The Healthiest Oil on Earth !

For me, there has been an eternal association with coconut oil. During my childhood, my mother used to oil my hair regularly, every two days or so ! And my hair used to be forever oily, which was very much fine with me during that time. In school, whenever I used to wish and greet my teachers, they would invariably pat my head and then take a look at their oily palm and exclaim: ‘How much oil do you apply to your hair ’ ? But this did not change my habit of applying coconut oil to my hair regularly. I continue to do so .....

Coconut oil is a truly remarkable food and medicine. Why ? It is composed predominately of medium-chain fatty acids (MCFA), also known as medium-chain triglycerides (MCT)
Some 98 to 100% of all the fatty acids we consume are LCFA – long chain fatty acids. It is primarily due to the MCFA in coconut oil that makes it so special and beneficial.

10 General facts about Coconut oil:
• Of natural origin, edible in raw form, saturated and stable
• Pleasant flavour and aroma, light coloured, biodegradable
• High resistance to oxidative rancidity, better shelf life for fried product
• Low viscosity, Maximum glycerine content
• Skin friendly oil, superior baby oil, Good emollient on skin,skull
and hair
• Oldest and most widely used cosmetic raw material
• Gives softness and suppleness to skin on regular massaging , spreads easily
on the skin
• Excellent base for hair oil, provides gloss to hair, nourishes the hair
roots and provides coolness to the body, protects skin from heat
• Germicidal and antimicrobial property
• No harmful effects due to reheating, can be converted into diesel fuel

10 Nutritional and Medicinal properties of Coconut oil:
• Easy digestibility and absorbability, ideal energy source in baby foods
• Contains Vitamin E
• Does not contain cholesterol
• Composed mainly of short and medium chain fatty acids which have
desirable qualities and functions
• Reduced fat accumulation in body
• Easily oxidized and therefore a preferred energy source
• Requires no transport system to absorb, digest and metabolize
• Very low content of Omega 6 fatty acid
• Rich content of lauric acid, the source of disease fighting fatty acid
derivative monolaurin
• Superior antigenotoxic activity

Note: ‘Parachute’ is India’s leading brand of coconut oil, which is manufactured by Marico. Visit http://www.parachuteadvansed.com/ for more information about this hair oil.

Be more, everyday ! (The catch phrase of Marico)

The tree of life !

In Sanskrit, the coconut tree is rightly described as the kalpa vriksha - "the tree which provides all the necessities of life"
It is supposed to be one of the five legendary Devavrikshas.

The coconut provides a nutritious source of food, juice, milk and is highly nutritious and rich in fiber, vitamins, and minerals.

It can be rightly called the ecofriendly crop – which permits coexistence of multi-species plants
In scientific terms, it is called Cocos nucifera. This nut was initially referred as ‘coco’, which means ‘monkey face’, by early Spanish explorers. And ‘nucifera means ‘nut bearing’

Coconut is grown in more than 86 countries worldwide. India is the third largest coconut producer in the world, with Indonesia and Philippines in the first and second spot. It has around 3000 years tradition of coconut cultivation.
Kerala is the largest coconut growing state in India.

The various products obtained from coconut are: Tender Coconut Water, Copra, Coconut Oil, Raw Kernel, Coconut Cake, Coconut Toddy, Coconut Shell based Products, Coconut Wood based Products, Coconut Leaves and Coir Pith.

The water of tender coconut, technically the liquid endosperm, is the most nutritious wholesome beverage that the nature has provided for the people of the tropics to fight the sultry heat. It has caloric value of 17.4 per 100gm.
The major chemical constituents of coconut water are sugars and minerals and minor ones are fat and nitrogenous substances.

The various medicinal properties of tender coconut water are:
1. Good for feeding infants suffering from intestinal disturbances.
2. Oral rehydration medium
3. Contains organic compounds possessing growth promoting properties
4. Keeps the body cool, application on the body prevents prickly heat and summer boils and subsides the rashes caused by small pox, chicken pox, measles, etc.
5. Kills intestinal worms
6. Presence of saline and albumen makes it a good drink in cholera cases
7. Checks urinary infections, Urinary antiseptic and eliminates poisons in case of mineral poisoning.
8. Excellent tonic for the old and sick, cures malnourishment.
9. Diuretic, Effective in the treatment of kidney and urethral stones
10. Found as blood plasma substitute because it is sterile, does not produce heat, does not destroy red blood cells and is readily accepted by the body.
11. Aids the quick absorption of the drugs and makes their peak concentration in the blood easier by its electrolytic effect.
12. Urinary antiseptic and eliminates poisons in case of mineral poisoning.

Coconut oil too, makes a truly remarkable food and medicine. The benefits on this oil will be shared with you in my upcoming post.

"Coconut fruit is agreeable to heart", Gunapadom, a Kerala text.

Reference: http://coconutboard.nic.in/