Virgin coconut oil found 'very promising' in COVID-19 prevention, management
MANILA, Philippines — Virgin coconut oil (VCO), extracted from fresh coconut meat and known to have anti-viral properties, has shown "very positive" results in the prevention and management of novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), local researchers have found.
The group of Equilibrium Integrative Health Clinic Medical Director, doctor Jose Mondejar, administered VCO among 69 infected residents of Sitio Zapatera, Barangay Luz in COVID-19 hotspot Cebu City.
Mondejar in an Tuesday interview over DZMM Teleradyo said they initially recommended the patients to take one tablespoon of VCO, twice a day for three days before increasing the dosage to thrice a day.
Within two weeks, 45 of the cases returned negative results upon testing while the remaining 24 did not progress to moderate or severe cases, eventually also retesting negative.
Mondejar was then tapped to help the Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center (CPDRC) manage their own COVID-19 cases and VCO again yielded "very promising results and success."
A total of seven employees at the CPDRC tested negative for COVID-19 within a week after taking VCO while another three workers tested negative within eight days.
“Sa awa ng Diyos, wala na pong cases doon for the past 6 weeks. Naging preventive na po,” Mondejar said.
Related: Coconut oil credited for making provincial jail COVID-free
Meanwhile, Ateneo de Manila University professor Fabian Dayrit hopes that research on VCO will be expanded to further study its effectiveness on a broader scale.
“Pero sana mabuti sigurong ma-expand natin 'yung study kasi mga ilang pasyente lang 'yun eh... Ang kailangan natin, mas malakas na katibayan.”
VCO for frontliners
A similar local study under Team Asia Corporation, released exclusively to Philstar.com, sought the voluntary participation of medical frontliners who agreed to take VCO as part of their daily diet.
The preliminary study involving 18 doctors and two nurses, last enhanced community quarantine from different hospitals in Manila, showed the following findings and health benefits of VCO:
- Better sleep: 45% of participants
- Decreased allergic symptoms: 40%
- Decreased appetite: 20%
- Improved bowel movement: 45%
- Less hyperacidity: 20%
- Less palpitation: 5%
- Increased energy: 30%
- Increased alertness / more focus: 10%
- Reduced hunger: 25%
Respondents generally gave positive feedback on VCO use, mostly describing it as “maybe helpful” or “helpful,” saying they would continue using VCO products and recommending these to colleagues as well as COVID-19 patients.
