Talk:Castor oil

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This is supposed to be about castor oil, not about standing up for The White Man

I have removed the assertion that the use of castor oil as a punishment by colonial officials in the British Raj "replac[ed] more inhumane local punishments", since the quoted source does not indicate anything of the kind.

The assertion was added on on 20 Nov 2019 by the anonymous user at 213.205.240.150. From a quick look at his/her contribution history, he/she seems to be very fond of adding his/her own opinions to Wikipedia articles, with no attempt to back them up with evidence.

This particular statement is typical of the kind of evidence-free claims made by those who seek to defend the more violent actions of the British Empire on the grounds that "the natives" were far worse before "we" turned up and "civilised" them. Even if that were true in this particular case (and, as mentioned, no evidence has been presented to suggest that it is), I don't see how it contributes to the reader's understanding of the subject of castor oil.

HairyDan (talk) 19:13, 4 January 2020 (UTC)[reply]

Castor Oil in Popular Culture

Should there be a section about castor oil in popular culture? It was referenced in Mary Poppins (in the song Perfect Nanny). It's the only reference I can think of, so maybe not significant enough to be worth noting. But maybe someone else can think of other references? Samsmachado (talk) 18:47, 19 January 2020 (UTC)[reply]

Me again, just wanted to add that castor oil is also referenced in Act II, Scene 8 of E. E. Cummings' play Him and in the article cummings wrote for Vanity Fair called "How I Do Not Love Italy" Samsmachado (talk) 00:38, 21 January 2020 (UTC)[reply]

Advertisement?

In the Etymology section there is a link reading CASTOR SEED to a site selling them. I don't really know the rules about this sort of thing, but it seems like borderline advertisements wouldn't be permitted. Torowam (talk) 23:59, 17 July 2020 (UTC)[reply]

Castor oil for labor inducement

I'm wondering if the sentence indicating that Castor oil has not been shown to be effective for labor inducement is accurate. I see research out there that supports the use of Castor oil, e.g.: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/14767058.2017.1336223. I'm not qualified to adjudicate the disagreement, though. Perhaps the section should be more qualified? — Preceding unsigned comment added by Seaucre (talk • contribs) 20:01, 10 January 2022 (UTC)[reply]

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]