Eating sticks of butter, doing a spot of face yoga, swilling coconut oil around your mouth – the wellness side of the internet abounds with all kinds of unusual trends with some questionable claims about how they can benefit our health. One that’s been doing the rounds for a while now is navel pulling, but what exactly is it? And, most importantly, is there any truth behind the health claims people make about it? 

What is navel pulling?

Though the name could lead you to believe otherwise, navel pulling has nothing to do with uncomfortably trying to stretch out your belly button. Instead, it’s a practice that involves filling the belly button with castor oil and pressing or rubbing it in.

It’s been claimed to have a wide range of benefits, but some of the most popular videos about navel pulling on TikTok say that it can help with digestion, bloating, bowel movement regularity, weight loss, and “detoxifying” the body.

While such social media videos are only recent, the concept of navel pulling has been around for far longer than the internet.

It has its roots in Ayurveda, an alternative medicine system that’s been around for more than 3,000 years. Proponents refer to the presence of a “Pechoti gland”, a gland that supposedly sits behind the belly button and allows substances to be absorbed into your body.

There is, however, no scientific evidence that the Pechoti gland exists. Check for yourself if you’d like – when you search for the gland on Google Scholar, a search engine for academic literature, there are no results.

Does it have any health benefits?

Much like the existence of the Pechoti gland, there’s no scientific weight behind some of the health benefit claims made in popular social media posts about navel pulling. We imagine that’s primarily because, well, the belly button isn’t a hole (it’s actually a scar); the oil isn’t going anywhere, besides perhaps a little being absorbed into the skin.

The claims about detoxification can also be easily addressed: castor oil will not cleanse your body, nor will any other type of “detox” trend that’s out there. “Our body already has natural mechanisms through which it detoxifies,” Dr Gabriel Lopez explained in a post to the MD Anderson Cancer Center’s Cancerwise blog. It’s the job of the liver and kidneys.

As for the assertions about gastrointestinal issues, navel pulling isn’t going to be of any help there either. When castor oil is ingested, however, it’s a slightly different story – taken orally in specific doses, it’s listed by the FDA as a safe and effective over-the-counter laxative. If constipation is the reason behind bloating, then under the guidance of a doctor, oral castor oil may well help.

While there aren’t any internal benefits – besides perhaps the act of massaging your belly making you feel more relaxed – it’s possible that the skin in and around your belly button might end up super soft. “Castor oil is really rich in fatty acids, which help hydrate the skin,” Dr Matthew Bechtold, section chief of gastroenterology at the Harry S. Truman Veterans Hospital and adjunct professor of clinical medicine at the University of Missouri-Columbia, told Women’s Health, although it can also cause some skin irritation.

The bottom line

Besides the potential for sore skin, there’s no harm in trying navel pulling – just don’t expect it to do anything miraculous to your body. The castor oil it utilizes is far more likely to leave greasy stains on your bed sheets than act as a quick cure for bloating.

If taken orally as a laxative, it’s also important to know that castor oil can have some side effects, such as diarrhea and vomiting. It’s recommended to speak to a doctor before using it in this way, particularly if you’re on any medications, are pregnant or breastfeeding, or have any existing gastrointestinal issues.

All “explainer” articles are confirmed by fact checkers to be correct at time of publishing. Text, images, and links may be edited, removed, or added to at a later date to keep information current.  

The content of this article is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of qualified health providers with questions you may have regarding medical conditions.