The comments below reflect the personal experiences and opinions of readers and do not represent medical advice or the views of this website. The information shared has not been evaluated by the FDA and is not intended to diagnose, treat, or prevent any disease or health condition. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional for medical concerns.
How to Take Internally
Posted by Mary Ann (Rural, South Africa) on 11/04/2008
Please help. I would like to start taking CO, being in Africa Im not sure if the coconut oil I have can be ingested. or if one can only apply it. My daughter who is a great believer in using it on her hair left it with me. It is called Pure Coconut Oil and is in solid form, althought when warmed becomes clear oil. It has no smell or perhaps faintly. I am not sure what the appearance should be.
Regards
Mary Ann
EC: Mary Ann, can you tell us the name of the manufacturer? We can do more research about the brand with that information.
How to Take Internally
Posted by Sandra (Grosse Pointe, Michigan) on 10/28/2008
Hello everyone, I love this site. Thanks to everyone who contributes to it in one way or another, also thanks to the wonderful people maintaining it, I can only imagine the amount of work that must go into it.
As for the coconut oil, I too find the taste very unpleasant (and the texture too, I live in a cold place and the oil is often in solid form), but the way I get around it is by adding about 1 1/2 teaspoons to a bowl of lentils, I usually cook lentils (with turmeric, cayenne, tomatoes and other spices) over the weekend and during the week, I reheat them in a pan, and then add the coconut oil to the bowl. It is a great improvement in taste. I hope this helps.
How to Take Internally
Posted by London (Sandusky, Ohio) on 10/28/2008
I've heard so many good things about this. My problem is, coconut oil taste so gross by itself on a tablespoon. How can you take coconut oil without wanting to wretch? It makes me nauseous, when I do manage to choke it down. I know they use to use coconut oil in baked goods a long time ago, because it was the only stable cooking oil that kept for long periods of time. It tastes great in small amounts, just not in great heaping tablespoons.
Otherwise, it makes a great skin moisturizer out of the shower. Smells good too.
Skin Issues
Posted by Sindu (Bangalore, India) on 10/12/2008
Yes, i do think your skin will look tanned because I have experienced it.
Skin Issues
Posted by Christine (Tokyo, Japan) on 10/08/2008
I have been using organic virgin coconut oil on my face and body for 2 weeks now. It has improved the texture of my skin however I seem to always looked flushed on my face and neck, almost looks like I am sunburnt. I have very fair skin and have been using only a medium coverage amount on my face and neck so that it absorbs almost completly. Has anyone else experienced this and does it calm down? Is it removing the dead skin layers as it seems to look like the effects of a light chemical peel?
Thank you
Broad Benefits
Posted by Renee (Gilbert, LA) on 10/05/2008
Just started looking into vco, what do you mean by "pulling"?
Broad Benefits
Posted by Suzt (Missoula, MT) on 10/01/2008
Melissa, how much do you take a day?
Broad Benefits
Posted by Melissa (Kaukauna, Wi) on 10/01/2008
★★★★★
I've been taking extra-virgin (cold compressed) coconut oil for 1 month now. Wow the results are simply amazing. I suggest everyone tries it. It's great for many things..I've lost weight almost right away, and my energy wow, I'm loving it. I'm not tired anymore...and the cool thing is that your body actually tells you when it needs the oil...I have nothing bad to say about it.. GOOD LUCK
Energy Booster
Posted by Heather (Mundelein, IL) on 09/11/2008
In response to Teri-Lee from TX...I would not heat the coconut oil in the microwave before blending it! Microwaving any food changes its composition and destroys the healthy enzymes in the oil. Your shake sounds like a good idea, just skip the microwaving part.
Skin Issues
Posted by Melanie (Brownsburg, Indiana) on 09/05/2008
★★★★★
i discovered coconut oil about 4 yrs ago and was using it for seborhea, and for dry patches of skin. I rubbed it into my cuticles each night, and on day 6, i realized the wart that had been on my finger for a few years was totally GONE! It had to be the oil, because i was not using a wart remover. Also, i have found that coconut oil helps heal my seborhea patches quickly, whereas medicines did not.
How to Take Internally
Posted by Cathy (Sudbury, Canada) on 09/01/2008
If you want to use coconut oil, cook with it! Butter your bread with it, use it in or on muffins instead of butter. My favorite is to use it for cooking pancakes, fried sweet potato french fries. Anything you fry because it is the only safe oil at high temperatures. Get creative with it. enjoy the lovely flavor. Put it in shakes!
Cheap Coconut Oil Sources
Posted by Joyce (Joelton, Tn) on 08/26/2008 490 posts
★☆☆☆☆
After reading someone's contribution to EC that coconut oil had been purchased at Walmart baking section I went looking to see because I knew that the virgin coconut and EVC oil was much more expensive than price she quoted. I finally got around to visiting Walmart's baking section and a few days ago and did find a 3l.5 fl. oz (.98 QT or 93l mL) container of LouAna coconut oil, labeled l00% pure and natural, only ingredient listed as coconut oil, distributed by Ventura Foods, LLC. of Opelousas, LA. 70570. I don't know if this is what the contributor was talking about or not. Nor can I say that it is definitely coconut oil or not. What I can definitely say is that every time I have purchased VC or EVC it has had a very strong odor of fresh coconut or coconut milk, which I happen to like the smell of. There is no odor whatever of coconut about the above product, however using it on my hands makes them feel softer.
Itchy Skin
Posted by Mark (San Diego, California) on 08/23/2008
★★★★★
I have had a really bad itch on my forearms for the last 4 or 5 years, every time the weather warms up. It is something that effects me on a daily basis. Since using the virgin coconut oil, it has basically gone away. The one day I didn't use it though, I itched a bit, but as long as I put it on my arms daily, no itch.
Lung Conditions, Thick Mucus
Posted by Cindy (Wichita, Kansas) on 08/18/2008
Water cannot do its thing without salt. Salt is number 3 on the list of things you can't live without. 1 and 2 are air and water. I suspect that if you do not take salt (preferably unprocessed sea salt) the body will break down the calcium in the bones to get at the salts they contain. I've done a lot of research on dehydration but have not seen this correlation anywhere. It is merely my suspicion due to the relationship between chronic dehydration combined with low salt intake teachings and the epidemic of osteoporosis. It is suspected that over 75% of people in the US are chronically dehydrated which means that 75% of the human bodies in the US are operating in emergency, water rationing mode. Sipping doesn't count and neither do other liquids. The body does not process other liquids the same way it processes plain water on an empty stomach. Water is used by every system in the body. Including the process it must go through to steal water from the colon. My personal rule of thumb is that any liquid that is not plain water belongs to the colon.
How to Take Internally
Posted by Karen (Santa Clarita, CA) on 08/13/2008
★★★★★
I've just started taking Extra Virgin Coconut Oil for psoriasis. I always use a pendulum to assess proper dosages when taking herbs or supplements. You can use anything that dangles (I've even used my key chain) and I've made pendulums from a paper clip or safety pin attached to a thread. Hold the item in your left hand and hold the pendulum in your right hand over the object as you ask the question for a "yes" or "no" response. If the pendulum swings from left to right as when a person motions "no" the answer is no. If the pendulum swings from north to south as in a person motioning "yes" then the answer is yes. Or if the pendulum swings clockwise the answer is "yes" and if it swings counterclockwise the answer is no. Simple. In the case of EVCO I first asked "Would it be beneficial for me to take this EVCO now?" The answer was "yes". Then I asked if it would be beneficial to take 1 Tbs. The answer was "no". I asked if it would be beneficial to take 2 tsp. The answer was "no". Then I asked if it would be beneficial to take 1 tsp. The answer was "no". From there I knew I had to take either more than 1 Tbs. or less than 1 tsp. So I asked if it would be beneficial to take 1/2 tsp. and the answer was "yes"! I had my correct dosage for my body. Interestingly, after taking 1/2 tsp. EVCO I had a queasy stomach, but didn't get sick. Imagine how I would have felt had I just gone ahead and taken 1 Tbs. without checking with the pendulum! I will continue with the 1/2 tsp. dosage until my body tells me to increase or decrease the dosage. I hope this will help you too. Karen
Skin Issues
Posted by Ione (Sacramento, CA) on 08/13/2008
★★★★★
According to D'Adamo and the "Eat Right 4 Your Type" diet, just about no one should eat coconut oil. I'm a fan of that diet, but I also know that one size does not fit all. Some of the things ER4YT says I can tolerate, in truth, I cannot (wine, sulfa drugs, etc). As a Type A, non-secretor, it says that I can tolerate coconut milk. But not coconut oil? It doesn't make all that much sense to me. I started taking it for thyroid help, but I love what it has been doing for my skin. I haven't had any side effects so far. I don't understand how anyone can lose weight taking this tho. At 120 calories in 1 tbls, if you take it 4 times a day, you are adding 480 calories.
Hypothyroidism
Posted by Dawn (London, UK) on 08/08/2008
The coconut oil can make have an 'effect' on hormones, with hypothyroidism there are various reasons for underactivity, autoimmune, iodine deficiency etc. Ask your doctor to test for thyroid antibodies because Hashimotos autoimmune thyroid disease makes the hormone releases irregular and causes other symptoms. You still need to take your thyroid hormones :) You might like to join a forum for thyroid sufferers?I have Hashis, I am trying the oil again, I couldn't tolerate it before.
God bless
Skin Issues
Posted by Che (Roxas City, Philippines) on 07/26/2008
★★★★★
My skin suffered the tear and wear of using numerous brands of different brands of cosmetics til the combination of these different chemicals being used on these cosmetics, resulted to facial skin damages. Wrinkles, and the worst which made me embarrassed everytime when people got surprised to see the black spots on my face which i knew from prolong used of differrent chemicals. I have tried numerous products to get rid of it. Some will give me an effect of two weeks but afterward the damaged on my face becomes worst. My face dont seem to response to any cosmetic, the more cosmetics i used the worst it becomes so, i thought of experimenting on natural remedies.I have started making my own formula when i came across this site which made my research more valid. Every night, as i watched tv i massage VCO on my legs and arms it made my skin so soft @ flawless. When i wear skirt, people thought i have stockings on my legs.
For my face, 3x a week, i combined
1 tsp of molasses or
honey
1/4 tsp of ACV [APPLE CIDER VINEGAR]
1/2 tsp of VCO [VIRGIN COCONUT OIL]
1 tsp of turmeric
1/2 tsp of oats
Make to a paste, splash face with warm water and gently massage the paste on your face. Let it stay 10-20minutes. Rinse it with warm water.
Then i toned my face with ACV, Hydrogen peroxide and water and moisturize my face with alternating VCO and grapeseed oil. Amazing it gradually whitened my face naturally, wrinkles free with less expenses. I am 49 yr old grandma with 3 grandchildren mistaken as more years younger than my age. Thanks to this site, it made me more creative combining the natural resources that are abundant in our country Philippines. By the way, i make my own VCO and sell to my friends also. I use VCO externally and internally as it is the cleanest and the cheapest oil on earth. I enjoy the benefit of a monolaurin found in VCO the same benefit found in a mothers milk. I rarely got sick as VCO is a natural antibiotic, that can get rid of viral @ bacterial lepid coated illnesses.Thanks to this heaven sent site and to the people who openly shares thier beneficial testimonies. God Bless Us All as we continue to spread and share the good news. Email me @ let me know how this works with you.
Glands
Posted by Sarah (Champaign, IL) on 07/24/2008
★★★★★
My thyroid level was low. The doctor said I must go on thyroid prescription. I said give me a few months to try virgin organic coconut oil. I took 3 to 4 tablespoons daily in smoothies or melted on salad or just ate it. (It looks like crisco, which worried me, but I was determined not to have a lifelong prescrip.) At the next blood test in 4 months my thyroid function was "excellent" and to top it off my cholesterol had dropped the bad level and raised the good level. The docotor was pleased. I needed no prescription. I did gain 2 pounds, but considering how much oil I ate and for how long it was not an issue.
Energy Booster
Posted by Joye (Brandon, Manitoba, Canada) on 07/24/2008
Hi. You were saying you were taking 1 tbsp of oil a day. I find when we start something new you need to start off small. May be try taking a 1/2 of tsp of oil for a week or so then a 1tsp and so on. Your body is probaly saying it is too much all at once. Try it. I liquidfied my oil and use it in my oatmeal and salads, it is awesome.
Energy Booster
Posted by Bravestar (Columbia, MD) on 07/22/2008
If you can't take it by mouth, then try look up gnc or health or vitamin shoppe or internet store to find coconut oil in capsules or table to take oral try that if it help hmm. It's help me well since, I can't take it straight to my mouth, capsules helped for me.
Cheap Coconut Oil Sources
Posted by Stephanie (Odessa, Missouri) on 07/19/2008
★☆☆☆☆
My suggestion is never to buy EVCO, supplements, vitamins or organic foods from Walmart or any other chain store with the exception of Whole grocers. I pay 15.00 for my 12 oz jar of EVCO once a week. It is well worth it. I have severe psoriasis from my scalp to my toes. I use head to toe twice a day. I use spectrum for my skin (organic only). I also cook and take veggie tabs with EVCO two a day.Internally I use Harvast bay and Artisana which gives 1% back to the rain forest. Any name brand item that states it is organic be very cautious. There are certain items you should never skimp on in your life. Food, water, anything that touches your skin or hair, supplements, vitamins, and the air you breathe. Cut cost now pay later. With that said, please take your own green bags to the grocery store to sack your groceries. The feeling you get from this good deed lasts all day.
Dry Skin
Posted by Sunil (Delhi, India) on 07/18/2008
May be you are not aware of use(or manufacturing process) of Virgin Coconut oil, which is far good compare to ordinary coconut oil. The difference is the manufacturing process where virgin coconut oil is produced without adding any chemical or sun dried process on the other hand ordinary coconut has everything(Chemical). Try using the virgin coconut oil and see the difference. Even some Indian company claiming that they produced the virgin coconut oil in 60 minutes with cold processing.
Hair
Posted by Molly ( Austin, Tx) on 07/17/2008
★★★★★
I use cocunut oil for many ailments, however I just tried it this week as a mask for my very dry hair, I dyed, bleach, and ironed my hair for years, so its incredibly coarse and frizzy all the time, I've tried EVERYTHING available in stores and salons, with little to no results. So I scooped out a few handfuls of coconut oil (enough to cover all my hair) and I work it in really well (as if your coating all your hair with gel) then I put a shower cap on, and in about 20 minutes I showered as normal, and my hair in SO FREAKING SMOOTH, and shiny and soft, I still iron my hair, but this is the first time I never had to use some kind of smoothing gel, its amazing, I'm going to do it all the time now!!!
Genital Warts
Posted by Katie (San Jose, CA) on 07/09/2008
I also heard castor oil helps too!
Cheap Coconut Oil Sources
Posted by Tina (Dunbridge, Ohio) on 07/08/2008
★☆☆☆☆
I just bought Louann's Coconut oil(30oz) at Walmart and it was $7! Still on the pricey side to me and it's not organic.
Coconut Oil Caveats
Posted by Jennie (Cph, DK) on 07/06/2008
A quick search on the net turned up some info about this product (Source Natural's Coconut Oil Softgels). The Titanium Dioxide (TD) is added to the product as well as gelative (presumably the capsule). TD is added to products for its optic whitening qualities. As that has to do with appearance, it makes no sense to use TD in a product meant for ingestion!
Pure coconut oil does not contain TD, and therefore does not carry the carcinogenic risk with it.
Coconut Oil Caveats
Posted by Pat (Ballwin, MO) on 07/04/2008
★☆☆☆☆WARNING!
I intended to purchase the product below from Amazon, then checked the reviews on it. Please read the review below:
Source Naturals
Extra Virgin Coconut Oil Softgels, 240 softgels
Price: $21.46
1.0 out of 5 stars Would not buy again, November 18, 2007
I bought these to take by mouth, but after seeing the thick covering decided I didn't want to ingest that material--then decided to use the oil inside the capsule on my skin.
When cutting a small hole and squeezing out the oil, I noticed a small pellet that wouldn't melt on my skin in almost all the capsules. Not sure what that material is, but am glad that I decided not to take them internally.
Also after doing some reading on Titanium Dioxide (listed as an ingredient) found that it is "Classified as Possibly Carcinogenic to Humans" by IARC.
Now I plan to stop using it on my skin and throw away the rest of the bottle--should've done my research before buying.
Canker Sores
Posted by Maddy (Nottingham, UK) on 07/04/2008
Reply to Sandy in New Windsor, MD: Thank you Sandy for that information. I did not know that. Have not read it in any of the literature. I am sure the remedy still works using your methods. Maddy, UK
Glands
Posted by CH (PDL, USA) on 07/01/2008
FOR THE LADY WHO ALWAYS FEELS SOMETHING IS STUCK IN HER THROAT: I was reading the part about something stuck in your throat and hard to swallow, I had a problem for about 5 months where I always felt their was something stuck in my throat, I had every test in the books, problem got worse, I finally had a test where they go down your throat and they found a web at the top of my esophagus that had grown across and the tore/removed the web, After my throat got over being sore from that, I no longer had that feeling anymore and could swallow again.
Face
Posted by Lulu (Mpls, MN) on 06/22/2008
I agree on the rash being a cleanse rather than a reaction. I started using VCO on my skin a few weeks ago and I love the way my skin feels from it but at first I did have some flare ups of stuff that I thought were old and healed issues. Now after sticking to it things have gotten wonderful. If you try again to use VCO then just reassure yourself it is temporary healing. I think they call it re-tracing.
Broad Benefits
Posted by Dianna (Austin, Texas) on 06/14/2008
★★★★★
i started using virgin coconut oil about a year ago. i got it to use on my hair but couldn't resist eating it!!! soon i was using it all over my body. the first thing i noticed is that for the first time EVER i was no longer constipated!!! then my skin started becoming silkier. also i have always been cold and this was the first winter that i was not cold all the time. i like to massage my entire body with the VCO and then get into a very warm bath and soak. i do not use soap but scrub with a loofah. when i get out my skin is silky and very soft. using it this way has totally removed the little hard bumps that used to be all over the back of my arms and on my thighs. at first my boyfriend was skeptical. he was a chef and only knew about hydrogenated coconut oil and that it was dangerous. now he is doing oil pulling with the VCO as am i and both of us have stronger whiter teeth!!! also he has seen me give it to my pet rats and seen the good results: softer and shinier fur and less allergies!!!
we all love virgin coconut oil!!!
Skin Issues
Posted by Lazaro (Laredo, Texas, US) on 06/13/2008
★★★★★
I have been using coconut oil for about an year now, and I love it! I rarely drink it, however, I use it as a lotion instead of the store brand. My skin looks and feels great. Since it is a bit oily, I started to put it on my face. Mostly around my eyes and forehead. My younger sister commented once that I don't have any wrinkles and she has. She wanted to know my secret. I told her of course. I further told her that if you cannot drink the store brand lotions, why is she putting it on her skin? Coconut oil can be eaten. I also use it to moisten my lips. And on a couple occasions for hemorrodes- I know I misspelled that.
Herpes
Posted by Maggie (Orlando, Florida) on 06/12/2008
Peter wrote last year that he had been ingesting cocoanut oil and belived he may have been rid of herpes. His commentary stated he would be taking a blood test to find out if the remedy worked. I would like to know if Peter has written back, and if not, would he please do so, to advise on any test result. Thanks.
EC: He hasn't written back yet, unfortunately. Hopefully he will check out the site again sometime soon!
