Coconut oil has been described as "the healthiest oil on earth."

For thousands of years coconut oil has possessed healing properties far beyond that of any other dietary oil and is extensively used in traditional medicine among people from many diverse cultures, languages, religions, and races that revered the coconut as a valuable source of both food and medicine. While coconut possesses many health benefits due to its fiber and nutritional content, it's the oil that makes it a truly remarkable food and medicine.

The scientific name for coconut is Cocos nucifera. Early Spanish explorers called it coco, which means "monkey face" because the three indentations (eyes) on the hairy nut, resembles the head and face of a monkey. Nucifera means "nut-bearing."

The coconut palm is referred to as the "The Tree of Life" by some because of coconuts amazing healing powers. Virgin Coconut oil is rich in lauric acid, a nutrient that supports the body's immune system. Lauric acid is also found in human mother's milk.

As a "functional food," coconut oil is now being recognized by the medical community as a powerful tool against immune diseases. Several studies have been done on its effectiveness, and much research is currently being done on the incredible nutritional value of pure coconut oil.

In traditional medicine around the world coconut is used to treat a wide variety of health problems including: abscesses, asthma, baldness, bronchitis, bruises, burns, colds, constipation, cough, dropsy, dysentery, earache, fever, flu, gingivitis, gonorrhea, irregular or painful menstruation, jaundice, kidney stones, lice, malnutrition, nausea, rash, scabies, scurvy, skin infections, sore throat, swelling, syphilis, toothache, periodontal disease, tooth decay, bone decay, Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, heart disease, Hypothyroidism, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, IBS, skin care, anti-aging, influenza, herpes, measles, hepatitis C, SARS, AIDS, tuberculosis, dry and flaking skin, sluggish metabolism, weight lose, obesity, pneumonia, tumors, malabsorption syndrome, cystic fibrosis, osteoporosis, gallbladder disease, benign prostatic hyperplasia, urinary tract infections, dandruff, psoriasis, eczema, dermatitis, wrinkles, sagging skin, and age spots, degenerative disease, premature aging, epileptic seizures, candidiasis, ringworm, athlete's foot, thrush, diaper rash, fungi, yeast, giardia, typhoid, thyroid dysfunction, ulcers, liver disease, kidney disease, bladder infections, kidney stones, tapeworm, upset stomach, hemorrhoids, weakness, and wounds. It is used as an antibacterial, anti-viral, antioxidant, antifungal, anticancer, expellant, stimulant, digestion aid, antimicrobial, and antiseptic.

Suggested dose: an average adult should include about 3 to5 tablespoons of coconut oil per day in their diet.

Presented at the AVOC Lauric Oils Symposium, Ho Chi Min City, Vietnam, 25 April 1996

Abstract

Coconut oil has a unique role in the diet as an important physiologically functional food. The health and nutritional benefits that can be derived from consuming coconut oil have been recognized in many parts of the world for centuries. Although the advantage of regular consumption of coconut oil has been underappreciated by the consumer and producer alike for the recent two or three decades, its unique benefits should be compelling for the health minded consumer of today. A review of the diet/heart disease literature relevant to coconut oil clearly indicates that coconut oil is at worst neutral with respect to atherogenicity of fats and oils and, in fact, is likely to be a beneficial oil for prevention and treatment of some heart disease. Additionally, coconut oil provides a source of antimicrobial lipid for individuals with compromised immune systems and is a nonpromoting fat with respect to chemical carcinogenesis.

I have discussed the many toxic effects of unsaturated oils, and I have frequently mentioned that coconut oil doesn't have those toxic effects, though it does contain a small amount of the unsaturated oils. Many people have asked me to write something on coconut oil.

Coconuts are a way of life for millions of people around the world today in tropical climates. Known as the "tree of life," the wonderful fruit of the coconut palm is rich in specific fats that have incredible health benefits. Traditional tropical populations that consume a lot of coconut oil are seldom overweight, and traditionally have been free from the modern diseases that afflict most western cultures.