I have always been a fan of the Coconut, and recently Bruce Fife got my attention with the first story in his book, ‘Coconut Cures’.  He tells of a man he knew named Paul Sorse, who used coconut oil, and only coconut oil, to treat a wide variety of problems.  They were having lunch one afternoon, when another man came “crashing through the front door.”  This man had sliced the tip of his thumb off with a lawnmower.  Paul Sorse calmly put the thumb tip back in place, wrapped the thumb in gauze and then soaked it in coconut oil.  He instructed the man to keep the gauze moist with coconut oil and come back in a few days.  A few weeks later, Fife met the man – his thumb had completely healed; there wasn’t even a scar.

This is only the first of many amazing stories in the book of miracle cures effected by the coconut and its oil for all kinds of diseases of the skin, the digestive system, the liver and gallbladder, and the kidneys, as well as diabetes, hypothyroidism and other hormone problems, gingivitis, AIDS, cancer, Chronic Fatigue and Fibromyalgia, a wide range of infections, heart disease, ulcers, macular degeneration, and arthritis.  Coconut oil has also been very effective for weight loss, for detoxification, for relief of pain and as a general tonic providing energy, beauty and well-being!

Here are some examples of its uses:

Gallstones  – the Mayo Clinic and the University of Wisconsin Hospital now use coconut oil to dissolve gallstones.

Environmental Illness/Detoxification – Fife himself once developed a chronic headache, dizziness and fatigue after moving into a new house.  Realizing that these were due to toxic fumes, and knowing that coconut oil has detoxifying capabilities, he put a couple of tablespoons in a cup of hot herb tea and drank it down.  Within a few hours his symptoms began to disappear and by the next day he felt great.  He was able to keep himself symptom-free with daily coconut oil.

Prevent pregnancy stretchmarks by massaging coconut oil into the abdomen daily during and after pregnancy.  It can also be massaged into the breasts to soothe pain caused by nursing. The kind of fats that predominate in coconut oil, Medium Chain Fatty Acids, are found in mother’s milk, where they serve to both nourish the baby and protect him or her from infection as their immune system develops.  The more MCFAs an expectant mother consumes, the healthier her baby will be.

To reduce fevers, massage coconut oil over the entire body.

For any kind of skin problem, including psoriasis, eczema, rashes, blemishes, lumps, cysts, moles, even skin cancers, rub in coconut oil and keep the affected area moist with oil (the book describes how to bandage the area).  The same for cuts, burns, blisters and poison ivy.

H. pylori causes ulcers and low stomach acid leading to digestive problems.  Coconut oil kills H. pylori and other infectious agents without harming beneficial bacteria in the gut.

Use coconut oil in place of toxic sunscreens.  Not only are sunscreens toxic, but they prevent absorption of the UV rays that produce Vitamin D.  Coconut oil protects your skin from both sunburn AND cancer.  At the same time, it doesn’t block UV rays.  It is also a mosquito-repellent!

It can be used for cooking (it is the only oil that will not oxidize into harmful fats when heated), melted over steamed vegetables or spread on crackers instead of butter or margarine.

There is a false belief that coconut oil is bad for the heart due to its saturated fat content, however in truth it is all about the quality of the fats. Studies show, on the contrary, all the wonderful benefits for heart health it possesses.

But You Must Get the Right Coconut Oil…..

Most coconut oil has been refined and deodorized with bleach and solvents at high temperatures. Both the flavor and the nutritional quality have been degraded, and toxins have been introduced.

Often coconut oil is produced in unclean environments. Even good oils can be ruined by exposure to metal in ships’ hulls, pipelines and pumps due to free-radical formation and loss of nutrients.

…..so make sure you only purchase Food-grade, unrefined varieties which can be purchased from health food stores.