Viewing post #289533 by Horseshoe

flaflwrgrl said:Trish, I am allergic to castor bean plants. When the sap got on my skin I got giant hives. Needless to say, I have not gotten within 50 feet of a castor bean plant since then (& that's when I was 6). I see there is castor oil in your soap. This is true of many handmade soaps & I see Burt's Bees has it in a lot of their products. I've also seen it listed in "natural" lipsticks & makeups. I will not touch any products that use it. Am I being overly cautious? I would like your opinion.

I just had to go find out. (And first time "quoting' here, sorry)


" Ricin does not partition into the oil because it is water-soluble, therefore, castor oil does not contain ricin, provided that no cross-contamination occurred during its production. "

Apparently the sap itself may be irritating but when the oil is pressed from the seed it no longer contains the toxin. I guess if it did I'd be dead; my Grandmother was a big proponent of "a spoonful of castor oil" while I held my nose!

Here is a brief synopsis from Cornell:
http://www.ansci.cornell.edu/p...

Shoe