TikTokers are using castor oil in this unique way for less bloat and better sleep—does it actually work?

The social media app TikTok has become a hub for health and wellness tips, tricks and trends. The latest trend has users touting the benefits of putting castor oil in your belly button before bed. They claim the oil helps them debloat and get better sleep.

"I'm literally gonna go sleep like Hocus Pocus put a spell on my a--," Raven Ross said in a TikTok video after applying the oil.

The practice of navel pulling far predates TikTok. In fact, its been around for thousands of years.

"I'm Indian, so traditionally, in Ayurvedic medicine, we use castor oil a lot for like [reducing inflammation] and for calming," says Dr. Gowri Rocco, a doctor of regenerative and functional medicine.

"But traditionally, in western medicine, there's no evidence that shows that it does that."

The only approved use of castor oil for health reasons by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is to ingest the oil orally for constipation relief.

'I still recommend' castor oil for navel pulling, says doctor

"I still recommend it because even though we don't have enough proven science on it, it's a really nice, natural way to detox," Rocco says.

"These oils aren't proven because they haven't been studied enough. But through tradition, it's very common to use it."

Castor oil has omega-6 and omega-9 fatty acids so it can provide calming, parasympathetic effects from navel pulling, she notes. It may also "promote treating constipation and improving bowel movements."

After using castor oil in this way, some TikTok users did claim it caused frequent bowel movements. This may be because massaging your navel can stimulate the lymphatic system in your gastrointestinal tract, Rocco says. You can also achieve this effect by drinking water and exercising.

"When you're using the castor oil on the navel, you're improving [the movement] of toxins. You're improving the digestion system by mobilizing the lymphatic system to also move," Rocco says, while noting that there isn't medical research to support this claim.

Rubbing castor oil on the navel can also be very calming "because the naval area has a vagus nerve running through it," she adds. This calming effect may be why people associate castor oil navel pulling with better sleep, and a reliever of menstrual pain.

One potential side effect of using castor oil is cramping, which some commenters on TikTok expressed that they experienced after navel pulling. This side effect is more common with oral ingestion, Rocco says.

Pregnant people should also avoid ingesting castor oil as it could lead to premature contractions.

"Some people might not feel the benefit, and some people might," she notes. Navel pulling could restore balance in your GI tract without negative consequences, which is why she recommends giving it a try if you're interested.

At worst, it may stain your clothes. And if it doesn't work for digestion or sleep, castor oil is really great for your skin. "I highly recommend it [for] the scalp, for the skin," Rocco says.

Navel pulling is "not a trend at all. It's been around for centuries, and just knowing that, how safe it is, and [that] it's got a low threshold for side effects. It's definitely worth a try."

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