Coconut Cocos nucifera
coconut and lime
- Common Names
- Coconut oil
- Botanical Name
- Cocos nucifera
- Family
- ARECACEAE
Medicinal Uses & Benefits of Coconut Oil
How to Use| Side Effects | Plant & Garden| Folklore
- Medicinal Uses: * Beauty
* Bruises/sprains
* Burns
* Cholesterol
* Culinary/Kitchen
* Cuts & Wounds
* Diet/weight Loss
* Facial Care
* Hair
* Nutrition
* Polynesian
* Psoriasis
* Skin Care
- Properties: * Antibacterial * Antifungal * Appetite Depressant * Astringent * Depurative * Emollient * Immunostimulant * Skin tonic
- Parts Used: Copra is the dried meat of the seed and is the main source of coconut oil, also known as coconut butter
- Constituents: fatty acids:caprylic,capric,lauric,linoleic,myristic,oleic,palmitic,stearic
How to Use: Coconut
Coconut Oil Diet: There are numerous claims that adding coconut oil to your diet increases energy, balances hormones, and stimulates the thyroid gland. The cholesterol-lowering properties of coconut oil are linked directly to this ability to stimulate thyroid function. Coconut oil raises your metabolic rate, helping to release energy and promote weight loss. Researchers believe that coconut oil is different from other saturated fats because it is composed of medium-chain fatty acids. 1
Healthy Cooking: Coconut oil can be used to fry foods, make a healthier mayonnaise, or used in baked goods. When you make pastries, substitute 50% coconut oil for whatever fat is recommended. There is no mistaking the wonderful benefits of coconut oil, however there is some controversy on how coconut oil effects a heart healthy diet. Try coconut oil for yourself, with an open mind, to see what effects it has for you. 2
Beauty Secrets of Coconut Oil: Coconut oil works wonders for dry and damaged skin, cuts, bruises, and speeds the healing while it fights infection. Coconut oil forms a protective barrier to hold in moisture while penetrating into the deeper layers of the skin to helping to keep connective tissues strong and supple. Coconut oil is readily absorbed into the skin, helping to reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. Coconut oil with a few drops of bergamot essential oil makes a wonderful chapped lip and cold sore treatment in the winter. Keep a small jar handy and apply liberally. It aids in exfoliating the outer layer of dead skin cells, making the skin smoother. Coconut oil is used to treat dry and damaged hair and is a lathering ingredient for natural shampoos and soaps. Apply warm coconut oil to damp hair and keep covered for 15 minutes. Shampoo and enjoy luxuriant shiny hair
Preparation Methods & Dosage :Coconut oil is used in food preparation or taken as a diet supplement, in tablespoon full doses. Coconut oil is used to treat dry and damaged hair and as a lathering ingredient for natural shampoos and soaps. Solid at room temperature, coconut oil can be used as the solid oil portion in many home remedies.
Coconut Remedies
In the Kitchen: Coconut can be used in baking, and in frying foods. Coconut water and coconut milk can be taken as beverages
Ayurvedic Medicine Ayurvedic medicine has recognized the healing properties of coconut for over 4,000 years. Coconut oil, coconut milk, coconut water, and the pulp are used to treat a variety of health problems and nourish the body.
Coconut Side Effects: None noted.
Plant Description
Koehler's Medicinal Plants 1887
Coconut, the only species in the genus Cocos, is a large palm, growing to 30 m tall, with pinnate leaves 4-6 m long, The term coconut refers to the fruit of the coconut palm.
Regional Traditions :Tropical islands *
History and Traditions & Folklore
In East Africa, palm kernel oil is considered a health tonic and is the first medicine of choice among the native population regardless of the illness.Traditional healers hold the coconut in such high regard that the coconut is commonly given the title "Tree of Life" in the Philippines.
Works Cited
- Fife, Bruce . The Coconut Oil Miracle , , (2004): Coconut oil is different from other saturated fats because it is composed of medium-chain fatty acids, MCFAs. These fatty acids have antimicrobial properties, and the most active are the lauric acid and capric acids which form 50 percent of the fat content of coconut oil. Research on the lauric acid in coconut oil has shown it increases levels of good HDL, or high-density lipoprotein, and bad LDL, or low-density lipoprotein, in the blood, but is not thought to negatively affect the overall ratio of the two. It should be noted that there is controversy over the heart health benefits of coconut oil.,
- American Heart Association . , , (1980): During the 1980s, the issued statements indicating that coconut oil's high saturated fat content was detrimental to cardiovascular health and promoted heart disease, and they still stand behind those claims today.,