Why coconut oil treats eczema, lice, arthritis

For many decades, people have been using virgin coconut oil
for controlling dandruff, for complete skin care
and for hair growth. But there are many
other diseases for which this oil is used,
ranging from earache, diabetes, scabies,
burns, arthritis to herpes and athletes foot.
Virgin coconut oil is extracted from copra,
which is the dried inner flesh of coconut.
Coconut oil consists of about 90 per cent
saturated fat. The oil contains
predominantly medium chain triglycerides,
such as lauric acid, myristic acid and
palmitic acid.
Research is now verifying many health
benefits of coconut oil, which many
indigenous communities have long known.
In a recent study published in Skin
Pharmacology and Physiology, scientists
examined the impact of topical coconut oil
on wound healing and found that when
virgin coconut oil was applied to the
wound, it dramatically increased the rate at
which wounds heal.
They found that the coconut oil dramatically
increased the rate at which the wounds heal
by stimulating collagen production and
turn-over. Also, new blood vessels formed
more quickly in skin treated with virgin
coconut oil.
This study, which was undertaken to
evaluate the effect of a topical application
of virgin coconut oil on wound healing in
young rats, involved three sets of
experiments with three groups of female
Sprague-Dawley rats each consisting of six
animals. Group 1 was the control; groups 2
and 3 were treated with 0.5 and 1.0 ml VCO,
respectively, 24 hours after wound creation
for 10 days. After the experimental period,
the healing property of virgin coconut oil
was evaluated on the healing process.
Head lice infestation (pediculosis), one of
the most common contagious childhood
diseases is caused by barely visible insects
found almost exclusively on the human
scalp.
Contrary to popular belief, head lice
infestation has little to do with personal
hygiene. In fact, head lice are totally non-
discriminating, and can infest people of any
lifestyle, age, race, or socio-economic status.
However, it is a serious public health
problem because some lice can carry
organisms that cause other diseases,
including relapsing fever.
A 2009 clinical trial has shown the
superiority of a coconut oil as a natural
alternative to the conventional treatment
from head lice and their eggs. The clinical
trial, which was published in the journal
European Journal of Paediatrics involved
100 participants, found that coconut-oil
based spray was more effective than
pharmaceutical permethrin (an insecticide
for treating lice infestation) 0.43 per cent
topical treatment for head lice.
Quite interestingwas their finding which
indicated that coconut oil spray, which also
contained anise, was far safer for use in
children. It was 40 per cent more effective
than the neurotoxin permethrin.
Overall, these studies indicated that the
product is likely to have a treatment success
rate of around 90 per cent, which would
make it an acceptable alternative in areas
where resistance is an issue with
conventional insecticides like permethrin.
The researchers, declaring that the fatty
content of the coconut oil, which persisted
on the hair and lice subsequent to washing
contributed to the efficacy of the coconut-
oil based spray.
Eczema is a condition in which the skin
becomes dry, cracked and flaky and is far
more susceptible to getting infected. There
is no known cure for eczema, but Virgin
coconut oil can be considered as a natural
alternative to relieve its associated itching
and redness of the skin.
According to a 2008 study published in the
journal Dermatitis, virgin coconut oil has
emollient properties that help to heal and
protect the skin’s surface, as well as broad-
spectrum antimicrobial components that
help to protect against bacteria, viruses and
fungi associated with eczema.
Burns, especially scalds from hot water and
liquids are some of the most common
childhood accidents. An assessment of
virgin coconut oil on burns found out that it
could be used as a cheap and effective
adjuvant to other topical agents used in the
treatment of burns.
Scientists published in the 2008 edition of
the Indian Journal of Pharmacology that
there was significant improvement in burn
wound contraction in the group treated
with the combination of coconut and silver
sulphadiazine.
They suggested that its effectiveness in
treatment of burns could be due to both its
anti-inflammatory and antiseptic properties.
Arthritis is painful and frustrating. Many
prescription and over-the-counter
medications promise relief from the aching
joint pain. Not all forms of treatment come
from the pharmacy, though. In fact, one of
such is coconut oil.
Studies have shown that coconut oil helps
to smooth the pain of fibromyalgia and
arthritis. That people suffering from
arthritis will experience less pain in their
joints and fingers after rubbing the affect
areas with coconut oil was corroborated in
a 2010 study published the journal,
Pharmaceutical biology.
Under laboratory conditions, the oil was
tried out on the swollen paw and ear of rats
and found to have anti-inflammatory,
analgesic, and antipyretic properties. It was
suggested that massaging coconut oil into
the aching joint help to reduce
inflammation, increase blood flow to the
afflicted area and invariably decreasing
arthritic pain.
Because of its smoothing medical effects,
coconut oil is used on herpes symptoms, on
minor cuts and bruises. The lauric acid that
it contains is also an anti-microbial that kills
certain bacteria, virus and fungi that are not
treated with conventional medicine.
Meanwhile, previous studies indicated that
in societies that consume much of their
calories from the saturated fats of coconut
oil, diabetes was very rare. A study done in
India in 1998 showed that when Indians
abandoned traditional fats like ghee and
coconut oil, and started using
polyunsaturated fats like sunflower or
safflower oils, their rates of diabetes
became alarmingly high.