Interesting topic! There IS a lot of anecdotal evidence for the use of castor oil superficially on the skin..........and very little research done on the subject. I would think that being an oil it would do some wonderful things related to hydrating your skin, and people's experience online would seem to support that. Can't hurt to try it, that's for sure.
But whether it can go completely THRU the skin and get to your organs is VERY VERY HIGHLY unlikely. Think about it for a second.......your belly button is pure scar tissue. And I know you’re thinking that Aloe or Vit E and probably Castor Oil makes scar tissue softer…...BUT behind your belly button are quite a few layers of tissue, including the parietal peritoneum, the peritoneal fat layer, your abdominal muscles, fascia and other subcutaneous tissues. Then if the Castor Oil makes it that far (which it won't) and actually enters your peritoneal cavity (the 'bag' that holds all your organs, if you will) there's a whole bunch of peritoneal fluid in there that your organs 'float' in. They don't acutally float in it, but it's all over the place to allow your organs to move and shift........it's like dumping a quart of motor oil in a bag of oranges, if you know what I mean. So the castor oil not only has to get thru all the layers of skin, fat, muscle and the peritoneal wall........it will then either be diluted by the peritoneal fluid or encapsulated by it, depending on the viscosities of both fluids. But what makes matters worse...........is the fact that peritoneal fluid is sterile. Has to be. And if any castor oil gets mixed with it..........it won't be. Which would trigger a MASSIVE immune response and boy would you feel like shit. And of course you'd get sepsis and most likely die if not caught in time.......which there won't be a lot of. So while I’d love there to be a simple wonder cure like Castor Oil that can cure all our ills……..I’m very skeptical.
One cool thing about castor oil is the plant that makes it. I grow them every year because they are HUGE (6-8ft tall), grow very quickly and have ginormous leaves! It's a very impressive plant! And in the fall it makes a beautiful seed pod before it dies that lets you remove the seeds to plant again in the Spring or grind up into castor oil! It's just a pretty cool plant. It's hard to find the seeds at your local nursery, but you can ask them to order them for you........their techncial name is Ricinis Communis seeds. One word of caution though...........if anything (kids, pets, or stupid adults) eat any part of the leaves from this plant.........they'll die. It's VERY toxic. How toxic you ask..........check this out........about 6,000 times more poisonous than cyanide and 12,000 times more poisonous than rattlesnake venom, per Mr. Google. So don't eat it..........or slip it into someone you don't like's salad. Really.
;O)