspirin gave her a headache, not her plight in life.

 

[MagiaDellaLuna]

I remember getting regular doses of Castor oil and Cod Liver oil as a child, and that was a looooooooooooong time ago, so it appears to have done me some good.

Every batch of soap I make has Castor oil in it, and I have not lost a customer yet

 

[Layne]

Castor Oil: used around the world to treat a wide variety of conditions such as skin keratosis,
ringworm, fungal and bacterial infections, wounds, abdominal stretch marks (prevention), bursitis, sebaceous cysts,
warts, senile lentigo ("liver" or "aging" spots), muscle strains, ligament sprains and itching.

nope didnt see any sign of deadly there.

 

[JenniferSews]

I wish I could remember what soap making supplies site I read a response to this on. Basically the answer was yes, there is a poison in castor oil. There is also chloride in salt, and chloride is an extremely poisonous gas, used in WWII to kill many people. But like in soap where no lye is left after the chemical reaction, there is no ricin in castor oil. Only in the actual bean.

Just in case, ricin can be inactivated by heating it to 80 degrees C, which is 176 degrees F. So just tell them you gel your soap.

 

[IanT]

uggggh cod liver oil...:::shudder::: I still cant get that taste out of my mouth...bleeeghh

 

[evatgirl73]

Interesting. Castor oil is actually called ricin oil in my native language (Swedish), and was often used for sickly kids up until the 60's-70's.

 

[Larissa]

Interesting. Castor oil is actually called ricin oil in my native language (Swedish), and was often used for sickly kids up until the 60's-70's.

This is how I'd heard of castor oil. In old novels, they're always giving it to kids with sick stomachs. I found it in with the laxatives at Walgreens. Honestly, I'd direct the customer to consult with her pharmacist regarding the safety of castor oil. That'd be the easiest way to handle it.

 

[Bubbles Galore]

Along with Cod Liver Oil (ptooey), I used to get Castor Oil shoved down my throat when I was a kid and I'm still alive, although barely. :wink:

You know what? I wouldn't want to sell that sheila any soap at all. She sounds like trouble to me. Sorry - just my opinion.