An injection of castor oil, or a solution containing castor oil, into the rectum as a laxative. Not in common usage today, the usual method was to mix two ounces of castor oil with one ounce of soft soap and 10 to 20 ounces of water. Another recipe was to add two ounces of castor oil into a mixture of starch and water. The starch absorbed the castor oil and insured it didn’t separate as rapidly from the water, and once adminstered, caused the castor oil to adhere to the walls of colon, enhancing the effectiveness of the enema. castor oil is not a particularly fast acting laxative, and when given rectally usually requires a minimum of 30 minutes to an hour to be effective. castor oil is also sometimes used as an enema without being mixed with other ingredients. In this case two ounces of the oil are placed in a bulb syringe and injected into the rectum. The drawback to this method is that the oil remains relatively low in the colon and it’s effectiveness varies, with some individuals experiencing a bowel movement within 30 minutes while others may require up to two hours before evacuation occurs.
Dictionary > Castor oil enema
You will also like...

Sugar Homeostasis
The blood sugar level is regulated by two hormones. The mechanism behind this type of negative feedback control is descr..

Amphibians & Early Reptiles
Obtaining air outside an aquatic environment required species to acquire suitable adaptations, and this was the case of ..

Chromosomes X and Y and Sex Determination
This tutorial looks at sex determination via the sex chromosomes, X and Y. Read it to get more info on X and Y chromosom..

Birth Control and Contraception
Different pregnancy and birth control and contraception strategies are described. Read this tutorial to learn each of th..

Indicator Species and Endangered Species
Certain species are capable of expressing characteristics indicative of the state of the ecosystem they occupy. They are..

Growth and Plant Hormones
Plants, like animals, produce hormones to regulate plant activities, including growth. They need these hormones to respo..