Some of the benefits target directly hair, skin, stress relief, weight loss, immunity, better digestion and metabolism, healthier kidneys and heart, diabetes, cancer, hiv, dental and bone care.
The main ingredient helping all of these is the lauric, capric and caprylic acid, but also the oil’s antioxidant, antifungal, antimicrobial and antibacterial properties.
How does our bodies use the lauric acid?
The human body transforms the lauric acid into monolaurin, which fights against viruses and bacteria that causes diseases, such as herpes, the flue, cytomegalavirus, and so on. Although it’s fighting mechanism is not entirely known, the coconut oil is being utilized masively in ayurveda,, India’s traditional medicine system.
Coconut oil content:
Coconut oil is made of 86% saturated fat and the rest is unsaturated fat (monounsaturated and polyunsaturated. The virgin coconut oil’s contents are the same. Let’s see the details now:
- saturated fat – is made up almost from triglycerides, which should be quickly assimilated by your body. The lauric acid is the main component of saturated fat, followed by capric acid, caprylic acid, myristic and palmitic acid
- polysaturated fats – represented by linoleic acid
- monosaturated fats – oleic acid
- polyphenols – is represented by gallic acid – responsible for the aroma and taste of the coconut oil
- and others, such as vitamin E, vitamin K, and other chemistry indicates that are too unknown for us
Health benefits of coconut oil use
For hair care: Coconut oil is one of the best natural products for hair. It sustains its growth, adding a plus to the glow factor. If you massage gently your scalp with coconut oil you will get rid of dandruff or lice and also keeps the skin hydrated. It’s balsamic properties also help the deteriorated hair, and because of this you’ll find a lot of hair care products (creams, shampoos) with this miracle product. The best way to use it is to apply it directly on your hair or scalp and you will also notice a sensation of stress relief.
For skin care: Applying it on skin also acts like an hydrating cream, efficient on any types of skin, including the dry skin. You can use it to prevent the dryness and skin exfoliation and delay the onset of wrinkles (we all get them at some point). Other coconut oil uses are for soothing psoriasis, fighting dermatitis or eczema. That’s why coconut oil is a base ingredient of soaps, lotions and creams.
For Heart: Some people say that coconut oil is not so good for heart, because of its high content of saturated fat. But other people say that it can actually have benefits for the heart because of the lauric acid who helps prevent cardiac diseases and keep a normal blood pressure and between the limits cholesterol levels. You can read more about fats effects on the heart on the American Heart Association website.
Weight loss: I know you’ve been waiting for this one – And yes, coconut oil is very useful for losing weight by eliminating the excess fat in your body. It’s easy to digest and also helps the thyroid. By relieving stress, the metabolism gets boosted and thus the body burns more fat. We’ll cover this broadly in a future article.
Digestion benefits:
The nutrition specialists say we can use the coconut oil for cooking.This way we can improve the digestive system and prevent the irritation of your colon or bowel. The saturated fat have antimicrobial properties that fight against bacteria, fungi and parasites. It also helps better absorb nutrients, vitamins, minerals and amino acids.
Against infections: The coconut oil was proved to be very efficient against a variety of infections because of its healing properties. It literally kills the viruses responsible for the flu, measles, hepatitis, herpes, sars, pneumonia, gonorrhea, candida, athlete’s foot and many, many others.
For teeth: Because calcium and teeth go together very well, you should know that coconut oil helps our bodies absorb more calcium, resulting in stronger teeth. Not only this, but also it prevent cavities and whitens the teeth.
It’s also good for the liver, kidneys and controls blood sugar levels which is good for diabetes.
This natural oil is endorsed by a lot of celebrities, you can watch a footage by Dr. Oz:
Amazing right? I know! Coconut oil is considered to be a nature’s miracle, has amazing medical properties and can be successfully used in the household, being at the same time an accessible and healthy alternative to a lot of food or health care products.
Coconut oil uses
For cooking
When choosing the cooking oil, you must look at fat contents and frying temperature behavior. Almost all polyunsaturated oils like soy, corn or rapeseed oil don’t withstand repeated usage, because their trans fats can become harmful. Luckily, you can use coconut oil for frying at high temperatures , because of its saturated fat contents. This is also why, at room temperature, the oil is solid.
For sunscreen
You may find some lotions that have also coconut oil in them. This is because of its ability to heal the skin and prevent dangerous UV rays, because of the antioxidant properties. This is a hot topic actually, because nowadays, prolonged exposure to the sun is very harmful, even with special high sun protection factor. If you want to go to the beach, you should follow the dermatologist’s advice and avoid skin exposure in the afternoon and always choose a good sunscreen (coconut oil alone is not enough)
Stimulates the immune system
And it gets better: coconut oil attacks the bacteria that causes cavities, being also a natural antibiotic or teeth care. Scientists recently discovered that coconut oil can prevent and treat Alzheimer’s, heart disease and other inflammatory diseases. Yay!
For skin and hair
It’s basically an efficient hydrating hair balm, that protects it against free radicals and pollution all around us, because its rich contents in antioxidants and antibacterial agents. Also it smooths the skin, and you can use it against wrinkles, scars and stretch marks.
Coconut oil as insect repellent
It’s good to know that applied on skin you can keep certain insects away. Coconut oil also fights acne, dandruff, eczema, hemorrhoids and psoriasis. Oh, and you can use it as a lip balm. Talk about nice moist coco-nutty lips that every boy or man would want to kiss 😉
