This humble fruit/nut, provides a nutritious source of meat, water, milk, and oil that has fed and nourished populations around the world for generations. So valued as a source of food and medicine, the Coconut Palm tree has been referred to as ‘The Tree of Life.’ These benefits of coconut oil can be attributed to the presence of lauric acid and its properties such as antimicrobial, antioxidant, antifungal, antibacterial and soothing.
The human body converts lauric acid into monolaurin, which is reputed 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.
We now know that the medium chain fatty acids (mfca – the fat content) that makes up the coconut, helps to lower the risk of both atherosclerosis and heart disease. It is primarily due to the MCFA in coconut oil that makes it so special and so beneficial – the very reason we were avoiding it. (Excerpt from my book ‘Elixir’.)
Coconut is available whole young and fresh, as water, milk, cream, oil, flour, flaked, desiccated or shredded or now as yoghurt or ice cream.
