Why does a castor oil induction work?
Castor oil stimulates the bowels in the same way an enema would. For some unexplained reason, when the bowel is stimulated to empty in this way, the uterus is also stimulated to empty. A study in Alternative Therapies, January 2000, reported that 57.7% of the mothers given castor oil began labor in the specified time period while only 4.3% of the mothers not given castor oil went into labor. 2-6 Hours after drinking the castor oil, the mother will experience diarrhea and should begin contractions. According to Fundamentals of Pharmacology 4th Ed. “Castor oil in itself is not an irritant … but must be metabolised into ricinoleic acid, a potent intestinal irritant. Ricinoleic acid can be absorbed and, as it also stimulates uterine smooth muscle, was used with some success to induce labour in pregnancy.
