Coconut oil is an amazing substance that has many health benefits—it helps with weight loss, allergies, skin and health issues, and much more. It is recommended in many health programs and diets, especially the Paleo and raw food diets, and many people are discovering that it is better to use than other oils in cooking.

It can be overwhelming to figure out all of the great uses of this magical oil, but this comprehensive handbook can help. With detailed information on everything to do with coconut oil—the benefits, uses, recipes, and insightful facts—this guide will teach you all about this healthy oil, including:

Coconut Oil for Health and Beauty includes all the information you'll need for cooking with this healthy oil and using it for health and beauty, including:
How coconut oil is made
How to make it at home
Skin care recipes for face and body
Hair care recipes for damaged, dry, or flaky hair
Dietary benefits
Coconut oil as medicine
Common misconceptions
And much more

More and more people are learning about the wealth of benefits that coconut oil brings, and this handbook will explain all of them.

Skyhorse Publishing, along with our Good Books and Arcade imprints, is proud to publish a broad range of cookbooks, including books on juicing, grilling, baking, frying, home brewing and winemaking, slow cookers, and cast iron cooking. We’ve been successful with books on gluten-free cooking, vegetarian and vegan cooking, paleo, raw foods, and more. Our list includes French cooking, Swedish cooking, Austrian and German cooking, Cajun cooking, as well as books on jerky, canning and preserving, peanut butter, meatballs, oil and vinegar, bone broth, and more. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are committed to books on subjects that are sometimes overlooked and to authors whose work might not otherwise find a home.

Simone McGrath: Simone McGrath is the mother of two children whom she has healed of allergies and eczema through the use of healing nutritious foods. She has an extensive knowledge in health and nutrition and has always maintained that if you feed your body only nourishing, clean foods, you will feel vibrant, healthy, and happy, and you will live your best life! She specializes in all areas of health and has a special interest in the areas of detoxing, allergies, and digestive health. She is currently studying with the Institute for Integrative Nutrition and lives in Sydney, Australia.

Coconut Oil for Health and Beauty

Uses, Benefits, and Recipes for Weight Loss, Allergies, and Healthy Skin and Hair

Skyhorse Publishing

Contents

The Tree of Life

Coconut oil, of course, comes from a coconut — arguably the most versatile, nutritious, and therapeutic natural food on the planet!

The coconut is not actually a nut. It is botanically classified as a drupe, which is a fruit with a breakable fault-line where it splits easily. Coconuts are the fruit of the coconut palm, which is native to Malaysia, Polynesia, and southern Asia. Now it is also found in tropical climates throughout the world, particularly the Philippines, Vanuatu, and India, as well as some parts of South America and Australia. This is to the popularity of the coconut as trading currency and to the ability of the husk to float across oceans where it propagates on other tropical islands. Now almost one-third of the world's population relies on the coconut for food and trade.

In literature, the coconut was first mentioned in the tales of Sinbad the Sailor recorded in The Arabian Nights. Sinbad is briefly shipwrecked on an island, where he discovers a huge crop of coconuts. Once his ship is repaired, he loads it up with coconuts and has a pleasant voyage home, stopping at various islands to trade them along his way. Historically, coconuts were valuable trade commodities in the Indian Ocean's Nicobar Islands well into the twentieth century.

Marco Polo mentioned the nux indica ("Indian nut") he discovered in Sumatra during the thirteenth century. Sir Francis Drake called the fruit "nargils." It is believed that Portuguese explorers originated the name coconut from their word coco, meaning "grinning face" or "monkey face" because the three indentations on top of the coconut resemble a face.

The Sanskrit term for the coconut palm is kalpa vriksha, meaning "tree which gives all that is necessary for living," or "The Tree of Life" because the tree and fruit provide material for food, shelter, medicine, and fuel. The coconut provides meat, water, milk, and oil; these can be consumed directly or used as ingredients for meals, medicines, soaps, and cosmetics. Coconut water contains a high level of electrolytes and is hygienic and therapeutic enough to be administered intravenously — during both World War II and the Vietnam War, doctors used coconut water as an intravenous solution when medical supplies ran out. The husk contains a fiber called coir, which was traditionally used as fuel and is now used to make ropes, matting, padding, or upholstery. Some South Pacific islanders even carved the shell into small discs to use as coins. The tree itself can be used for fuel or building shelter; however, as it bears fruit thirteen times a year, it is better to keep harvesting all those coconuts! Since the tree continually bears fruit year-round, it is rarely chopped down, so coconuts are an environmentally friendly source of nutrition.

The versatility of the coconut is not the only reason it has remained so popular and valuable for centuries. The coconut is also rich in essential nutrients and has magnificent healing properties. Coconut oil, a natural extract of the coconut, has been dubbed "the healthiest oil on Earth." What other substance can soothe eczema, improve dental hygiene, decrease the risk of heart disease, cure dandruff, increase immunity, and improve digestion? Coconut oil is indeed an amazing product of the "Tree of Life."

How to Break a Coconut

There is so much goodness hidden inside a coconut — but it is not that easy to release this goodness from within the hard outer shell! When opening a coconut for the first time, you risk injuring yourself or losing some of the nutritious content in the process.

Imagine the coconut is a world globe. The coconut has a soft "eye" at the North Pole and a natural breaking line along the Equator.

First, locate the eye at the top of the coconut. This eye is much softer than the rest of the coconut shell, so you can slide a metal skewer or a knife through to make a hole. Be careful not to lose your grip on the coconut while sliding the sharp implement through the shell. If your hand slips, you risk cutting yourself.

Once you have penetrated the shell, drain the coconut water into a jug. Now work out where the Equator would run around your coconut. Tap gently around it with a hammer, or thump the coconut against a wall until the coconut splits open. If your coconut is particularly stubborn, place it into a plastic bag and hit it directly with a hammer. When the coconut finally comes apart, it will all be neatly contained in the plastic bag.

Modern Coconut Harvesting

Traditional tropical island life was fairly simple and uncomplicated: the basic method of collecting coconuts by climbing or shaking a tree and then breaking them to reach the copra (coconut meat) would be enough to provide the local village with all the coconut meat, milk, and oil they required. The meat would be scooped out by hand and ground into a paste, creating a thick version of coconut milk. However, when Pacific Islanders recognized the valuable international interest in the coconut, they realized they needed to modernize their methods of extracting the precious coconut oil from copra to meet demand.

The most important and innovative advance in coconut harvesting was the dehusking machine, which was first created in the nineteenth century. The dehusking machine neatly removes the husk from around the meat of the coconut, eliminating the arduous task of cracking open the husk and scooping out the hard meat with a knife or sharp stick. It extracts the copra faster and more efficiently than a person can manually — a modern dehusking machine can dehusk three-hundred coconuts in an hour with minimal wastage of copra.

Interestingly, modern coconut farmers still practice the traditional method of grinding the copra. Most coconut oil producers will ferment the ground white pulp in bulk tanks for roughly seventy-two hours. Sitting undisturbed, the thick milk separates into water and oil, doing almost all the work independently.

What Is Virgin Coconut Oil?

You'll see different labels on the supermarket shelves — coconut oil, virgin coconut oil, and extra-virgin coconut oil. So what's the difference?

Basic (or "refined") coconut oil is made from dried copra. Most coconuts are sourced from remote villages far away from copra mills where the copra is processed into oil. It is a long journey to the copra mill, so villagers will smoke the copra to keep it longer. Then, after a few months, they deliver a large supply to the mill. The copra is generally smoke-dried but can also be sun-dried or kiln-dried. Smoke-dried copra looks dirty and has a rancid taste, so it must be bleached and cleaned with chemicals.

Virgin coconut oil is made from fresh copra. While villagers will toil for months to smoke enough copra to take to the mill, they will use a few fresh coconuts to whip up some virgin coconut oil for their own use. The virgin coconut oil is completely pure — it requires only minimal heating and no refining. It is higher quality and more expensive than standard coconut oil because of course it is more time-consuming to make large quantities of oil from fresh coconuts.

Some unscrupulous companies will label their bottles "virgin" or even "extra virgin" if the product is derived from dried copra. As there is no industry standard definition for virgin coconut oil, these companies can get away with falsely labeling their products. The best way to distinguish virgin coconut oil from standard coconut oil is to smell it. The purest, cleanest coconut oil still has the aroma of fresh coconut.

Dietary Benefits of Coconut Oil

The website of the Coconut Research Center (www.coconut-researchcenter.org) includes countless testimonials from people who have dramatically improved their health with a daily spoonful of coconut oil. Seventy-six-year-old Diana took regular doses of coconut oil when she was diagnosed with diabetes, and her blood sugar levels improved dramatically; Charlie B. attributes coconut oil to lowering his high blood pressure; and Giovanna wrote that her husband was due to have surgery to control debilitating ulcerative colitis, but his health improved dramatically when a friend recommended coconut oil.

You don't need to swallow coconut oil to benefit from its healing powers: a young mother named Nellita wrote in to say she has successfully cured her daughter's eczema by applying coconut oil on the skin. One man wrote that his teeth and gums have improved since he began "oil pulling." Other coconut oil fans describe improvements to their hair, their skin, even their sex lives!

Is it all true? Is there any scientific basis to these claims that coconut oil can cure so many ailments?

The rejuvenating properties of coconut oil are due to a unique blend of saturated fatty acids. Medical studies show that a daily intake of coconut oil can help our bodies mount resistance to both viruses and bacteria, thereby helping us withstand illness and disease. Coconut oil also helps fight off yeast, fungus, and Candida overgrowth in the body and has a positive effect on our hormones, helping us naturally balance our thyroid levels and increasing our metabolism and energy levels. As coconuts help the body use insulin more efficiently, coconut oil also helps maintain healthy blood sugar levels. It also stimulates digestion and absorbs fat-soluble vitamins, so you absorb more nutrients from your daily diet.

You don't need to be ill to investigate the health properties of coconut oil. It can cleanse your hair and skin, adding a healthy glow that will enhance your appearance and well-being.

The Fatty Acids in Coconut Oil

Coconut oil contains a blend of three fatty acids — lauric acid, capric acid, and caprylic acid. Fatty acids are an essential source of fuel for the body and the brain. Individually, each of these fatty acids has important healing powers. Combined, they are even more effective!

Capric acid, also known as decanoic acid, is the central reason for the health-giving properties of coconut oil. The word capric comes from the Latin word for goat, as capric acid is found in goat's milk. It is also found in cow's milk, although only coconut oil and palm oil contain capric acid in substantial quantities.

Capric acid combines with lauric acid and caprylic acid to trigger an increase in high-density lipoprotein (HDL) or "good" cholesterol. The "good" cholesterol lowers the risk of artherosclerosis, or thickening of the artery wall, a common and potentially fatal condition with no symptoms.

Capric acid has other beneficial properties. Once ingested, it converts into monocaprin, a substance with the ability to fight viruses, bacteria, and yeast infections such as Candida albicans. Monocaprin is also believed to help you release energy more efficiently, so you can remain active longer. It can be argued that in the longterm, capric acid can trigger weight loss and improve fitness.

Caprylic acid, is also found naturally in goat's milk and cow's milk as well as in coconut oil. Caprylic acid is believed to be effective in combating yeast infections and fighting bacteria such as staphylococcus and streptococcus. It is also believed to work as an antifungal agent by interfering with the cell walls of fungal infections such as Candida albicans. Caprylic acid will balance stomach acidity, and this in turn boosts the immune system, so you fight infection more effectively.

Lauric acid is a saturated fatty acid suitable for the production of soaps and cosmetics. Once ingested, it converts into monolaurin, a substance with strong antibacterial properties found only in human breastmilk and coconut oil. Monolaurin works to eliminate lipid-coated viruses such as herpes and influenza.

About two-thirds of the fatty acids in coconut oil are medium-chain fatty acids (MCFAs), making coconut oil the world's richest source of MCFAs. Vegetable oils and seed oils contain long-chain fatty acids (LCFAs), which are difficult to digest, so they are stored as cholesterol or fat. MCFAs are smaller than LCFAs, so they penetrate cell walls more easily, and unlike LCFAs, they convert into energy rather than fat.

Coconut oil can boost your metabolism both by providing more energy and by stimulating your thyroid gland. With a more efficient metabolism, you will heal faster and bounce back from illness better.

Saturated Fat and "Good" Cholesterol

You might be wondering why we are talking about coconut oil as healthy, when clearly fatty acids is another term for "saturated fat." Saturated fat is unhealthy, isn't it?

Actually, naturally occurring saturated fat is extremely healthy for you. Artificially created saturated fat — also known as trans fat — is not. Food distributors add extra hydrogen atoms to unsaturated products such as vegetable oil or seed oil in a process called hydrogenation so the products will last longer. Hydrogenation transforms the healthy and natural unsaturated fat into unhealthy unnatural saturated fat and ruins the reputation of natural saturated fats such as coconut oil.

For decades (since the introduction of hydrogenation and trans fats), saturated fat has been blamed for health conditions such as cardiovascular disease. But Pacific Islanders, who incorporate coconut oil into almost all their meals, have an extremely low incidence of cardiovascular disease and other health issues related to saturated fat. This is partly due to the combined presence of capric, lauric, and caprylic acids, which boost the production of lipoprotein, the "good" cholesterol that improves the health of your heart.

So the myth that coconut oil is bad for you is actually an intentional clouding over of the true message that artificially created saturated fat is unhealthy for you. Coconut oil, as a natural product, containing natural substances rarely found in other foods, is extremely beneficial for your overall health and well-being.

How to Make Coconut Oil at Home

Makes approximately 6.5 oz (200 ml) of oil

You will need:

• 3 coconuts

• A sharp cleaver

• Metal spoon/paring knife

• Food processor (or grater)

• Sheet of cheesecloth

• Bowl

• Glass jar with lid

First, split your coconuts with the cleaver, very carefully. Have a bowl handy, so as the coconut cracks open, you can save the coconut water that is stored in the center of the coconut. Coconut water is a cloudy, watery fluid, rich in electrolytes, so it is healthy to drink.

Once you have opened the coconut, you will see the shell is lined with a thick white layer. This is the coconut "meat." Use a metal spoon to scrape all the meat from the shell. If you need some extra help, try using a paring knife. When you have removed all the meat from the shell, slice it into small pieces. Put these pieces into the food processor and blend at medium seed until the meat is pulpy.

Cover a bowl with cheesecloth and spoon a portion of the coconut mixture onto the cheesecloth. Then wrap the cloth around the coconut and squeeze the bundle over the bowl. You will see coconut milk drain through the cloth into the bowl. Keep squeezing until you have removed all the fluid from the pulp, then put the pulp aside and spoon another batch of coconut mixture into the cheesecloth. Repeat until you have squeezed all the fluid from the mixture.

Now pour the fluid into a glass jar and secure the lid. Leave it to ferment for forty-eight hours.

Set the jar aside until you see a thick layer of curd has appeared at the top of the jar. Once the curd has risen, place the jar in the fridge so the curd can harden.

Once the curd has hardened, you can remove it with a spoon, and the remaining thick liquid in the jar is your coconut oil.

How to Make Your Own Fresh Coconut Milk or Cream

While coconut milk is always available in the supermarket, nothing beats the nutritious and delicious value of your own freshly made coconut milk.

Ingredients:

A fresh coconut (preferably an organic one) or 1 cup dried shredded coconut

A good quality grater (or food processor with grater attachment)

A cheesecloth, fine mesh strainer, or nut milk bag (you can easily find these in a health food shop)

Hot water (preferably purified)

A good-quality blender

If using fresh coconut, grate all the flesh. Be sure to remove the brown outer skin.

If using shredded coconut, put equal parts of coconut and purified water in a bowl and let it soak and rehydrate.

Place 1 cup of your grated/hydrated coconut in a blender with 2 cups of warm water and blend until smooth. For a creamier texture, use less water.

Pour through a fine mesh strainer, cheesecloth, or nut milk bag.

Repeat the process with the remaining coconut in the strainer. Do not repeat too many times, as the milk will be weaker each time. Leftover coconut meal can be baked in to cookies.

Enjoy this fresh coconut milk or coconut cream in your smoothies, curries, healthy desserts, or anywhere a recipe calls for coconut milk or coconut cream.

Storing Coconut Milk and Coconut Cream

As fresh coconut milk/cream has a short shelf life, you should use it immediately or freeze in BPA-free food containers, ice cube trays, or baby-food storage containers. Ice cube trays give you the correct portions and temperature for fresh smoothies!