The coconut palm can be found growing throughout most of the tropics, and wherever it grows the coconut is used as a staple food and a source of medicine by the indigenous people. Coconut oil, once deemed unhealthy due to it’s high saturated fat content, is now widely considered the healthiest oil on the planet. It is also very versatile, and can be used for cooking, medicine, skin care, and it even makes a very effective conditioner for hair. All in all there are plenty benefits of coconut oil. Once it was considered unhealthy because it is very high in saturated fat, however we have now discovered that this isn’t the case at all. Even though coconut oil has a high saturated fat content, it isn’t the same as other saturated fat. Most of the fat that humans eat is comprised of long chain fatty acids, weather it comes from a plant or an animal, coconut oil however contains mostly medium chain fatty acids. Medium chain fatty acids are much easier to metabolize than their long chain cousins, and do not increase LDL cholesterol, AKA “bad” cholesterol, making it much better for your heart. Oil of a coconut is also good for weight control, as the medium chain fatty acids in it contain less calories than any other kind of fat.

Coconuts have been used as a very effective medication by tropical people for centuries. Most of these medical benefits are actually due to the oil. It can greatly reduce the risk of Atherosclerosis and heart disease, has shown a lot of promise in treating many conditions including Diabetes, and HIV, and may even be able to protect the body against several forms of cancer. Although much of the research is not yet complete, coconut oil shows a lot of promise as a powerful, natural medication. It can also be used to promote healthy hair and skin. It moisturizes both skin and hair, helps fight premature aging and wrinkles, and is even very good at fighting dandruff. It is also a very good massage oil because unlike mineral oil it moisturizes and does not pose any risk of an adverse side effects.

Although coconut oil is much lower in calories than other cooking oils it is still fat and should be used with some degree of moderation. It may not pose the serious risks to the heart that other fats do but eating too much of it will result in weight gain which puts stress on the body as a whole; However, when used as a substitute for other oils and fats in a normal diet it should not pose any threat to your health.