Coconut Oil Benefits, Side Effects and Reviews

I drink coconut oil 2 teaspoons in the morning with my breakfast, and my facial open pores have shrunk completely.Sometimes I drink 2 teaspoons in the morning with breakast, and 2 teaspoons in the afternoon with my lunch.

You have to use the real thing buy organic virgin coconut oil it is wonderful, and pure no chemicals! I think the cost is reasonable. Someone gave me two cans of LouAnns that didn't even smell like coconuts something about it seemed so fake I tossed both cans in the trash. I've been using Organic Virgin Coconut oil forever and it is superior. I would never support Walmart in fact they are usually protested if they ever want to come into our neighborhood because they completely destroy communities.

My understanding is that the best source of virgin coconut oil is from Tropical Traditions (Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil) Highly recommended for health benefits. It is hand pressed. The result is that it has the highest level of antioxidants. Great for candida sufferers.

Otherwise Costco carries Nutiva which is great tasting but the container is made of plastic.

Trader Joe's also carries a great coconut oil that is reasonably priced and the container is made of glass.

Amazon.com also carries different brands of coconut at reasonable prices.

After reading a lot of the different comments here I think it is really important for people to understand the difference between virgin, extra virgin and the general term of coconut oil and why they give such different results.

WHAT IS COPRA OR COCONUT OIL?
My husband is a Banaban islander from Rabi Island, Fiji and was not only raised on coconut and coconut oil as part of daily life but also cut copra to make a living on his small impoverished island. Copra or dried coconut flesh is what is made into basic COCONUT OIL. It is a completely different form of oil compared to Virgin or Extra Virgin Coconut Oil now on the market.

When he cuts copra he first gathers coconuts that have fallen on the ground, cuts the nut in half and removes the white coconut meat. The coconut meat is then usually dried on a rack over a fire (they call them copra smokers) which helps to dry out the coconut meat and it turns a grey colour and has a rancid smell. The biggest and most abundant amount of wild coconuts are found in remote villages scattered across the Pacific and Asia. Sometime it can take up to 3-4 months before the villagers can get their bags of smoked copra to the big copra mills in town. The mills are usually situated 100's of miles away from these villagers. The copra mills resemble a smaller version of a sugar crushing mill and processing of the copra is similar to that found in the sugar mills. The copra is pressed and because the coconut is very smoky or rancid they use chemicals to bleach and clean the oil. This happens in all the basic edible food oils today in the market place. This is also the reason why this style of COCONUT OIL (Copra) processing became known in the old days as poor man's oil or dirty oil.

But for people in the village they only used freshly processed coconut oil and the premium or special oils that their grandmother's made from freshly squeezed coconuts were put aside and bottled for the special ceremonies in the village. Today this special oil is known as Extra or Virgin Coconut Oil and any comparisons to the processing of olive oil should not be used. The term for Extra Virgin Coconut Oil in the Coconut oil industry today means that this form of coconut oil processing is the most unrefined and most natural form and no artificial filtering or expeller pressing (centrifuge spinning -also known as oil polishing) is used. The oil remains in its most natural form and retains a rich smell and sweet taste of coconut.

Today because of the high demand for Virgin Coconut Oil many unscrupulous manufacturers are getting cheap copra oils and running them through centrifuge spinning machines to clean up the oils and also state they are ORGANIC. While the centrifuges remove the smell and all flavour from the oils the Copra COCONUT OIL is a much thicker oil that will NOT quickly absorb into the skin and does contain TRANS FAT. Accept for a higher level of lauric acid it is very similar to all other trans fat food oils on the market due to the processing. If you put this type of oil on your skin it is just that OIL and will clog the pores of your skin.

WHAT IS EXTRA VIRGIN OR VIRGIN COCONUT OIL
Good quality Extra Virgin or Virgin Coconut Oil should taste and smell like coconut. It should be a very fine oil and will quickly melt in the palm of your hand with body heat. If it does not solidify or melt quickly you know it is a much thicker and inferior oil. Extra Virgin Coconut Oil should be in a natural form and gravity or natural filtering of the oil is used. This type of Virgin Coconut Oil will still retain a level of fine coconut particles and usually a very high level of lauric acid. This type or premium VCO should not contain any microbe activity or foreign matter. If wild forest coconuts are used and are very mature trees they retain a very high lauric acid level and the oil can retain a slight golden colour.

While some of the Virgin Coconut Oils currently on the market are crystal clear in appearance they usually are made from the soft immature coconut flesh before the nut hardens. This type of coconut processing usually makes it easy to remove the coconut flesh and extract the oil with fermentation or boiling off the liquid. Because the coconut is not as mature it usually has lower lauric acid levels and the smell and flavour of the oil is not as strong.

It must be remembered that all coconuts when opened will quickly ferment and unless the moisture is removed properly during processing the oil will sour. Good quality Virgin Coconut Oils should have a shelf life of at lease 2 years without any deteriorate of the oil at all. When cooking with Virgin Coconut Oil the oil will fry at very high temperatures. Good quality Virgin Coconut Oil can be mixed in both hot and cold drinks.

To reap the great benefits of Virgin Coconut Oil make sure you know the difference between VIRGIN COCONUT OIL and Copra (basic COCONUT OIL) found in today's market place and why they should not be confused.

I am using it internally and externally. I cured stubborn fungus on my elbows. I combine coconut oil and lemon juice. Helps with toe nail fungus to. I am sure my Candida is out of control and I just found here info on CANDIDOL so I am going to try it! Few years now since I stopped using creams and moisturizes after accident with sun block for children. I put tube of sunblock in my purse and it spell over Louie Vito n eyeglasses case. We all know it is made of vinyl. It was 20 hrs when I noticed what happened. Vinyl melted like from the heat! I kept that case.

I have been taking virgin coconut oil now for about 4 months and I love it.. I have trouble with candida and acne and both have been better since I started using it in cooking and fruit smoothies. I also add about a 1/4 of a cup VCO to a warm bath with about 1/2 a cup of micro-biotic sea salt and it is wonderful... Makes your skin feel great and smells really nice. I find when I use coconut oil in the mornings I eat less throughout the day because I don't get the bad sugar or carbohydrate cravings. I'm not trying to lose weight, just heal my acne and candida but I have dropped from about 57-58kilos to 54.5 in about 2 months without really changing anything else (although I do eat a relatively good diet already). I highly recommend it!!! Tan.

Many thanks to Lucille from Jersey City. I had sensitive gums and nerves for several months after having two dental procedures - removal of an impacted and decayed wisdom tooth -lower left,and placement of a crown on a molar above. I was very sensitive to cold especially but hot as well. Oil pulling with coconut oil just three times cured it 95%. It was hard to believe after it was so sensitive it virtually went away. I rarely feel anything anymore except with extreme temperatures and I see even that declining as the days go by.

I am on my 3rd week using vco and have lost 10 pounds, sleeping through the night, and having more energy. I have cut out gluten from my diet, milk, and coffee also. Now I am going to get my husband to take it...

I have been using coconut oil for some time now, taking it orally and cooking with it. Has anyone noticed how using coconut oil in a well used baking pan for the first time, strips the pan clean of old baked on oil residue. So much so that after baking with it, the pan will rust if you do not keep oiling it. Does this support the claim that coconut oil will cleanse your clogged arteries? Can anyone tell me how much oil you can make from 1 coconut please

I read on another site written by a doctor who researched VCO that although it IS high in saturated fat it is a Medium Chain Fatty Acid, which means the saturated fat does not get ingested into our system. It is processed in our bodies as energy and then whatever is left is flushed out and takes all the bad stuff (toxins) with it!!

Coconut oil helped my dad get over pneumonia. It has a host of good benefits. Visit some sites where they are listed.

Coconut oil is white and solid when it is below 76 degrees. It is liquid and looks like water above 76 degrees. Unfortunately I had just bought a bottle of it for my dad, when my sister came in and poured the whole bottle down the drain. She thought it was water. lol.

Coconut oil was the only oil in a study in India which looked at the best hair oil to use. Of the three, only coconut oil penetrated the hair folicle and nurished the hair. The other two did nothing.

Yes coconut oil is not like other oils. It does not get used like other oils. It actually increases your metabolism and it is a bacteriacide, a viruscide and a fugicide. Check out the benefits for yourself.

You are so right about the coconut oil for hair. I put some on the dry ends of my hair last week before I washed it. I put a plastic cap on and just let it soak for 2-3 hrs. I didn't put the oil on my scalp, just the ends. I had thought I would have to have 2-3 in cut off as it was so damaged. It still looks good after washing it this time. Wonder what they would have charged for an oil treatment at the hairdresser's?

I was diagnosed with mild Hypothyroidism in May 2006, studied the benefits of VCO and started to use it shortly after. For the first 6 manths I experienced an increased energy and a better digestion. However this effect did not last. The oil did not have any effect on the funtion of my Thyroid and my general wellbeing. I am still using the VCO internally(every heated meal is prepared with it) and I also use it externally (on some parts of my body). I do this, because I am convinced by the benefits of this oil. However it does have not any dramatic effect, as testified by others. Since about one week I am having digestion problems and feel congested in my liver and spleen area. I am still on my Thyroid medication (50 mcg of Euthyrox). Does anyone have a similar experience that they seem not to benefit so much from the oil? I am of the blood type O and according to the bloodype diet I should avoid coconut and also the oil from it. Has anybody experiences with the effect of VCO on blood type O people?

I used to be a regular sufferer of flu. About 3 years ago, after reading in a book that coconut oil can kill the influenza virus that causes flu based on in-vitro studies, I took 4 tablespoon of Virgin Coconut Oil when I had flu, went to sleep and woke up after about 6 hours later and found my flu amazingly gone. Since then, I take at least 1 tablespoon of Virgin Coconut Oil everyday, and when I feel an onset of flu, I increase the intake up to 4 tablespoon and predictably the flu would not continue.

I began taking coconut oil about June 1st this summer, primarily for my long term hypothyroidism. Now not yet 3 months later I am completely off my synthroid and cytomel. I was on more than 300 mcg for about 7 years. It has changed my life. I feel so much better than I did on the thyroid meds. I am not cold, I am sleeping better. It made a herpes outbreak completely dissappear in 4 hours when applied topically. my periods which have been abnormal all my life are normalizing,(I am 45) and I am finding that I am eating smaller meals and more satisfied and not hungry. I swear I can hear the click in my head that says I have had enough to eat! Ive lost 10 lbs. I attribute it all to 4tbsp VCO a day(2w bfst/1w lunch/1w dinner) and also trace minerals, and fish oil. none or very little bread and refined carbs. I did have a day of scary high blood pressure symptoms, after which I reduced my meds by 1/3rd, and the symptoms went away. A wwk or so later when I began feeling the same things again, I reduced my meds again and again until I quit all together. the last step is to get my blood levels tested by my doc, just to confirm I am doing as great as I feel, tho I am starting to think it is not necessary, except to gloat to my dr.

I was doing some research on the internet a couple weeks ago about candida and started seeing links for information on virgin coconut oil.. My goodness the fantastical claims I learned of with every click of my mouse! I wondered if it could be true or maybe just hype like so many other 'miracle' cures. I was very impressed with what I read and sought out some organic oil.

I decided to start off slow, according to testimonies I read, especially since one of my issues is chronic candida. I also take levothyroxine for hypothyroidism and battle with weight issues, which have caused a whole host of health concerns.

I noticed right away an uncomfortable side effect of racing, palpitating heart. It happens every time I take the oil in a concentration, such as by the tablespoon, or spread on an akmak cracker, etc.

I have decided instead to use it in cooking and get my daily dose that way. I use it to saute veggies for a meal, or add it to my morning oatmeal, and even gently fried corn tortillas in it for chicken enchiladas one night.. it is such a delicate flavor that once stronger, more savory flavors are introduced, you can rarely detect the coconut. I find when I use it this way, I don't get the palpitation side effect. Other than the recommended amount of coconut oil, and the fish oil caps I take, I am on a very low fat diet right now.

I have mixed feelings because I have read some testimonies of people who didn't lose weight but in fact gained weight after starting on VCO so I hope I am not sabotaging my good efforts!

oh, also, I read that the claims made by proponents of VCO that it helps with thyroid problems are unsubstantiated.. any editorial feedback on this?

Water cannot do its thing without salt. Salt is number 3 on the list of things you can't live without. 1 and 2 are air and water. I suspect that if you do not take salt (preferably unprocessed sea salt) the body will break down the calcium in the bones to get at the salts they contain. I've done a lot of research on dehydration but have not seen this correlation anywhere. It is merely my suspicion due to the relationship between chronic dehydration combined with low salt intake teachings and the epidemic of osteoporosis. It is suspected that over 75% of people in the US are chronically dehydrated which means that 75% of the human bodies in the US are operating in emergency, water rationing mode. Sipping doesn't count and neither do other liquids. The body does not process other liquids the same way it processes plain water on an empty stomach. Water is used by every system in the body. Including the process it must go through to steal water from the colon. My personal rule of thumb is that any liquid that is not plain water belongs to the colon.

My wife got a break out on her upper lip and then the toddler caught it too. Next, I developed a small dot on my upper lip a few days after. We all applied coconut oil although the wife was skeptical. My small dot stopped feeling sensitive that day and faded over the next few days with other hint of break out. The area on my wife's lip and the toddler's lip stopped and faded also. My wife isn't so skeptical now.

I looked at the LouAnn coconut oil at walmart yesterday. It is not Virgin coconut oil.. However, I did buy a can in Walmart's pharmacy that is Virgin Oil. I think it was 2 or 3 lbs. I used it last night on my skin and I am lovin' it!

I buy all of my coconut oil online, but since someone mentioned you can buy them at Walmart, I decided to check it out. I did not find Louann's Coconut oil at the baking supplies section but I did find another brand at the Vitamin aisle. This is a 16oz tub, costs about $10 and it said that it's virgin coconut oil (I don't think it's organic). I did not buy it since I was skeptical. IMHO, LouAnn brand is probably refined cheap coconut oil made out of copra. But at least Walmart carries it while most supermarkets do not and I hope the real healing properties of coconut is finally coming out and more stores will start selling it to the public. I believe we as human deserve to know the truth about the stuff we eat and I prefer natural products over processed chemical things any day.

I purchase my EVCO at vitacost. It is Jarrows brand... 32 oz for $12.93. Here is their description to show what healthy EVCO is:

Description: Extra Virgin Organic Coconut Oil Expeller Pressed. Rich and Full Coconut Flavor. Rich In Medium Chain Triglycerides. No Trans Fatty Acids (TFAs) * No Hydrogenation.

Jarrow Formulas: Extra Virgin Organic Coconut Oil from the fresh flesh of the coconut palm fruit, (Cocus nucifera) is unrefined and expeller-pressed in a controlled, indoor environment. This specific process does not utilize any solvents and preserves the volatile compounds responsible for imparting the rich, familiar flavor of coconuts. Coconut oil is an excellent source of Medium Chain Triglycerides (MCTs), such as lauric acid (C-12) and caprylic acid (C-8).

Nutrient Facts
Serving Size: 1 Tablespoon
Servings per Container: Approx. 65
Amount Per Serving % Daily Value

Calories 125

Fat Cal. 125

Total Fat 14 gr 22%

Sat. Fat 13 gr 65%

Polyunsat. Fat 0.5 gr *

Monounsat. Fat 0.5 gr *

Trans Fat 0 gr *

Cholesterol 0 Milligrams 0%

Sodium 0 Milligrams 0%

Total Carb. 0 gr 0%

Protein 0 gr *

*Daily value not established.
Other Ingredients: 100% Unrefined expeller pressed, organic extra virgin coconut oil.

I found my first jar (yesterday) at my HEB, they where out in their natural section but had organic VCO on the isle with their other oils. It was 6.99 for a 14oz jar, its also unrefined and expeller pressed. HEB has many great products the oil I bought was their Central Market brand. Hoping to see some great results.

Thanks for your information. We managed to get cold pressed evco from aldi for just £2.49 for 276g/300ml cannot wait to try using it.

Hi Kate: I sympathize with you as, at one time, my neck manifested goiter as well. Research coconut oil for goiter. Many people on this site have said it helps tremendously with a thyroid issue, even when doctors say you don't have one. Also... Are you a SOY eater? If so, please be aware that newer research has emerged indicating that SOY can adversely affect the thyroid, particularily of women. I know that when I elliminated it from MY diet (as well as grains that I was allergic to), extremely heavy, 10-15 days of bleeding and clotting periods, morphed into 4 days maximum, the normal period of my youth. Also, my thyroid, "lump neck" and pain went away. So, if I were you, SOY testing (eliminating it completely from the diet) is what I would do first for at least 30 days. Checking all food packages for soy and cooking your own meals w/o it, makes this totally doable. Then, I would start with a teaspoon of virgin coconut oil before bed. Good luck to you on this illuminating journey! Peace out... CAT!

I've had chronic bladder infections for twenty years.I've been on every antibiotic and only got worse. I've been taking virgin coconut oil for almost four months. Within a week the infections were gone. I haven't had any pain in four months plus I've lost ten pounds, have more energy, and almost no acne flare ups.

I started using vco about 2 months ago. I heard about all the different health benefits of using it so i first began using it on my hair and my hair has never shined the way that it does now. I have also noticed that there is less breakage than before. After awhile i decided to start using it as a body moisturizer, it is awesome even my little sister who thinks of me as a nature junkie loves to use it. My skin has never been softer, even when i was using pure shea butter. I also suffer from body acne and that has cleared up. I know have soft flawless skin i can't wait to start taking it internally. VCO is the best thing to use if you suffer from any kind of skin condition. This stuff is great, i wouldn't trade it for the world

Virgin coconut oil gives my husband diarrhea, it doesn't seem to do a whole lot for me in terms of weight loss, but it has helped my 2 y.o. daughter's immune system. I think VCO only helps with a balanced diet. My husband's diet is a typical Western diet, which is mostly starches, process/refined foods, preservatives and little fruit/greens. I eat plenty of fruits & veggies, but I did not give up the sweets/white flour, so VCO didn't help me lose any weight, even after months of taking it (1-2 Tbs. a day over toast or in oatmeal). My daughter, whom I now suspect is sensitive to gluten, has asthmatic tendencies and I was feeding her too much whole grains. I limited her whole grains, added VCO almond butter olive oil into her diet and she has not needed her nebulizer and her colds do not last 2-3 weeks. VCO HELPS, but it is not a miracle cure. Nothing is. Also, it is an oil, so I don't understand why anyone would put it in a cup of tea?!!?

I have been using coconut oil since last Sept. I use it for my skin, salad dressing and anything else I can think of. Oh, delicious on baked sweet potatoe. I give my four cats coconut oil on their paws everyday and their coats are beautiful. My one cat Sadie goes to the container on my dresser and helps herself to as much as she wants. Since my last blood work, my cholesterol has dropped from 252 to 240, HDL 86. My blood pressure dropped from 134/89 to 130/70. I love the way it smells and tastes. I use about one tablespoon a day. I am very happy with the results and will continue to use it, as well as my girls.