So I have decided to adopt her coconut oil remedy in hopes of attaining stronger, healthier hair as well as help with my adult acne on my face, back and chest. I had the perfect coconut oil sitting on my dresser which I purchased for my hair (for which I have not been using it). Perfect! It smells delicious and tastes even better! It is as per pic above Swanson 100% Certified Organic Extra Virgin Coconut Oil and was purchased here: http://www.swansonvitamins.com/swanson-organic-certified-organic-extra-virgin-coconut-oil-16-oz-454-grams-solid-oil
I take my coconut oil straight up ie no water as it tastes that good! I have also started using it externally on my face as a natural moisturizer. I have purused the internet and have come up with the following information about Extra Virgin Coconut Oil. Hopefully, this info helps you out as much as it did me!
Coconut Oil for Acne
Coconut Oil is every effective in the treatment of Acne. Let us find out what makes it so special for Acne.Acne has been a really notorious and infamous problem through times, more so but not limited to, among teenagers, because it is they who suffer the most due to Acne. Although in most cases they disappear with age, but they give you a real bad time as long as they remain. Sometimes you get rid of them without having to spend a single penny (those very lucky ones) and sometimes you spend a fortune in their treatment and end up with nothing fruitful. Worse, if they go and leave some ugly spots all over your face!
What if I suggest try using coconut oil in Acne? You might be wondering that when everybody else is advising you to keep away from oils and oily food in Acne, why the hell I am suggesting using it. That is because there are sufficient reasons behind it. Let us study them.
What causes Acne?
Do you know what causes Acne? Acne is actually caused by infection of openings of sebum glands (now don’t tell me that you did not know that sebum glands secrete oily secretions on your skin to keep it moist to protect it from drying up and cracking) by bacteria and resultant obstruction in sebum secretion followed by inflammation, redness and swelling and pain. Now, you may ask then why Acne affects teenagers most. The reason is, during teens, due to certain hormonal changes, the sebum production is aggravated, giving an oily look. What teenagers do then is that resort to indiscriminate use of soaps which do no good but to rob the skin of its anti microbial acid guard, further making it prone to infections. Added to this, most of the teenagers suffer from constipation in this age which weakens their immunity.
Role of Coconut Oil in Acne treatment
Coconut Oil is the source of two of the most powerful anti microbial agents found in any food substances. These are Capric Acid and Lauric Acid. They are the same acids that are found in mother’s milk and keep the baby protected from infections. When these are applied on skin, some microbes (good ones) present on skin convert these acids into Monocaprin and Monolaurin respectively, thereby replacing the protective acid layer on the skin. So, no microbial infection and no Acne! Not only external application, but internal consumption of coconut oil will give you the same protection, this time internally. Further, coconut oil is a rich source of Vitamin-E. This keeps your skin healthy and ensures proper functioning of sebum glands and clears blockage, thereby treating the very root cause of Acne. Finally, Coconut Oil is soothing on skin and highly penetrating. So, when applied on skin, it is absorbed readily and cuts down inflammation due to Acne to a great extent. It also helps heal any sort of wound on skin due to aggravated cases of Acne. And above all, Coconut Oil improves the rate of metabolism. This also indirectly affects proper secretion and balance of hormones and thus curbs out chances of Acne.
Choice of Coconut Oil
To use coconut oil in Acne, you need the very best one. Do not go for the unrefined, crude one, since it may be unhygienic and may contain dust particles. Go for the refined instead. The best choice will be Virgin Coconut Oil for this purpose. It is the all-good and no-bad coconut oil.
Finally
Results may vary from person to person, depending upon the skin type, age, profession, life style, eating habits, hygiene, sanitation etc. It should also be remembered that coconut oil is not a cure for Acne. It just aids healing in Acne. But indeed, it is far better than most of those creams and lotions available in market those claim to cure Acne. So, you can give a safe and cheap try by using coconut oil in Acne.
Web Source: http://www.organicfacts.net/organic-oils/organic-coconut-oil/coconut-oil-for-acne.html
Web Source: http://www.organicfacts.net/organic-oils/organic-coconut-oil/coconut-oil-for-acne.html
Article contributed by Aparup Mukherjee.
The subject of acne is a rather complicated one. You see, most of us probably believe that acne is caused by an infected sebum gland under the skin. While this is not wrong, it is also not the entire story. Acne really begins in the gut. An imbalanced or diseased gut manifests itself in all kinds of fun ways, acne being one of them. So don’t assume that your pimples are just a result of “oily” skin, overuse of “pore clogging” products, or a less than stellar skin care routine.
You can do your own research on how acne starts in the gut if you so choose. I would like to focus this post on how coconut oil can help those suffering from the occasional pimple to full blown cystic acne.
At the end of the day, a pimple (whatever the root cause) is an inflamed oil gland. Sometimes it is just a small, red bump. Other times it is resembles something out of a horror movie. If you can see a pimple, you can bet that it is officially a bacterial infection at that point.
Guess what?
Coconut oil contains large amounts of lauric acid which is well known for being very anti-bacterial, anti-fungal and anti-viral. These antiseptic essential fatty acids found in coconut oil help prevent and eliminate bacterial infections when taken orally or applied directly to the skin.
What’s interesting is that for the past year or so, nanobombs have been all the rage when treating those who suffer from acne. A nanobomb is basically lauric acid in a gold wrapped nanoparticle delivery system. The science behind this suggests that the gold wrapped nanoparticle allows the lauric acid to be delivered to the acne causing bacteria as opposed to just wandering aimlessly.
These nanobombs aren’t cheap though. From what I can discern, applying coconut oil directly to acne prone skin is just as effective as a nanobomb. Additionally, taking coconut oil orally will help address an underlying gut issue that is playing a role in the acne. My vote is for coconut oil, straight up!
Coconut oil is also a well-known cooling oil, which is great for hot, inflamed skin (which is what a lot of acne prone skin is). Your skin may not feel hot, but in Eastern medicine, acne prone skin has the property of too much “heat” or “warmth.” So using an oil that cools skin down is a good thing.
Another plus for using coconut oil is that is mimics your skins natural oils and should not clog your pores. It is also very high in vitamin E which promotes healthy skin.
Web Source: http://www.hybridrastamama.com/2012/07/coconut-oil-and-acne.html
The health benefits of coconut oil include hair care, skin care, stress relief, maintaining cholesterol levels, weight loss, increased immunity, proper digestion and metabolism, relief from kidney problems, heart diseases, high blood pressure, diabetes, HIV and cancer, dental care, and bone strength. These benefits of oil can be attributed to the presence of lauric acid, capric acid and caprylic acid, and its properties such as antimicrobial, antioxidant, antifungal, antibacterial and soothing properties.
How is Lauric Acid used by our body?
The human body converts lauric acid into monolaurin which is claimed to help in dealing with viruses and bacteria causing diseases such as herpes, influenza, cytomegalovirus, and even HIV. It helps in fighting harmful bacteria such as listeria monocytogenes and helicobacter pylori, and harmful protozoa such as giardia lamblia. As a result of these various health benefits of coconut oil, though its exact mechanism of action was unknown, it has been extensively used in Ayurveda, the traditional Indian medicinal system. The Coconut Research Center has compiled various benefits in both traditional and modern medicine.
Before we move on to the benefits of coconut oil in detail, let us understand its composition.
Composition of Coconut Oil:
Coconut oil consists of more than ninety percent of saturated fats (Don’t panic! First read to the last word. Your opinion may change), with traces of few unsaturated fatty acids, such as monounsaturated fatty acids and polyunsaturated fatty acids. Virgin coconut oil is no different from this. Let us have a bit detailed study of this.
Saturated fatty acids:
Most of them are medium chain triglycerides, which are supposed to assimilate well. Lauric acid is the chief contributor, with more than forty percent of the share, followed by capric acid, caprylic acid, myristic acid and palmitic.
Polyunsaturated fatty acids: Linoleic acid.
Monounsaturated fatty acids: Oleic acid.
Poly-phenols: Coconut contains gallic acid, which is phenolic acid. These poly-phenols are supposed to be responsible for the fragrance and the taste of coconut oil and Virgin Coconut Oil is rich in these poly-phenols.
Certain derivatives of fatty acid like betaines, ethanolamide, ethoxylates, fatty esters, fatty polysorbates, monoglycerides and polyol esters.
Fatty chlorides, fatty alcohol sulphate and fatty alcohol ether sulphate, all of which are derivatives of fatty alcohols.
Vitamin-E and Vitamin K and minerals such as Iron.
Health Benefits of Coconut Oil
Let us now explore the benefits of coconut oil in detail:
Hair Care:
Coconut oil is one of the best natural nutrition for hair. It helps in healthy growth of hair providing them a shiny complexion. It is effective in reducing the protein loss for damaged and undamaged hair.
Coconut oil is extensively used in the Indian sub-continent for hair care. Most of the people in these countries apply coconut oil on their hair daily after bath. It is an excellent conditioner and helps in the re-growth of damaged hair. It also provides the essential proteins required for nourishing damaged hair. Research study indicates that coconut oil provides better protection to hair from damage caused by hygral fatigue.
Regular head massage with coconut oil ensures that your scalp is free of dandruff, even if your scalp is dry. It also helps in keeping hair and scalp free from lice and lice eggs.
It is therefore used as hair care oil and used in manufacturing various conditioners, and dandruff relief creams. Coconut oil is normally applied topically for hair care.
Skin Care:
Coconut oil is excellent massage oil for the skin as well. It acts as an effective moisturizer on all types of skins including dry skin. The benefit of coconut oil on the skin is comparable to that of mineral oil. Further, unlike mineral oil, there is no chance of having any adverse side effects on the skin with the application of coconut oil. Coconut oil therefore is a safe solution for preventing dryness and flaking of skin. It also delays wrinkles, and sagging of skin which normally become prominent with age. Coconut oil also helps in treating various skin problems including psoriasis, dermatitis, eczema and other skin infections. Therefore coconut oil forms the basic ingredient of various body care products such as soaps, lotions, creams, etc., used for skin care. Coconut oil also helps in preventing premature aging and degenerative diseases due to its antioxidant properties.
Heart Diseases:
There is a misconception spread among many people that coconut oil is not good for the heart. This is because it contains a large quantity of saturated fats. However, coconut oil is beneficial for the heart. It contains about 50% lauric acid, which helps in preventing various heart problems including high cholesterol levels and high blood pressure. The saturated fats present in coconut oil are not harmful as it happens in case of other vegetables oils. It does not lead to increase in LDL levels. It also reduces the incidence of injury in arteries and therefore helps in preventing atherosclerosis.
Weight Loss:
Coconut oil is very useful in reducing weight. It contains short and medium-chain fatty acids that help in taking off excessive weight. It is also easy to digest and it helps in healthy functioning of the thyroid and enzymes systems. Further, it increases the body metabolism by removing stress on pancreases, thereby burning out more energy and helping obese and overweight people reduce their weight. Hence, people living in tropical coastal areas, who eat coconut oil daily as their primary cooking oil, are normally not fat, obese or overweight.
Digestion:
Internal use of coconut oil occurs primarily as cooking oil. Coconut oil helps in improving the digestive system and thus prevents various stomach and digestion related problems including irritable bowel syndrome. The saturated fats present in coconut oil have anti microbial properties and help in dealing with various bacteria, fungi, parasites, etc., that cause indigestion. Coconut oil also helps in absorption of other nutrients such as vitamins, minerals and amino acids.
Immunity:
Coconut oil is also good for the immune system. It strengthens the immune system as it contains antimicrobial lipids, lauric acid, capric acid and caprylic acid which have antifungal, antibacterial and antiviral properties. The human body converts lauric acid into monolaurin which is claimed to help in dealing with viruses and bacteria causing diseases such as herpes, influenza, cytomegalovirus, and even HIV. It helps in fighting harmful bacteria such as listeria monocytogenes and heliobacter pylori, and harmful protozoa such as giardia lamblia.
Healing and Infections:
When applied on infections, it forms a chemical layer which protects the infected body part from external dust, air, fungi, bacteria and virus. Coconut oil is most effective on bruises as it speeds up the healing process by repairing damaged tissues.
Infections:
Coconut oil is very effective against a variety of infections due to its antifungal, antiviral, and antibacterial properties. According to the Coconut Research Center, coconut oil kills viruses that cause influenza, measles, hepatitis, herpes, SARS, etc. It also kills bacteria that cause ulcers, throat infections, urinary tract infections, pneumonia, and gonorrhea, etc. Coconut oil is also effective on fungi and yeast that cause candidiasis, ringworm, athlete's foot, thrush, diaper rash, etc.
Other:
Coconut oil is strongly recommended for other benefits which are given below. Usage of coconut oils mildly helps for the following:
Liver: The presence of medium chain triglycerides and fatty acids helps in preventing liver diseases as they substances are easily converted into energy when they reach the liver, thus reducing work load on the liver and also preventing accumulation of fat.
Kidney: Coconut oil helps in preventing kidney and gall bladder diseases. It also helps in dissolving kidney stones.
Pancreatitis: Coconut oil is also believed to be useful in treating pancreatitis.
Stress Relief: Coconut oil is very soothing and hence it helps in removing stress. Applying coconut oil to the head followed with a gentle massage helps in removing mental fatigue.
Diabetes: Coconut oil helps in controlling blood sugar, and improves the secretion of insulin. It also helps in effective utilization of blood glucose, thereby preventing and treating diabetes.
Bones: As mentioned earlier, coconut oil improves the ability of our body to absorb important minerals. These include calcium and magnesium which are necessary for development of bones. Thus coconut oil is very useful to women who are prone to osteoporosis after middle age.
Dental Care: Calcium is an important element present in teeth. Since coconut oil facilitates absorption of calcium by the body, it helps in getting strong teeth. Coconut oil also stops tooth decay.
HIV and Cancer: It is believed that coconut oil plays an instrumental role in reducing viral susceptibility of HIV and cancer patients. Preliminary research has shown indications of the effect of coconut oil on reducing the viral load of HIV patients (Reference).
Finally, coconut oil is often preferred by athletes and body builders and by those who are dieting. The reason behind this being that coconut oil contains lesser calories than other oils, its fat content is easily converted into energy and it does not lead to accumulation of fat in the heart and arteries. Coconut oil helps in boosting energy and endurance, and enhances the performance of athletes.
Coconut Oil and Alzheimer's Disease: There are reports of research conducted by Dr. Newport stating that coconut oil is useful for treating Alzheimer's disease. Apart from this there is no scientific evidence or traditional knowledge or coconut oil being used for treating Alzheimer's. It was also not known traditionally that coconut oil helps in the brain function.
Unlike most other oils, coconut oil has a high melting point - about 24 to 25 degress Celcius or 76-78 Farenheit. Therefore it is solid at room temperature and melts only when the temperatures go high. Hence, if you buy a bottle of coconut oil and find it solid, don't think that there is some problem with it. Coconut oil is like this only. And of course, don't keep it in your refrigerator.
Try using coconut oil in some different recipe. That may help. If you get nauseated after eating coconut oil, don't force yourself. As it happens with any other food item, your body may be allergic to coconut oil and it is best not to consume it.
Web source: http://www.organicfacts.net/organic-oils/organic-coconut-oil/health-benefits-of-coconut-oil.html
This article is written by Kiran Patil
Coconut Oil and Acne
The subject of acne is a rather complicated one. You see, most of us probably believe that acne is caused by an infected sebum gland under the skin. While this is not wrong, it is also not the entire story. Acne really begins in the gut. An imbalanced or diseased gut manifests itself in all kinds of fun ways, acne being one of them. So don’t assume that your pimples are just a result of “oily” skin, overuse of “pore clogging” products, or a less than stellar skin care routine.You can do your own research on how acne starts in the gut if you so choose. I would like to focus this post on how coconut oil can help those suffering from the occasional pimple to full blown cystic acne.
At the end of the day, a pimple (whatever the root cause) is an inflamed oil gland. Sometimes it is just a small, red bump. Other times it is resembles something out of a horror movie. If you can see a pimple, you can bet that it is officially a bacterial infection at that point.
Guess what?
Coconut oil contains large amounts of lauric acid which is well known for being very anti-bacterial, anti-fungal and anti-viral. These antiseptic essential fatty acids found in coconut oil help prevent and eliminate bacterial infections when taken orally or applied directly to the skin.
What’s interesting is that for the past year or so, nanobombs have been all the rage when treating those who suffer from acne. A nanobomb is basically lauric acid in a gold wrapped nanoparticle delivery system. The science behind this suggests that the gold wrapped nanoparticle allows the lauric acid to be delivered to the acne causing bacteria as opposed to just wandering aimlessly.
These nanobombs aren’t cheap though. From what I can discern, applying coconut oil directly to acne prone skin is just as effective as a nanobomb. Additionally, taking coconut oil orally will help address an underlying gut issue that is playing a role in the acne. My vote is for coconut oil, straight up!
Coconut oil is also a well-known cooling oil, which is great for hot, inflamed skin (which is what a lot of acne prone skin is). Your skin may not feel hot, but in Eastern medicine, acne prone skin has the property of too much “heat” or “warmth.” So using an oil that cools skin down is a good thing.
Another plus for using coconut oil is that is mimics your skins natural oils and should not clog your pores. It is also very high in vitamin E which promotes healthy skin.
Web Source: http://www.hybridrastamama.com/2012/07/coconut-oil-and-acne.html
How to use Coconut Oil to treat Acne
So how would someone go about using coconut oil externally to treat and prevent acne? So glad you asked! Here are a few ways to use coconut oil externally:- Do a home facial - Start by cleansing your face with a gentle cleanser to remove any dirt, oil or make-up. I use the African Black soap as a make-up remover and it is very effective.
Next, for best results, you will need to open your pores so that they will be more receptive to the oil. The best way to do this is to heat some water on your stove top and transfer to a large bowl. Hold your head over the bowl and cover your head and bowl with a towel so that the steam hits your face directly. Be carful not to burn yourself. Steam face for just about 5 minutes.
After your pores are wide awake, rub the coconut oil directly onto your entire face concentrating more on the acne affected areas. You may use either 100% coconut oil or you can mix it with some sea salt or raw sugar, which will act as a mild abrasive and help to remove dead skin cells from the skin.
Once you have applied the coconut oil to your skin, put your head back over the steaming water bowl and cover with towel. Allow the skin to soak up the oil for 5 to 10 minutes.
Then take a clean warm washcloth (dip wash cloth in same bowl of water) and gently wipe the face in downward strokes until most of the oil is removed. Gentle is the key here. You will want to leave some of the oil on the skin as coconut oil is a natural moisturizer and can be left on overnight.
If you feel like you have rubbed off all of the coconut oil, then just apply a bit more to the skin after wards and sleep with it. Wash off in the morning when taking a shower. - Use as a natural make-up remover - Rub a dime sized amount of virgin coconut oil between the palms of your hands. Coconut oil needs to be warmed between the palms of the hands or in a microwave for a few seconds if it comes in a solid form. It is important to use virgin coconut oil because it is cold-pressed, meaning that the extraction process is done without compromising coconut oil's many vitamins and minerals.
Apply the warmed coconut oil on your face. Use your ring and pinky fingers to massage coconut oil into your skin. Use light, upward motions. Start at the chin and slowly work your way up. Massage around your eyes in circular motions. Use upward strokes on the forehead. Use this method to remove makeup and rinse away with a cleanser each night. - Use as a natural moisturizer (nightly) - Apply a dime sized amount of coconut oil to your skin as a moisturizer. Coconut oil can serve as a high-performance moisturizer for you skin while it delivers vitamin E and fatty acids. Use coconut oil as a moisturizer in the evening because it is a bit too heavy for daytime moisture. Avoid using coconut oil as a moisturizer before applying cosmetics, as this could give the skin a greasy look and cause makeup to slip off the skin.
- Use as a lip balm (obviously, not a method to treat acne!) - Apply coconut oil to your lips -- this skin needs moisture, so don't neglect it. Coconut oil can work to soothe chapped lips and will keep lips healthy and supple. It can even double as a daily lip gloss or chapstick. The light and pleasant fragrance found in coconut oil makes it a perfect treatment for the lips.
Health Benefits of Coconut Oil
The health benefits of coconut oil include hair care, skin care, stress relief, maintaining cholesterol levels, weight loss, increased immunity, proper digestion and metabolism, relief from kidney problems, heart diseases, high blood pressure, diabetes, HIV and cancer, dental care, and bone strength. These benefits of oil can be attributed to the presence of lauric acid, capric acid and caprylic acid, and its properties such as antimicrobial, antioxidant, antifungal, antibacterial and soothing properties.How is Lauric Acid used by our body?
The human body converts lauric acid into monolaurin which is claimed to help in dealing with viruses and bacteria causing diseases such as herpes, influenza, cytomegalovirus, and even HIV. It helps in fighting harmful bacteria such as listeria monocytogenes and helicobacter pylori, and harmful protozoa such as giardia lamblia. As a result of these various health benefits of coconut oil, though its exact mechanism of action was unknown, it has been extensively used in Ayurveda, the traditional Indian medicinal system. The Coconut Research Center has compiled various benefits in both traditional and modern medicine.
Before we move on to the benefits of coconut oil in detail, let us understand its composition.
Composition of Coconut Oil:
Coconut oil consists of more than ninety percent of saturated fats (Don’t panic! First read to the last word. Your opinion may change), with traces of few unsaturated fatty acids, such as monounsaturated fatty acids and polyunsaturated fatty acids. Virgin coconut oil is no different from this. Let us have a bit detailed study of this.
Saturated fatty acids:
Most of them are medium chain triglycerides, which are supposed to assimilate well. Lauric acid is the chief contributor, with more than forty percent of the share, followed by capric acid, caprylic acid, myristic acid and palmitic.
Polyunsaturated fatty acids: Linoleic acid.
Monounsaturated fatty acids: Oleic acid.
Poly-phenols: Coconut contains gallic acid, which is phenolic acid. These poly-phenols are supposed to be responsible for the fragrance and the taste of coconut oil and Virgin Coconut Oil is rich in these poly-phenols.
Certain derivatives of fatty acid like betaines, ethanolamide, ethoxylates, fatty esters, fatty polysorbates, monoglycerides and polyol esters.
Fatty chlorides, fatty alcohol sulphate and fatty alcohol ether sulphate, all of which are derivatives of fatty alcohols.
Vitamin-E and Vitamin K and minerals such as Iron.
Health Benefits of Coconut Oil
Let us now explore the benefits of coconut oil in detail:
Hair Care:
Coconut oil is one of the best natural nutrition for hair. It helps in healthy growth of hair providing them a shiny complexion. It is effective in reducing the protein loss for damaged and undamaged hair.
Coconut oil is extensively used in the Indian sub-continent for hair care. Most of the people in these countries apply coconut oil on their hair daily after bath. It is an excellent conditioner and helps in the re-growth of damaged hair. It also provides the essential proteins required for nourishing damaged hair. Research study indicates that coconut oil provides better protection to hair from damage caused by hygral fatigue.
Regular head massage with coconut oil ensures that your scalp is free of dandruff, even if your scalp is dry. It also helps in keeping hair and scalp free from lice and lice eggs.
It is therefore used as hair care oil and used in manufacturing various conditioners, and dandruff relief creams. Coconut oil is normally applied topically for hair care.
Skin Care:
Coconut oil is excellent massage oil for the skin as well. It acts as an effective moisturizer on all types of skins including dry skin. The benefit of coconut oil on the skin is comparable to that of mineral oil. Further, unlike mineral oil, there is no chance of having any adverse side effects on the skin with the application of coconut oil. Coconut oil therefore is a safe solution for preventing dryness and flaking of skin. It also delays wrinkles, and sagging of skin which normally become prominent with age. Coconut oil also helps in treating various skin problems including psoriasis, dermatitis, eczema and other skin infections. Therefore coconut oil forms the basic ingredient of various body care products such as soaps, lotions, creams, etc., used for skin care. Coconut oil also helps in preventing premature aging and degenerative diseases due to its antioxidant properties.
Heart Diseases:
There is a misconception spread among many people that coconut oil is not good for the heart. This is because it contains a large quantity of saturated fats. However, coconut oil is beneficial for the heart. It contains about 50% lauric acid, which helps in preventing various heart problems including high cholesterol levels and high blood pressure. The saturated fats present in coconut oil are not harmful as it happens in case of other vegetables oils. It does not lead to increase in LDL levels. It also reduces the incidence of injury in arteries and therefore helps in preventing atherosclerosis.
Weight Loss:
Coconut oil is very useful in reducing weight. It contains short and medium-chain fatty acids that help in taking off excessive weight. It is also easy to digest and it helps in healthy functioning of the thyroid and enzymes systems. Further, it increases the body metabolism by removing stress on pancreases, thereby burning out more energy and helping obese and overweight people reduce their weight. Hence, people living in tropical coastal areas, who eat coconut oil daily as their primary cooking oil, are normally not fat, obese or overweight.
Digestion:
Internal use of coconut oil occurs primarily as cooking oil. Coconut oil helps in improving the digestive system and thus prevents various stomach and digestion related problems including irritable bowel syndrome. The saturated fats present in coconut oil have anti microbial properties and help in dealing with various bacteria, fungi, parasites, etc., that cause indigestion. Coconut oil also helps in absorption of other nutrients such as vitamins, minerals and amino acids.
Immunity:
Coconut oil is also good for the immune system. It strengthens the immune system as it contains antimicrobial lipids, lauric acid, capric acid and caprylic acid which have antifungal, antibacterial and antiviral properties. The human body converts lauric acid into monolaurin which is claimed to help in dealing with viruses and bacteria causing diseases such as herpes, influenza, cytomegalovirus, and even HIV. It helps in fighting harmful bacteria such as listeria monocytogenes and heliobacter pylori, and harmful protozoa such as giardia lamblia.
Healing and Infections:
When applied on infections, it forms a chemical layer which protects the infected body part from external dust, air, fungi, bacteria and virus. Coconut oil is most effective on bruises as it speeds up the healing process by repairing damaged tissues.
Infections:
Coconut oil is very effective against a variety of infections due to its antifungal, antiviral, and antibacterial properties. According to the Coconut Research Center, coconut oil kills viruses that cause influenza, measles, hepatitis, herpes, SARS, etc. It also kills bacteria that cause ulcers, throat infections, urinary tract infections, pneumonia, and gonorrhea, etc. Coconut oil is also effective on fungi and yeast that cause candidiasis, ringworm, athlete's foot, thrush, diaper rash, etc.
Other:
Coconut oil is strongly recommended for other benefits which are given below. Usage of coconut oils mildly helps for the following:
Liver: The presence of medium chain triglycerides and fatty acids helps in preventing liver diseases as they substances are easily converted into energy when they reach the liver, thus reducing work load on the liver and also preventing accumulation of fat.
Kidney: Coconut oil helps in preventing kidney and gall bladder diseases. It also helps in dissolving kidney stones.
Pancreatitis: Coconut oil is also believed to be useful in treating pancreatitis.
Stress Relief: Coconut oil is very soothing and hence it helps in removing stress. Applying coconut oil to the head followed with a gentle massage helps in removing mental fatigue.
Diabetes: Coconut oil helps in controlling blood sugar, and improves the secretion of insulin. It also helps in effective utilization of blood glucose, thereby preventing and treating diabetes.
Bones: As mentioned earlier, coconut oil improves the ability of our body to absorb important minerals. These include calcium and magnesium which are necessary for development of bones. Thus coconut oil is very useful to women who are prone to osteoporosis after middle age.
Dental Care: Calcium is an important element present in teeth. Since coconut oil facilitates absorption of calcium by the body, it helps in getting strong teeth. Coconut oil also stops tooth decay.
HIV and Cancer: It is believed that coconut oil plays an instrumental role in reducing viral susceptibility of HIV and cancer patients. Preliminary research has shown indications of the effect of coconut oil on reducing the viral load of HIV patients (Reference).
Finally, coconut oil is often preferred by athletes and body builders and by those who are dieting. The reason behind this being that coconut oil contains lesser calories than other oils, its fat content is easily converted into energy and it does not lead to accumulation of fat in the heart and arteries. Coconut oil helps in boosting energy and endurance, and enhances the performance of athletes.
Coconut Oil and Alzheimer's Disease: There are reports of research conducted by Dr. Newport stating that coconut oil is useful for treating Alzheimer's disease. Apart from this there is no scientific evidence or traditional knowledge or coconut oil being used for treating Alzheimer's. It was also not known traditionally that coconut oil helps in the brain function.
Why is Coconut Oil Solid?:
Unlike most other oils, coconut oil has a high melting point - about 24 to 25 degress Celcius or 76-78 Farenheit. Therefore it is solid at room temperature and melts only when the temperatures go high. Hence, if you buy a bottle of coconut oil and find it solid, don't think that there is some problem with it. Coconut oil is like this only. And of course, don't keep it in your refrigerator.How to Use Coconut Oil?:
If you are using coconut oil for topical purposes, especially hair care, just melt the oil (if it is solid) by keeping the bottle in the sun or warm water. You can also take some coconut oil out and put it in a small bowl and heat the bowl over a flame (do not use microwave). Then take the oil on your palm and apply it to your hair. If you want to use it for internal consumption, simply replace butter or vegetable oils with coconut oil in your recipes. Remember, you need not switch to coconut oil completely, as you will miss the benefits of other oils and dairy products.
I Don't Like the Taste of Coconut Oil. What Should I do?:
Try using coconut oil in some different recipe. That may help. If you get nauseated after eating coconut oil, don't force yourself. As it happens with any other food item, your body may be allergic to coconut oil and it is best not to consume it.Web source: http://www.organicfacts.net/organic-oils/organic-coconut-oil/health-benefits-of-coconut-oil.html
This article is written by Kiran Patil
Talk back to me. Have you used coconut oil for any of the benefits listed above? If, so, what results did you get?
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