What does oil come from

Although it can be used to relieve occasional constipation, castor oil is not recommended as a treatment for long-term issues. Summary Castor oil can be used as a natural remedy for occasional constipation. However, it can cause side effects like cramping and diarrhea and should not be used to treat chronic constipation.

Castor oil is rich in ricinoleic acid, a monounsaturated fatty acid. Humectants retain moisture by preventing water loss through the outer layer of the skin 5.

Castor oil is often used in cosmetics to promote hydration and often added to products like lotions, makeup and cleansers. You can also use this rich oil on its own as a natural alternative to store-bought moisturizers and lotions. Many popular moisturizing products found in stores contain potentially harmful ingredients like preservatives, perfumes and dyes, which could irritate the skin and harm overall health 5. Though applying castor oil to the skin is considered safe for most, it can cause an allergic reaction in some people 6.

Summary Castor oil can help lock moisture in the skin. Though this natural alternative to store-bought products is considered safe for most, it can cause allergic reactions in some.

Applying castor oil to wounds creates a moist environment that promotes healing and prevents sores from drying out. Venelex, a popular ointment used in clinical settings to treat wounds, contains a mixture of castor oil and Peru balsam, a balm derived from the Myroxylon tree 7. Castor oil stimulates tissue growth so that a barrier can be formed between the wound and the environment, decreasing the risk of infection.

It also reduces dryness and cornification, the buildup of dead skin cells that can delay wound healing 8. Studies have found that ointments containing castor oil may be especially helpful in healing pressure ulcers, a type wound that develops from prolonged pressure on the skin.

One study looked at the wound-healing effects of an ointment containing castor oil in nursing home residents with pressure ulcers. Those whose wounds were treated with castor oil experienced higher healing rates and shorter healing times than those treated with other methods 9.

Summary Castor oil helps heal wounds by stimulating the growth of new tissue, reducing dryness and preventing the buildup of dead skin cells. Ricinoleic acid, the main fatty acid found in castor oil, has impressive anti-inflammatory properties. Studies have shown that when castor oil is applied topically, it reduces inflammation and relieves pain. The pain-reducing and anti-inflammatory qualities of castor oil may be particularly helpful to those with an inflammatory disease such as rheumatoid arthritis or psoriasis.

Animal and test-tube studies have found that ricinoleic acid reduces pain and swelling One study demonstrated that treatment with a gel containing ricinoleic acid led to a significant reduction in pain and inflammation when applied to the skin, compared to other treatment methods A test-tube component of the same study showed that ricinoleic acid helped reduce inflammation caused by human rheumatoid arthritis cells more than another treatment.

Although these results are promising, more human studies are needed to determine the effects of castor oil on inflammatory conditions.

Summary Castor oil is high in ricinoleic acid, a fatty acid that has been shown to help reduce pain and inflammation in test-tube and animal studies. Acne is a skin condition that can cause blackheads, pus-filled pimples and large, painful bumps on the face and body. Castor oil has several qualities that may help reduce acne symptoms. Inflammation is thought to be a factor in the development and severity of acne, so applying castor oil to the skin may help reduce inflammation-related symptoms Over millions of years, the remains of these animals and plants were covered by layers of sand, silt, and rock.

Heat and pressure from these layers turned the remains into what we now call crude oil or petroleum. The word petroleum means rock oil or oil from the earth. Click to enlarge.

Source: Image used by permission from Micrographia. Crude oil and other hydrocarbons exist in liquid or gaseous form in underground pools or reservoirs, in tiny spaces within sedimentary rocks, and near the earth's surface in tar or oil sands.

Petroleum products are fuels made from crude oil and hydrocarbons contained in natural gas. Petroleum products can also be made from coal, natural gas, and biomass. After crude oil is removed from the ground, it is sent to a refinery where different parts of the crude oil are separated into useable petroleum products. These petroleum products include gasoline, distillates such as diesel fuel and heating oil, jet fuel, petrochemical feedstocks, waxes, lubricating oils, and asphalt.

Learn more in Refining crude oil—inputs and outputs. This increase in volume is similar to what happens to popcorn when it is popped. A corn kernel is smaller and more dense than a popped kernel. The amount of individual products produced varies from month-to-month and year-to-year as refineries adjust production to meet market demand and to maximize profitability.

Oil and petroleum products explained. What is energy? Units and calculators. They generally get passed up and fall to the seafloor, where they become buried under layers of sediment and eventually cooked into petroleum. Once the organic remains become entombed in rock, most scientists have assumed that biology ends and geology takes over. However, deep drilling expeditions in the past few decades have discovered bacteria living thousands of feet below the surface, at the same depths where petroleum is forming.

He is leading a research group funded by the National Science Foundation that aims to figure out what these deep-dwelling microbes may be living off of and what influence they may have on petroleum chemistry. Even if some uncertainty remains over the exact chemical pathway to oil, the starting point is not in doubt.

Plants and certain bacteria use sunlight to convert carbon dioxide into sugar. This stored chemical energy is passed along the food chain, and a few "crumbs" wind up getting buried underground. Once there, this organic material is transformed by heat and pressure into a complex mixture called kerogen. Depending on the initial ingredients and the geologic conditions, kerogen can produce either coal a solid carbon-rich fuel derived mostly from woody plants or hydrocarbons a relatively hydrogen-rich substance that comes from algae and various lipid-containing plant parts.

Hydrocarbons are typically long chains of carbon and hydrogen atoms.