6 Great Uses for Coconut Oil, a Superfood

Coconut oil is sort of a rising star in the natural foods world, with news of its many benefits spreading fast.  One of the main components of coconut oil—and the reason for many of its great benefits—is lauric acid.

Lauric acid is converted into a monoglyceride compound called monolaurin which has several attributes.  It's an antiviral, antimicrobial, antiprotozoal, and antifungal.  It disrupts the lipid membranes in many types of naughty organisms like fungi, bacteria, and viruses.  This destroys them, of course, and makes coconut oil a great topical and internal medicine.

So beyond just using coconut oil as a frying oil or stir-fry alternative, it can be used for many other great things.  Here are six of our favorites:

As a daily supplement:

Coconut oil taken as a daily supplement can help boost the immune system by augmenting your first-line defenses, it boosts metabolism, and gives vital nutrients to help build healthy skin and hair.  Most nutritionists recommend cold-pressed oil, taken at about 2-3 tablespoons per day.

For colds, sore throats, and cough:

The antimicrobial and virus properties of coconut oil are extremely useful as a natural way to kill the bad germs that are causing head colds, light flu symptoms, and the like.  Especially sore throats and congestion.  Take a tablespoon of warm coconut oil to sooth.

On cuts, scrapes, rashes, and acne:

Again, the antimicrobial/bacterial aspects of coconut oil come into play with these topical uses.  Just spread over the affected area, rubbing it in thoroughly.  It's most effective if used 2-3 times per day on persistent problems like rash or acne.  For acne prevention, it can be used as a twice-daily face wash.

Hair conditioning and dandruff preventive:

Coconut oil has many properties that make it protect and build your hair and follicles.  It also heals damaged skin and kills some of the infections that can arise because of dandruff.  The natural oil itself is a soother and hydrant for these needs.  Apply to hair and scalp, leave for three to five minutes, then shower and rinse or shampoo as normal.

Athletes Foot:

For athletes foot, and similar fungal infections, coconut oil is applied as on other skin maladies.  Topically, it is rubbed into the infected area and left for as long as possible.  For athlete's foot, this means rubbing it into feet and wearing socks.  As an athlete's foot preventive, it can be applied at the gym or after the gym to prevent the fungi that you may have acquired from taking hold.

These are just a few of the many ways that coconut oils and butters are used in people's daily lives.  It's a great, natural, and healthy way to take care of many of life's worries.  It's also great as a lip balm, deodorant, natural makeup remover, the base for a sun screen, and even in toothpaste.  Did I mention that it helps remove the bags from under your eyes too?

Truly, it's one of nature's superfoods!  What are your favorite uses?

Buy Healthy Coconut Products

	Garden of Life - Living Foods -Extra Virgin Coconut Oil - 16oz Oil List Price: $15.95 Sale Price: $10.37 Average Rating:
	Extra Virgin Coconut Oil is a healthy, versatile, unprocessed dietary oil. Made from organically grown coconuts, Garden of Life's Extra Virgin Coconut Oil features Medium Chain Fatty Acids which the body metabolizes, converting the fats to energy rather than storing them as fat...

	Nutiva Organic Extra Virgin Coconut Oil, 15-Ounce Tubs (Pack of 2) List Price: $24.00 Sale Price: $9.95 Average Rating:
	Nutiva's coconut oil is cold-pressed, organic extra-virgin coconut oil, with its light taste, pleasant aroma, and pure white color, and industrialized coconut oil, with its bland taste, faint aroma, and off-white color...

	Nutiva Organic Extra Virgin Coconut Oil, 54-Ounce Containers (Pack of 2) List Price: $68.00 Sale Price: $47.35
	Nutiva's Coconut Oil is cold-pressed, organic extra-virgin coconut oil, with its light taste, pleasant aroma, and pure white color. Please note that any tiny brown specks found at the bottom of Nutiva's Coconut Oil are from the coconut fiber and are indigenous to extra-virgin coconut oil...

	Nutiva Organic Coconut Oil, 29-Ounce Jars (Pack of 2) List Price: $44.00 Sale Price: $27.80 Average Rating:
	Nutiva's coconut oil is cold-pressed, organic extra-virgin coconut oil, with its light taste, pleasant aroma, and pure white color, and industrialized coconut oil, with its bland taste, faint aroma, and off-white color...

	Paragon Coconut Popcorn Popping Oil (Gallon) List Price: $21.00 Sale Price: $15.75 Average Rating:
	Get great theater-quality taste with coconut oil.

	Nutiva Organic Extra Virgin Coconut Oil (8-Pound), 1-Gallon Tub List Price: $72.99 Sale Price: $49.95 Average Rating:
	Since the 1960s, coconut oil has been mistakenly described as unhealthy. The media reported on studies finding that tropical coconut oils were laden with artery-clogging fats. What went unreported was the fact that the coconut oil used in the studies was hydrogenated — not the virgin oil used for centuries as a staple food...