Natural Remedies for Mono: Coconut Oil and More

**If you take prescription sleep medication, please read***

A female relative of mine was feeling non-stop exhaustion and had experienced mono (for the first time) the year prior. The doctor believed she was experiencing mono again, possibly as a flare-up brought on by stress. She accepted it but then remembered something: she'd recently upped her RX sleep prescription dosage, from 5 mg per night to 10 mg. She did this on her own, without a doctor's RX... she didn't think it was a big deal. She did it because she was so exhausted all the time and thought a better/deeper sleep could be achieved with a higher dosage.

After much research online, she learned that higher doses- especially without a doctor's advice or monitoring - is highly dangerous as the drug can linger in your system the following day and cause this exhaustion. Even to the point of making driving in the morning very dangerous. This is especially true in women or men with low testosterone. So much so that the FDA lowered the recommended dose of this particular RX drug to 5 mg per dose recently for women. It's higher for men.

She felt better IMMEDIATELY after starting to lower her dosage... she said she feels like her old self again. She is in the midst of gradually reducing her dosage and hopes to come off it entirely.

My daughter was diagnosed with mono on Monday (6/19), she felt slightly sick one week before that, but the active symptoms of - sore throat, swollen glands, swollen liver and spleen, fatigue, hot flashes and night sweats, headache, started 3 days before she was diagnosed.

We started high dose of C on Monday (6/19) (8000mg/day) vitamin B complex (2/day) coconut oil (4tbs/day) and raw minced garlic (2 cloves/day, taken on a spoon flashed with water) + lots of water (she went through at least 12+ water bottles/day), lots of healthy fat like avocado and fish, and arugola salads with apple cider vinegar and olive oil.

She was symptoms free on Sunday (6/25) had her liver test redone on 6/27 and her liver is back to normal and she was declared mono free.

Thanks to everyone who shared their mono experiences and I definitely recommend - high dose of vitamin C, coconut oil and garlic.

Monolaurin and lauricidin supplements work great for Mono.

My 15 year old was diagnosed with strep throat after 4 days of high fever. She took antibiotics for 10 days, but continued to run periodic fever. I took her back to the doctor and asked to test for mono. It was positive. Fortunately, I had started her on Emergen C when her symptoms first began. She never felt overly tired. Once we had the diagnosis of mono, we added anti viral herbs like astralagus & Echinacea/Goldenseal, garlic capsules & coconut oil capsules. Throughout the whole illness, she has been able to function pretty normally. The doctor was shocked as her appetite & energy levels have stayed steady. He could not feel any significant swelling of her spleen. I definitely credit these supplements for keeping her going these last few weeks of school.

My 18 year old college freshman called me five days ago, informing me he had just been diagnosed with mono at his college medical clinic. His throat pain was a 9 or 10 and the Advil wouldn't reduce the pain at all. He was sleeping all the time and running a high fever every late afternoon through the evening. On Saturday late afternoon, he came home for fall break, went straight to bed, and I woke him up at 8pm, took his temp (103 degrees) and noticed how bad the swelling in his neck was.

I gave him one tablespoon of Organic Extra Virgin Coconut Oil, one turmeric vitamin, 5000mg vitamin C powder mixed in orange juice, 5000mg vitamin D3, and one vitamin K2.

He went back to sleep, and I woke him up at 9am and gave him one tablespoon of Organic Extra Virgin Coconut Oil and one turmeric vitamin, and he went back to sleep again and when he woke up at 2pm, I gave him Organic Extra Virgin Coconut Oil and one turmeric vitamin again. Early in the evening, he mentioned that his throat pain was a 1 or 2 and he hadn't had any Advil.

Later that night, I gave him one tablespoon of Organic Extra Virgin Coconut Oil, one turmeric vitamin, 5000mg vitamin C powder mixed in orange juice, 5000mg vitamin D3, and one vitamin K2, and he stayed up till 11pm and slept until 11am today.

He had the same regimen today, and said he feels almost normal. He will take the same vitamins again tomorrow before he heads back to school. When he goes back to school tomorrow afternoon, I am going to encourage him to take organic extra virgin coconut oil vitamins (1000mg) twice a day, along with 1000mg of vitamin C capsules, 5000mg of vitamin D3, vitamin K2, and a turmeric vitamin each day.

I am so thankful to all of the previous posts... the recommendations I found on this site along with other sites, helped him shake mono in record time! Btw, while I was desperately searching the internet for recommendations on how to help him, somewhere I read that turmeric is a anti-inflammatory and would drastically help the swelling the in his incredibly swollen glands, while the organic extra virgin coconut oil was an anti-viral and would help kick the virus fast. I still cannot believe this remedy kicked mono in about 24 hours! AMAZING!!!

Yes, I have had all of that, the heat buildup is from a panic attack which I've given myself several... the best thing to do is to stay away from the symptom checkers because all they do is make ya paranoid. Mono is a SOB and requires a stress free period of rest!

Hi Nechama, Yes I finally recovered!! It was a horrible thing to go through. Those heat attacks are the worst. Hang in there. I prayed a lot!! I took loads of cocnut oil, monolauren, a liver cleanse capsule with milk thistle daily, dandelion tea, a good multiple, and vitamin C. I still take my vitamins, but rest is important also. I had to get a sleeping pill from my doctor because I had so much anxiety I couldn't sleep at night. It was a nightmare. It was 4 - 5 months in total. Hopefully yours won't be as bad or last as long. Apple cider vinegar tea is also good. A tablespoon in hot water with honey every day is good for the immune system. Let me know how you're doing. Best to you!

I am sorry to hear that. Make sure he eats lots of probiotic foods, like fermented cabbage, and fibrous foods (switching to whole grains) to rebuild the intestinal flora that was partially destroyed by the antibiotics. Supplementing with milk thistle will heal the liver, but it has to be done over a long period of time. The herb is safe to take for extended periods but it may be nauseating if the dose is too high.

When I was ill with mono back then I have not yet known about herbal remedies, but now I would try the herb neem because it is said to destroy the viruses (viruses being a thing antibiotics are useless for! ), mono being caused by a virus.

WARNING!

Responding to Marcin, my 15 year old was diagnosed with mono, I agree with you 100% should not take antibiotics without knowing first...my son was first tested and they said no he did not have mono, so they treated him with an antibiotic the first and second time, and then finally they tested him for the second time and it came back positive, now we are having problems with his liver and his kidneys ..

Hi Mary, I have the same exact symptoms! I heat up and feel like I'm going to faint. It's so scary. Just like you described. Do you still have mono?? I hope not. If you're all better, do you attribute it to something in specific?

Kelly, would like to suggest the use of Monolaurin for mono...it is an mono-ester of coconut oil that will give you higher concentrations to beat the virus...which is known to come back stronger the second time if not finished off.

I too thought mono was a kid/teen virus. Nope. 32 and have never been so sick in my life. Nice to know I'm not alone and there are natural ways to help with symptoms. I've had a high fever for 4 days, z care twice, ER once and still am waiting for a confirmed diagnosis....got a most likely diagnosis with treatment of rest and pain killers. Wish docs could partner with naturopaths so patients don't leave feeling helpless when western medicine fails.

Thank goodness for coconut oil...took my first dose tonight and will be trying the other suggested remedies as well. Thank you all!

Apple cider vinegar and monolauren helped me a lot. I have been able to return to work, but I still have lingering achy joints, and some overheating. I'm curious what virus you were diagnosed with originally? I almost feel like I had something else that pulled my immune system down & then I got mono. I still have to be careful and I take lots of vitamins and of course say my prayers. Let me know what has worked for you also. Thanks!!

I'm so sorry you're dealing with this. You're post struck me because it sounds exactly like my symptoms. I'm 29 and was diagnosed with a different virus last summer, then this June I was diagnosed with mono and slight lymes. It's been almost 5 months and I still feel tired and weak all the time... I get sore throats all the time, I feel over heated sometimes and sweat a lot. I get random day sicknesses that feel like the flu...it's awful. I've been to a few specialists and my doctor many times and all they do is blood work and tell me it's getting better. I've been taking vitamins and I'm going to try some of these home remedies Bc I don't know what else to do! You're not alone! It's beyond frustrating not feeling like yourself for so long! Let me know if anything else works for you...

How encouraging! So happy she improved so well. Thanks for posting this valuable information!

My daughter was diagnosed with mono her senior year, the week before her big AP exams were scheduled.

She was so awfully ill she just laid on the couch and slept & woke up to spit in a cup. Her spleen was quite swollen. After a few days of this I'd had enough and started searching the internet and found the miracle combination of Vit. C, Coconut oil and L-Lysine.

We started right away. The key was frequent doses, all at the same time. I administered it like an antibiotic, 3 or 4 times a day. Morning, noon and night.

As I recall one regimen was a couple of 1000 mg C pills, a spoonful of coconut oil and the recommended dose on the bottle of L-lysine. 3 or 4 times a day.

From the very first dose she started to improve! She felt better and better and even had me drive her to the testing center for those important exams. (Which she aced.) She was completely well in a short period of time and completed the rest of the school year in good health. Imagine, the doctors told us she'd be laid up for anywhere between 6 weeks to several months!!

Hope this will help someone. Remember she felt better from the first dose! God bless.

M: Yes, any magnet will work. The rule-of-thumb is the stronger the magnet the less time needed for therapy. I use a strong music speaker magnet about 1-2 minutes about once per wk. I forgot to mention also for immune boosting is "Thymus Tapping" These two therapies plus the Bovine Thymus Glandular will very much boost immunity.

Here is a link on the subject, and do let us know of your improvements.

http://www.20somethingallergies.com/boost-immune-system-thump-thymus/

Research large doses of vitamin C for mono.

Thank you for the info. I will try these vitamins. I'm wondering where my thymus gland is and is any kind of magnet going to work?

M: Any Liver disease causes immune suppression so anything to help in that area is a good start, but there are many other factors that cause immune dysfunction. So, just take one step at a time. Back to Liver. It is important to note any prescription or OTC pharma meds (like acetaminophen or statins) that might be causing toxicity.

There is also chronic nutritional deficiencies that can cause immune suppression, particularly Vit-A/Zinc/Copper. Start taking 50mg Zinc with 2-3mg Copper and 5,000iu Vit-A away from any fiber foods once daily. Raw Bovine Thymus Glandular plus placing a refrigerator magnet over the Thymus gland for about 1hr per day will also help. These two immune boosting remedies should show both immediate and long-term improvement.

If all-the-above is insufficient, whole body detox & cleansing will be needed.

Monolaurin worked quickly on my daughter in college...4 days. Have sent her to school with a 90 count bottle each semester and she has passed it on as needed. It is a refined ester of coconut oil and safe for all.

Thank you for your reply. I am trying anything that will work. I bought some dandelion tea and will add milk thistle to my regime. I had no idea mono was so debilitating. I am curious how did you know your spleen was swollen? I have a little discomfort in that area but don't know for sure if that is what it is. Curious also how long in total it took you to get well. I know we are all different and heal at different paces, but this is just no fun at all.

Mary (Phoenix, AZ), having had mono three times in my life, as a preteen, as a teenager, and as an adult in my 40's I can attest that having it as an adult is in some ways is more difficult.

I was not healing as I should have from the third adult round of Mono. My liver studies were not great and my spleen stayed swollen, far too long. My conventional medical staff gave me one more week then we would have to talk about having my spleen out. That was not going to happen, so I searched the internet (which was in still pretty young at the time) and found numerous places that espoused Milk Thistle and dandelion (leaves and roots). The dandelion was easy but as I had no Milk Thistle growing in my area I went to the health food store and purchased capsules. I took the capsules three times a day for the rest of the week and made a tea of the dandelions found in my yard, and drank that once a day for a few days. I had more liver studies done and went to the next appointment the following week; all number were in the normal range. The Nurse Practitioner was speechless, she expected at 'best' that they may have been a little lower, but not 'normal'. She asked if I had done things differently, I told her, and she just looked a me in pity for my foolish thinking. It still took some time to recover my normal strength and I took care of myself, but was able to go back to work.

I was diagnosed with mono 2 weeks ago but have been sick for over a month. I have incredible heat that swells up inside of me and then breaks and I sweat severely. When this happens my heart races and it keeps me full of anxiety and unable to sleep. I am also very weak and tired. Has anyone else had these strange symptoms?? I have been taking coconut oil and it has helped some, but I am at my wit's end. I am 54 and I thought mono was a teenager's illness. Any suggestions from anyone out there??

I too eat Garlic everyday and take garlic capsules and I feel so much better. My 17 year old gave me mono and Garlic along with rest and lots of water plus a multi vitamin has improved my health! I juice too almond milk strawberries blueberries spinch bananas and flax seed. Try it! It works...

While this girl maybe shouldn't be suggesting man-made steroids on a holistic type site, using low dosed of prednisone for situations like this is relatively low risk. Definitely only to be done under doctor's guidance and tapering off may be required. But you are not doing to get a buffalo hump or moon face or severe osteoporosis in a couple weeks time.

Dear Tina,

For an adult sized person, when we treated mono with coconut oil, we used 1 Tablespoon of Extra Virgin Cold Pressed Coconut Oil three times a day. Some in my family take it off the spoon. Others take it on toast.

When we are using Apple Cider Vinegar for illness, we make a Vinegar Tea.

• 1 Tablespoon Apple Cider Vinegar (Raw)
• 1 Tablespoon honey
• 6 ounces very hot water

I give try to give this tea 3-4 times a day. My 21 year old son requests this often when he is sick. He likes the taste and also finds it very helpful.

~Mama to Many~

Can you please tell me the dosage of combining the apple cider and coconut oil??

My daughter called from college and said she was pretty sure she had mono. I told her to start ACV and coconut oil in anything she could. The next day she was diagnosed with mono, but she kept up the ACV and coconut oil regimen, and 5 days later when she came home, although still a bit fatigued, all other symptoms had disappeared. The sore throat didn't get to the extremely painful level that I've heard others describe, and she didn't have to drop any classes!

I wish I had known about this website when I was sick with mononucleosis two years ago!

It took the doctors feeding me 3 series of antibiotics before they realized I had mono. That must have killed my intestinal bacteria which caused a yeast infestation. Not to mention that antibiotics do not kill viruses. Never agree to take any antibiotics before you have a diagnosis.

I wanted to comment on the assumption that you can only get mono once in your lifetime. I have just been diagnosed for the 4th time with mono (by a doctor through a blood test). Mono weakens your immune system and stays in your body. It can become active again if your immune system is compromised. I loved all the suggestions for home remedies because doctors have nothing to suggest but bed rest. I will start immediately with the coconut oil, the ACV, and salt gargle. I'll take my L-lysine as well. Read on another site that supplementing your immune system with Echineaca is important. They suggested 2 of the frozen capsules twice a day. Also loved the reminder to stay off caffeine and to focus on fresh fruits and vegetables...drink lots of fruit juice. Since I've now had this 4 times, I think it is important for anyone who has ever had it to pay close attention to supplementing their immune system throughout their lifetime. It's no fun to get this stuff as you age.

I was excited but skeptical about all the posts hearing that coconut oil helped with mono. My 14 year old son was really miserable and I figured I didn't have anything to lose. After 3 days of taking 2 T. coconut oil a day, he has turned a corner! I can't believe it's so simple and it works! I'm so grateful to all who've posted. Thank you! I want to share 2 ways that have helped my family eat 2 T. coconut oil a day (I've made my other kids take it too so no one else gets this! )

First idea: Peppermint "Tea". Boil (or warm) 1/2 c. water with 1 T. coconut oil and 1-2 drops peppermint essential oil. Drink twice a day. He said this helped soothe his throat too, which was a bonus!

Second idea: Coconut Balls. 2 T. finely chopped nuts (I used almonds and pecans), 1 tsp. raw honey, 1 T. coconut oil, 1 T. mini chocolate chips. (You could use oats if your kids won't do nuts.) Form into a ball or just mix and eat out of a bowl. (Eat 2 a day.) I hope these might be helpful to someone else. Thanks again everyone for your posts!

Ok! My 16 year old daughter was diagnosed one week ago yesterday (blood test) with mono. This is my kid who NEVER gets sick. I believe she's been sick with it for at least 4 weeks. So, going in to week 5 with mono she texted me from school saying she couldn't breathe or focus at school and needed to come home. She went home and I found her in bed E X H A U S T E D. I found the comments on this site and brought her home coconut oil and vitamin C. I made her take 1500 mg of Vitamin C and about 1 tablespoon of the virgin coconut oil I found in the health food section at the grocery store. THE NEXT DAY, she got up and went to school. At noon she texted me that she felt "better". TODAY, she says she feels "fine! " This turnaround is astonishing! She HATED taking the coconut oil on a saltine cracker, so I put coconut oil on toast and sprinkled it with cinnamon sugar. I do this twice a day. She gobbles that up! She takes 1500mg of gummy vitamin C twice a day. I don't know why this works. But my daughter is BETTER. It's the only treatment I've given her, and she was getting worse before I started with this treatment. I am so grateful that I found this site. Thank you!

As far as the lysine...the dosage for over 17 years is 2000 mg with each meal and at bedtime? I have 500 mg Lysine and the recommended does is only 2 capsules per day. I just want to be clear on the dosage. Thank you.

Olive leaf has antibiotic, antiviral, and anti-fungal properties.

I came down with mononucleosis and took 2 capsules 4 times a day till the bottle was gone (60 capsules). After the FIRST DAY, my sore throat was gone! By the third day my energy was back and after taking the whole bottle I was COMPLETELY WELL!

It is also excellent for allergies! Load up with 2 caps three times a day for two days, then take 1 cap morning and evening till allergy season is over.

I am a medical professional and have lots of MDs and nurses I work with taking it and they love it!

I am a physician and love homeopathic and naturopathic remedies but I had to comment on the use of steroids. Steroids, like an medication (including herbals), don't come without risk or side effects.Steroids can cause hypertension, osteoporosis, etc with high doses but mostly prolonged, greater than a month use. The acute use for someone with mono for possible inflammation and obstruction from the tonsils is okay.

Mono: Frustrated with being told it's going to have to run its course. Not used to seeing my child laying around. Found this website and giving coconut oil a try.

I began 1T of EVCO (organic) with my 18 yr old daughter the day after the diagnosis of mono with my daughter. Her throat was so swollen and inflamed that she couldn't swallow or eat. The improvement began in about 24 hours. Today is day 6, and she feels almost back to normal. Just a bit tired from disrupted sleep for a few days but her appetite is back. The swelling and inflammation is mostly gone. Truly amazing turn around in such a short time. She has 1T morning and 1T at night mixed in a smoothie with 1T honey also AM and PM. We've increased her vitamin C to 1000 mg a day along with her multivitamin. We used the baking soda gargles early in the week for throat pain. All this together has tackled the mono!

I wanted to comment on the 17 year old girls steroid comment also! I had to take steroids b/c I would have died! And the side affects of that drug are horrific! I've had a partial knee replacement and orthoscopic surgery on my other knee and my right wrist, I'm right handed. Eventually I will have to have my wrist fused and luckily I am starting to lose the 120lbs I gained from taking the steroids, which was a very high dose for 8 months, I might get away w/not having any further surgery on my knees! I will be on on disability for the rest of my life; I'm 29. I was on the steroids at the age of 26/27. I WOULD NOT take steroids unless the opposite will result in death! Just my personal opinion from personal experience!

Hello, I need to comment on the reply from the 17 year old girl touting the benefits of prednisone. Someone needs to talk to this girl about this seriously dangerous steroid. I have a friend who had to have both of his hips replaced because of this drug. He connected with a support group of people all over North America who have similar afflictions from the side effects of this terrible drug. I understand that some people dont think that they have an alternative which may be true in some cases but to anyone reading this, please research, research, research every possible alternative before resorting to ingesting this nasty medication. Great site!