Oils - Masketi, Palma Christi, Carapate - It's all...

[Nonpareil]

Castor Oil. Sorry y'all, I hate to take away all the mystique but apparently that's what it is.

http://funredes.org/tramil/english/indice.html?80

Medicinal Plant Database

Ricinus communis L.
EUPHORBIACEAE
Vernacular names and territories: Barbados: castor oil Dominica: cawapat Dominican Republic: Dominicana:higuera Guadeloupe: carapate Haiti: maskèti Martinique: palma Kristi St Lucia: cawapat
Related health problems: earache, ganglionar inflammation, asthma, burning, constipation, headhache, pneumopathy , rheumatism, toothache, traumatism, twist


The dark oil that you were referring to - they sell it on the Guesso website - Carapate Oil (Miss Antilles Brand).

 

[daviine]

There wasn't any mystique for me. I call it l'huille palma christi when I speak with Haitians. I call it Black Castor Oil with other people. Sometimes I even call it Jamaican-Haitian Castor Oil because that is the way they label the bottles in the BSS.

I only use it on my hair but my family uses it for EVERYTHING....

daviine

 

[UmSumayyah]

I thought the "black castor oil" was castor oil with some herbs "cooked" into it to make it darker?

 

[daviine]

I don't know anything about that. All I know is that for whatever reason, castor oil comes in varying shades. I think it was discussed here but I don't remember what the difference is between clear and brown/black.

 

[Champagne_Wishes]

I assumed that the dark castor oil is the unrefined and the lighter one is the refined and deodorized version. Plus I read that dark castor oil is rendered a bit differently than the light one. Oh well *shrugs*.