Coconut oil
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The azure ocean, golden sand and tall coconut palms with long feathery leaves at the very top — a picture familiar from photo reports about travels to exotic countries. But slender palm trees from the pictures not only decorate the landscape, they are able to provide a person with everything that is necessary for life.
Description
Coconut oil is one of many products derived from the fruit of the coconut palm, a woody plant belonging to the genus Coconut of the Palm family. The historical homeland of the palm tree is unknown, according to one version it is the tropics of Southeast Asia, according to another — America. Preferring sandy soils, it is distributed on all coasts and islands of the World Ocean in its equatorial and tropical regions.
The fruit, called coconut, is a large drupe 15-35 cm long, round-elongated. Weight ranges from 1.5 to 3 kg. It has a fibrous outer shell (coir), under which there is a hard shell. It contains the seed itself, consisting of pulp and a milky-white liquid, coconut juice, which appears in an unripe nut five to six months after the end of flowering.
As the pulp ripens, droplets of oil are released, forming a milky emulsion with the liquid. The fat content increases, the emulsion thickens, and by the eighth to tenth month, when the nut is fully ripe, it becomes hard. Now the fruits are suitable for further processing.
The hardened pulp (copra) consists of 60-65% of the most valuable coconut oil. To extract it, copra is dried and processed by pressing. Coconut oil is a white, slightly creamy substance with a faint coconut flavor. At temperatures below 25 degrees, it changes from a liquid to a solid state.
Chemical composition
Contains a unique set of fatty acids: lauric (45-52%), myristic (13-20%), palmitic (7-10%), as well as caprylic, capric, caproic, oleic, linoleic and some others.
Application
It is widely used in the manufacture of cosmetics, in the pharmaceutical industry it is used as an ointment base for suppositories. In pure form or in combination with other oils, it is used in aromatherapy, for massage mixtures, applications, and lubrication. It is used in the food industry in the production of butter substitute — margarine, in cooking and soap making. The soap, which is based on coconut oil, foams even in sea water.
Medicinal properties of coconut oil
It is a highly effective anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, nourishing, moisturizing and emollient for skin and hair. Protects the skin from the effects of sun and wind exposure — burns, peeling, dryness, roughness, etc. Possessing antioxidant properties, it prevents its aging and wilting. Promotes hair growth, prevents breakage and gives a natural shine. It is used in the treatment of psoriasis, acne, eczema and other skin diseases.
In addition, coconut oil helps to eliminate cholesterol, regulates blood pressure, increases metabolism, helping to get rid of excess weight. Thanks to its antimicrobial action, it has a beneficial effect on the regulation of the digestive tract, inhibiting the development of pathogenic bacteria and fungi. Improves the absorption of minerals by the body, incl. magnesium and calcium, helping to strengthen the skeletal system. Strengthens the immune system, accelerates the healing process of wound surfaces. Prevents the onset of diabetes mellitus by normalizing the pancreas and insulin secretion.
Harm and contraindications
Individual intolerance.
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