71 Coconut Oil Benefits: My Experiments with Coconut Oil
There is so much hype about Coconut Oil benefits at the moment. I remember reading a book about coconut oil when I was suffering from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome so I started taking it daily and did actually start to feel better. However when I started my major healing through my raw food diet I kept my fat intake much lower so forgot all about coconut oil.
I’ve recently stumbled upon another book, The Coconut Oil Miracle by Bruce Fife which was very convincing, so I decided it was high time to experiment with this ‘miracle’ food.
To give you a bit of background, coconuts have been used as a major food source for thousands of years by millions of people in Asia, PacificIslands, Africa and Central America. Before the introduction of modern foods, many of these people depended almost entirely on coconut to sustain life. They didn’t suffer from heart disease, cancer, arthritis, diabetes and many other degenerative diseases until they abandoned their traditional diets.
Coconut oil has a long and highly respected reputation in many cultures throughout the world, not only as a valuable food but also as an effective medicine. The healing miracles of the coconut have long been recognised in those cultures where it is grown. Only recently have these benefits started to become known to the rest of the world.
There have been many reported claims of coconut oil such as:
- Reduce Psoriasis
- Eliminate Dandruff
- Remove Pre cancerous skin lesion
- Speed Flu recovery
- Stop bladder infections
- Overcome chronic fatigue
- Relieve haemorrhoids
- treat dental cavities
- reduce peptic ulcers
- Can help with benign prostaic hyperplasia
- To treat Epilepsy
- Clear up Genital herpes
- To treat Hepatitis C
- To treat HIV/AIDs
- Prevent heart disease
- Indirectly lowers bad cholesterol and increases good cholesterol.
- Reduces blood clotting
- Reduces stroke risk
- Prevents damage from free radicals
- Improves dental health
- Improves immune system
- Treats Candida
- Treats infections
- Treats parasites
- Improves IBS
- Lose weight
- Speed your metabolism
- Gain energy
- Reduce cravings for junk food
Apply to body to
- Prevent liver spots
- Remove dead skin cells
- Limit damage from sun exposure
- Eliminate dry skin
- Protect skin from germs
- Heal wounds
- Condition hair
- Quickly reduces blisters
- Reduce warts
- Eliminate athletes foot
- Prevent wrinkles
- Reduce inflammation
It also has been claimed that coconut oil:
- Supports the development of strong bones
- Protects against osteoporosis
- Reduces symptoms associated with pancreatitis
- Reduces severity of symptoms in malabsorption syndrome
- Reduces severity of symptoms in cystic fibrosis
- Relieves symptoms of gallbladder disease
- Relieves symptoms associated with Crohn’s disease
- Relieves symptoms associated with ulcerative colitis
- Relieves symptoms associated with stomach ulcers
- Protects the body from breast, colon and other cancers
- Prevents premature aging and degenerative diseases
- Prevents liver disease
- Kills bacteria that causes pneumonia
- Kills bacteria that causes earache
- Kills bacteria that causes throat infection
- Kills bacteria that causes food poisoning
- Kills bacteria that causes urinary tract infections
- Kills bacteria that causes meningitis
- Kills bacteria that causes gonorrhoea
- Kills fungi and yeast that causes ringworm
- Kills fungi and yeast that causes nappy rash
- Expels or kills tapeworm
- Expels or kills lice
- Expels or kills giardia
- Reduces symptoms associated with eczema
- Reduces symptoms associated with dermatitis
- Prevents sagging skin
- Treats burns
- Treats kidney stones
- Treats choleraic dysentery
Daily Recommended Dose
- 3 ½ Tablespoons Coconut Oil or
- Half a Coconut or
- 2 ¾ cups dried coconut or
- 10 ounces (295 ml) Coconut milk
How to use coconut oil
Coconut oil is hard at room temperature but will melt when you add it to your cooking. Replace all your vegetable oils with coconut oils. It is perfect to fry foods in.
If you want to melt it without cooking it (to drink it, add it to a drink, soup or yoghurt etc.) you could put the desired amount of coconut oil in a cup. Place the cup in a bowl and fill the bowl with boiling water. The oil will melt quickly.
You don’t need to store coconut oil in the fridge. It will keep for 2 years out of the fridge.
Other ways to eat coconut oil
- Spread it on your toast
- Use it on your baked potato
- Add it to smoothies
- Add it to your hot drinks
- Add it to baking to replace butter
- Add it to your pancake mixture
- Add it to soups and stews
My Personal Experiments with Coconut Oil
I have been taking about 2 tablespoons of coconut oil daily and using it in my cooking for the last 3 months for this experiment.
In addition to eating it straight, I have been using coconut oil for:
- Nappy Cream for my baby
- Hand moisturiser
- Lip moisturiser
- Hair conditioner
- Face cleaning
- Face moisturiser
- Deodorant
- Replaced all oils for cooking with coconut oil
- Added it to smoothies, pancakes and hot drinks
- Oil pulling (I’ll talk more about this in another post)
Benefits of Coconut Oil that I’ve noticed myself
- Baby’s chronic nappy rash cleared up completely
- Clearing up a rash on my body that’s been there for over 2 years by applying coconut oil to it.
- To immediately eliminate a very itchy foot (had been there for 4 days and went straight away as soon as I put coconut oil on it and didn’t return)
- Reduced cravings for junk food
- Filled me up and stopped me getting so hungry and low blood sugar while pregnant as no foods seemed to keep me going for very long until I added coconut to them.
- Hair has become softer and less frizzy
- Skin is much softer from just ingesting it
- Skin became even softer when I used it as a moisturiser.
- Have completely eliminated any acne (3 months of pregnancy, got lots at the start which disappeared when I started moisturising face with coconut oil)
- So far none of the problems that I had during my previous pregnancy at this stage (severe cravings for sugar, toothache, crippling backache, heartburn, agonising stomach aches, extreme insomnia, spots, severe reaction to central heating, headaches, daily feverishness) which could of course just be a coincidence.
- Toothache and tooth sensitivity to foods completely went away. (I’m still awaiting a dentist appointment so I’ve yet to see if I do indeed have a cavity as I suspected at the start of my pregnancy)
Where to buy Coconut Oil
I had been using so much coconut oil for this experiment that I have been buying it in bulk which reduces the price by half.
Buy Coconut Oil in bulk by clicking here.
Coconut Oil has a subtle coconut scent which you don’t notice when you use it to cook with. I’ve been using an extra virgin organic coconut oil which is the best quality of coconut oil.
You can buy good quality Coconut Oil by clicking here.
What I like about Coconut Oil
I love the way my cooked food tastes when I’ve used coconut oil to stir fry my food in. I like that I can keep it out of the fridge and it lasts a long time. I love the fact it comes from a fruit as that makes it feel much more natural to me as I am consuming coconut oil every time I eat coconut.
What I don’t like about Coconut Oil
I really went off the taste of coconut oil eaten straight from the spoon and afterwards I would often feel sickly. This never happened if I cooked with coconut oil or if it was added to my food. I sometimes think why don’t we just eat the whole coconut rather than extracting the oil as I prefer to base my diet around whole foods. However if I am to use any oil then coconut oil would definitely be my preferred oil.
When coconut oil is applied directly to the skin it can feel a bit greasy if you use too much and seems to easily rub off. But I have developed some homemade cosmetics that include coconut oil alongside other ingredients and they work perfectly. I’ll be sharing these in the future.
My Conclusion about coconut Oil Benefits
I did see noticeable benefits from using coconut oil that couldn’t be attributed to other things, especially my 2 year rash clearing up after applying coconut oil to it. There is no denying my skin is a lot softer too. But the other benefits are hard to pinpoint directly to coconut oil. However I do believe it’s a great food and I am going to continue to use it. I’m still undecided as to how much fat I should be having in my diet but anytime I would be using another oil I’m going to try and use coconut oil instead and not go overboard with the use of it as I also consume a lot of coconut in other forms as I make my own coconut milk and add coconut to my smoothies, so I do think coconut oil is extremely beneficial but so is the entire coconut!
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Katherine Kyle @ Green Thickies
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Hi, I'm Katherine. I lost 56 pounds and recovered from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome by replacing meals with Green Thickies - my original green smoothie concept.
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Hi, I’m Katherine. I lost 56 pounds and recovered from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome by replacing meals with Green Thickies – my original smoothie concept.
I would love to win the eliptical.
I’ve read lots of reports of how great oil-pulling is, but yours is the first ‘personal’ account that I’ve read. I do have friends to practice this daily and swear by it. I’ve not quite been able to pin the ‘daily’ part down! I do like the feel of it, and don’t find it off-putting at all.
coconut oil is great for babies skin and hair. Coconut milk is the only other thing on earth that you can give a newborn besides breastmilk….The coconut is awesome all around!
Thank you your sharing your finding on coconut oil.. I’ve Been thinking of putting it in my daily routine.
Quick question – you say it cleared up a rash you’d had for two years. How long were you topically applying the coconut oil (and how often) before you saw the rash clear?
I think it was once or twice a day for a couple of days
This is a great article. Look up articles on Dr.Newport using coconut oil to treat her husband for Alzheimer’s. Dr. Newport originally found out about coconut oil by finding a small study done on it. I recently wrote an article about this.
Also, organic, cold pressed coconut oil is the only kind I buy. Not as much heat is used with this mechanical extraction process–the best mechanical extraction process. Yes, it’s expensive but well worth it. The next step below that that’s also high quality, is expeller pressed coconut oil. This kind is not quite as expensive.
Your article is “spot on!” I hope it converts many, many more folks to at least “try” coconut oil for one (or several) of the benefits listed above!! :) The only thing missing, is that you need to emphasize that this HAS to be “raw, organic & unprocessed” coconut oil, in order to reap the full benefits of this magic oil. I get my mine at Trader Joe’s for $5.99 in Ohio. My boss gets hers at Costco in California for about the same price. The vegetable oil industry nearly destroyed the coconut oil biz by highlighting the high saturated fats it contains, but scientists & naturalists have a cleared up the misunderstanding of it’s actually a “good” fat, as well as have highlighted the many “magical components” of it, such as it is anti-fungal & anti-bacterial, too! Thus, “why” it kills so many things & why you don’t have to refrigerate it after opening. They have even done studies where multi family members use the same jar to brush their teeth & they thought it might be a cesspool of germs, but instead, they found none, as the coconut took care of killing the germs naturally. I have been brushing my teeth with pure coconut oil, & my smile is naturally white, bright & gorgeous. And NO plaque! My dentist was shocked & amazed! And the cavity that they were watching? Gone. They were checking the x-rays & scratching their heads until I told them to google “coconut oil.” Luckily, my dentist is already fairly holistic (she stopped doing fluoride treatments several years ago & petitions the ADA each year in Wash DC to also stop the use of mercury fillings, due to its devastating long-term harmful/deadly effects.) Some folks add baking soda & peppermint essence oil to it, (for grit & flavor) but I use it straight up. Thanks, again, for posting this wonderful article about the “beauty & benefits” of coconut oil!! :)
Thats a great list about benefits of coconut oil. India has a geat tradition using coconut oil for health and beauty purposes. There is some good info up on this page.
http://www.esvasa.com/?q=superfood-coconut-oil
I was losing my eyelashes to the point where I had none on one eyelid. I started using coconut oil to remove my eye makeup before I wash my face in the evening. I now have eyelashes that are getting fuller and thicker the more I use the coconut oil. Also use it for my hair and many other cosmetic purposes plus cooking. The stuff is awesome!!
i just wanted to post about the benefits i have seen since i started using coconut oil about a week ago. i have noticed instant benefits. first problem i have had is my extremely dry skin. in less than one week most of the “scaly” look i had on my legs is just about gone. the dry skin on my face is gone except for my forehead and nose but has improved.
i also had issues with constipation but i have been regular everyday…sometimes even twice in the same day which is rare. yes i know tmi. lol
my teeth have already gotten stronger. there is no more sensitivity and there is no pain in my teeth. i also noticed that my tongue is pink in color and breath has improved.
i have also noticed a reduction in congestion. i still have congestion but more often than not i can breath through my nose which i havent been able to do that in years. i dont need nose spray any longer.
the only thing i do is coconut oil pulling in the morning for 10-20 minutes and i take 4 coconut oil pills per day. i use it for cooking occasionally too. great with fried potatoes.
i cant say enough about how healthy i feel since starting with coconut oil and it has only been a week. i will use this forever.
and one more think i forgot to mention. i have issues with cracked feet. it is about gone. i used to never be able to walk barefooted. now i can.
Wow that is such an amazing testimonial to coconut oil, I’m so happy your health is improving so much!
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