Q. Castor oil completely eliminated a wart that I had tried to get rid of for 20 years. It did not

Q. Castor oil completely eliminated a wart that I had tried to get rid of for 20 years. It did not even leave a scar.

I applied the oil on the wart after showering and at bedtime, and covered it with a bandage. I kept this up until the wart was gone, maybe two months.

A. Castor oil has a very long history as a medicine, going back to the ancient Egyptians. It’s been used as a wart remedy for decades, if not centuries.

The ricinoleic acid in castor oil has anti-inflammatory activity. People often apply it to overworked muscles to ease soreness. Some people use it to prevent bruises by applying it to the skin. Occasionally we hear from someone who has used castor oil on a scar. This person was enthusiastic:

“I had an operation a few years ago that left a 7-inch scar that felt like a shoelace under my skin. I used castor oil on it unfaithfully — several times a day when I would remember, or sometimes not at all.

“One day I noticed my scar was peeling. Now it feels thinner. It’s about half the size it was, after a month of haphazard use.”

We caution that some people may react badly to castor oil on the skin, developing a rash. It makes sense to test it on a small spot before applying it to a large area.

Q. I felt sick and fatigued from levothyroxine, which I took for the past five years. I am now on Armour Thyroid, which I understand is dried pig thyroid.

Although my doctor said it is harder to dose, I have not had a problem. I felt better as soon as I stopped taking levothyroxine and switched to Armour.

Armour Thyroid seems to be more powerful, judging from its effect on my energy. I have no side effects except feeling better.

A. Many readers, like you, report that they do better on desiccated thyroid than on synthetic levothyroxine (T4) alone. Recent research may explain why.

As many as 15 percent of people with underactive thyroid glands have a genetic variation that makes it harder to convert T4 to the active form of the thyroid hormone, T3 (Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, March 2015).

These people often find that brain fog and other symptoms are less troublesome when they get T3 along with T4. Armour thyroid contains both.

Q. I have been hearing about the significant benefits of curcumin, an extract of turmeric. What are they?

A. There are more than 7,500 scientific publications on curcumin, but much of the research for human health is still preliminary. Curcumin has been shown to have anti-inflammatory activity (Endocrine, Metabolic and Immune Disorders Drug Targets online, March 16, 2015).

It is being tested against several types of cancer and has been shown to boost the effectiveness of a chemo drug for colorectal cancer (Carcinogenesis, March 2015).

It is also being investigated as a way of reducing the risk of Alzheimer’s disease and easing joint pain in arthritis (Journal of Dietary Supplements online, Feb. 17, 2015). Curcumin appears to offer promise against type 2 diabetes as well (International Journal of Endocrinology and Metabolism online, Oct. 1, 2014).

2015 King Features Syndicate Inc.