The Health Benefits of Coconuts! by Tom Mountford
Coconut has recently been reported to reduce the viral load of HIV. It began in September, 1996 when a PWA, Chris D. of Cloverdale, Indiana, prepaid his funeral, stopped all treatments and supplements and decided to take his last vacation in the jungles of South America. His HIV viral load was over 600,000, CD4 count was at ten and CD8 was 300. Around October 14,1996, he began eating daily a dish of cooked coconut prepared by the local Indians. By December 27, 1996, upon returning home, his viral load was at non-detectable levels and he had gained 32 pounds. and was feeling great. He then had a friend who began to eat 1/2 of a cooked coconut each day. In 4 weeks his viral load dropped from 900,000 to 350,000 and in another four weeks after adding Crixivan alone it became non-detectable. The Indians in Surinam eat cooked coconut every morning to help prevent illness.
Coconut oil contains lauric acid which is converted by the body into monolaurin. The action attributed to monolaurin is that of solubilizing the lipids, in the envelope of the virus, causing the disintegration of the virus envelope. Mary Enig, MS (Nutritional Sciences), Ph.D., has done extensive research on trans-fatty acids. She wrote that some of the pathogens inactivated by monolaurin include HIV, measles, herpes simplex virus, cytomegalovirus (CMV), influenza virus and pneumonovirus, as well as several bacteria. Lark Lands, Ph.D. reports in her upcoming book "Positively Well" that, in India, coconut oil is fed to calves to treat cryptosporidium. Mark Konlee in Positive Health News (Report No. 14) reports on coconut products and lauric acid research as well as how it has been reported to resolve neuropathy in a few instances.
Dr. Enig suggests a rich lauric acid diet would contain about 24 grams of lauric acid daily for the average adult. This is based on her calculations on the amount of lauric acid found in human mother’s milk. The daily amount (24 grams) could be found in about 3.5 tablespoons of coconut oil or 10 ounces of pure coconut milk. About 7 ounces of raw coconut daily would contain 24 grams of lauric acid.
In his report Mark Konlee gives ideas on how to use raw coconut, coconut milk or oil. If you are allergic to coconuts, you may use coconut oil . The allergy is caused by proteins in the coconut, not the oil. He also describes other uses for coconut oil such as for skin rashes, fungal infections and plantar warts. Abram Hoffer MD in "The Facts About Fats" recommends using a certified organic coconut oil such as that distributed by Jarrow Formulas. It is made by Omega Nutrition, Bellingham, Washington, and is packaged in opaque containers.
