You are almost certainly aware of the world’s current fascination with coconut oil.
This oil from the tropics was at one time regularly used in baked goods and processed foods until someone erroneously decided that it was unhealthy.
Since that time, the villainization of coconut oil has been reversed as people have become aware of its extensive health benefits. Currently used to treat ailments from Alzheimer’s to zits, it seems that new benefits of coconut oil are discovered daily. Whereas it used to be found only in specialty stores, now it is online everywhere and for sale in most grocery stores around the world.
Is Coconut Oil Really So Special?
If you purchase a container of cold-pressed organic coconut oil, you will be greeted with the pleasant odor of coconuts as soon as you open it up.
Scoop out a bit onto a finger and rub it into your hands. The oil is smooth and luxurious. Take a bite; this oil melts in your mouth. While it is an acquired taste for some, nearly anyone would have to admit that it is a much more pleasant oil to put into your mouth plain than any hydrogenated oil on the market.
It is easy to add coconut oil to your daily menu to use its nutritive benefits immediately.
You can use coconut oil to saute vegetables or meats. It tolerates a higher temperature for heating and frying than most oils. It can be used in baked goods, a coffee creamer substitute, or a homemade healthy candy recipe.
10 Reasons to Use Coconut Oil
1. Increased Energy
A popular way to consume coconut oil is in coffee first thing in the morning, with some grass-fed butter. Many find that this way of drinking coffee provides more “umph” to start the day. This should come as no surprise. Coconut oil is a great source of energy. Perhaps this is why coconut oil is often found to be helpful with adrenal fatigue and hypothyroidism.
2. Weight Loss
Contrary to intuition, coconut oil has also been found helpful for weight loss. It provides calories and energy that are usable. It can decrease cravings. Certainly, its role in healing hypothyroidism and adrenal fatigue will make it effective for weight loss.
3. Hair Conditioner
You can use coconut oil to nourish and moisturize the hair. It is a natural detangler and can heal dandruff and other scalp problems. It is even effective in getting rid of lice!
4. Brain Health
Your brain is made up mostly of fat. Your brain needs fat. Very low-fat diets can starve the brain, even if enough calories are consumed. Coconut oil, taken regularly, can help with Alzheimer’s disease, brain fog, and memory problems.
5. Oral Health
Using coconut oil for oil pulling reduces tartar and whitens teeth, in addition to the other benefits derived from oil pulling with coconut oil. You can also use coconut oil in toothpaste recipes or even by itself to clean teeth. Its antibacterial effects are quite helpful in the mouth for preventing cavities and healing oral infections.
6. Skin
Coconut oil lovers use coconut oil for skin issues, including acne, dry skin, tinea versicolor, wrinkles, and even hangnails! Coconut oil does not feel as greasy as many oils and absorbs nicely into the skin.
7. Antifungal
Coconut oil makes a wonderful addition to many protocols to fight fungus like candida or athlete’s foot. (While a few may find that coconut oil is a stand-alone treatment for fungus, usually fungus requires a multifaceted approach that includes dietary changes.)
8. Antiviral
If you have never used coconut oil's antiviral properties, you will be delighted to learn how amazing its antiviral properties are! No drug has yet accomplished the fast, safe, and highly effective use of coconut oil as an antiviral. It is an exceptional remedy for the mono virus.
9. Antibacterial
Coconut oil also makes an excellent antibacterial medicine. Taken several times a day, it fights viruses that can be quite serious, including strep, staph, and E. Coli. For topical staph infections, you can use it externally as well as internally.
10. Nutritive
Coconut oil is a good source of medium-chain fatty acids. Medium-chain fatty acids are more easily turned into energy than fat cells. Coconut oil contains lauric acid, making it an excellent medicine for viruses, fungi, and bacteria.
Coconut oil is stable without hydrogenation, a process that makes many oils on the market much less healthy.
Coconut oil is an excellent fat source for your body. Your body needs fat, and coconut oil meets that need and usually does so without causing weight gain.
How Much Coconut Oil Should I Take Each Day?
It is generally recommended to take up to 3 Tablespoons of coconut oil each day for health purposes.
This is usually easy to accomplish since you can add it to your coffee oatmeal, used like butter on bread or toast, added to baked goods, or used for sautéing. Certainly, it can be taken by the spoonful if it is being used as an antiviral or antibiotic and you are not consuming much food. In fact, in that case, coconut oil will be both medicine and nutrition for you.
However, don’t let “3 Tablespoons of coconut oil a day” burden you. It is a guideline, not a hard and fast rule. If it agrees with you and you find you use more in a day, no worries. If you are a large person, you may require more. A smaller person or child may need much less.
If you are taking coconut oil as medicine, say, for strep throat or mono, here are some guidelines to make sure you are getting an adequate amount:
- Adults – 1 tablespoon 3 times a day
- Elderly persons and teens – 2 teaspoons 3 times a day
- Children – 1 teaspoon 3 times a day
- Toddlers – ½ teaspoon 3 times a day
Can Coconut Oil Make Me Sick?
If you have gallbladder issues, coconut oil may cause nausea. We suggest you start with a minimal amount of coconut oil to see if it agrees with you. If it does not, it will cause nausea within several hours. If that's the case, Stop and Take No More. Some people have also reported diarrhea and vomiting after consuming coconut oil, so go slowly.
How to Use Coconut Oil Externally
Coconut oil makes a great moisturizer. Gently massage coconut oil onto your face. You can use it to remove makeup. You can use it to shave your legs or face.
Don’t be afraid to try coconut oil for oily skin! It has healing properties, and sometimes, though counterintuitive, using some oil for oily skin actually helps to dry the skin out.
You can use coconut oil on eczema, ringworm, toenail fungus, and athlete’s foot. When you are using it to treat a skin condition, try to use it twice daily.
Coconut oil is also an excellent oil to blend other oils like almond oil, avocado oil, or castor oil. It makes a great carrier for essential oils.
Responsible Coconut Oil Consumption
Coconut oil is a wonderful natural remedy and delicious food. As its popularity as a health food and home remedy for many conditions grows, the problem of supply and demand increases. For this reason, responsible consumers will be judicious in their coconut oil use and make wise choices about which coconut oil to purchase.
As products are mass products, more chemical fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides are used to keep production high, without regard for the effect on the ecosystem or on the farmers who are doing the work. Choosing organic coconut oil products will ensure the safest farming methods for the farmers, the ecosystem, and the environment.
Buying coconut oil that is "fair trade" gives you the peace of mind that the farmers were fairly compensated for their work and that the farming practices took into account the needs of the local ecology. Dr. Bronner's is one of the rare companies that sell fair trade coconut oil.
Do you take coconut oil? Please let us know if it has cured you of anything!
Please continue reading for extensive feedback from our readers on how they used coconut oil to cure their ailments. Since we've been collecting feedback on coconut oil for over 15 years, this has turned into an extensive section, so take your time perusing all the comments!
Related Links:
Coconut Oil & Viruses: A Wellness Perspective
Coconut Oil - The Natural Sinus Infection Treatment
Coconut Oil for Acid Reflux Natural Cure
Coconut Oil for Eczema
Coconut Oil for Weight Loss
Coconut Oil Secrets for Beautiful, Glowing Skin!
Coconut Oil Side Effects
Hypothyroidism Cures using Coconut Oil
