Can Coconut Oil Eliminate Parasites?

“MOMMMMMMM! There is a worm coming out of my butt!”

Thank goodness I have NEVER heard this from the lips of my child. I wouldn’t know whether to laugh or cry. Not that a parasitic infection in a child is out of the ordinary. SEEING a parasite would be more unusual that actually having an infestation.

You see, parasites are pretty elusive. Those in worm form come out at night and during the day hide deep in fecal matter. You usually don’t get much of a look at them. Which of course makes it tough to know whether you or a family member have an infestation.

Most everyone around the globe will experience parasites at least once in their life. You may never know you had them. Or you may be having some rather out of the ordinary health symptoms and after lab work, discover a parasitic infection.

Before we dive into things further, let’s just take a quick look at…

Possible Symptoms of Parasite Infection

You might have parasites if you have:

• Repeated diarrhea or constipation
• Chronic, unexplained nausea, often accompanied by vomiting
• Fatigue and weakness
• Intestinal cramping
• Unexplained dizziness or Blood sugar fluctuations
• Foul-smelling gas
• Indigestion and malabsorption of fatty foods
• Bloating
• Multiple food allergies
• Loss of appetite and/or sudden food cravings
• Itching around the anus, especially at night (children pick the nose, ears and anus)
• Difficulty sleeping
• Emaciation OR weight gain
• Itching on the soles of the feet, often accompanied by a rash
• Coughing blood (severe cases)
• Palpitations (hook worms)
• Anemia
• Facial swelling around the eyes (round worms)
• Skin sensitivity (ie. Rashes, eczema)

Some parasites can eventually affect the nervous system. This can lead to sleep disorders and even hyperactivity, depression, and anxiety especially in children. In other cases memory can be effected or other major organs such as the liver, pancreas, and kidneys.

So what should you do if you think you have parasites?

Well, get tested if this is something you can afford. Knowing the exact parasite can often times help you choose the best way to help your body get rid of it. If you cannot get tested or if you have a confirmed parasite but money is tight, you can turn to a gentle, affordable, easy to find potential remedy to see if that offers you any relief.

What am I talking about? Coconut of course. And not just coconut oil! We are giving coconut meat some airplay today too.

Coconut oil has plentiful Medium Chain Fatty Acids (MCFA) which can defend you from parasites. There isn’t anything super sciency about how it works either. Parasites and MCFA just don’t mix well. The other role of coconut oil during a parasitic “cleanse” is that it will help your liver during the detoxification process. Your liver will be taxed heavily as the parasites come rolling out but coconut oil and give it the strength it needs to stay the course.

Quick interruption to let you know that there are affiliate links coming up…

While coconut oil obviously has value when it comes to parasites, coconut meat really is that star of the show here. Check this out. It comes straight from Cooking with Coconut Flour by Bruce Fife, N.D.

An interesting benefit of coconut fiber, not found in other fibers, is that it can expel intestinal worms. Eating coconut meat to get rid of parasites is a traditional practice in India that was recognized among the early medical profession and is still used in some parts of the country today. Researchers have tested this method and have found that eating a sufficient quantity of coconut can expel 90 percent of intestinal parasites within 12 hours. Dried coconut is more effective than fresh in removing tapeworms. The researchers recommended eating foods made with coconut flour, a form of dried coconut, as a safe and relatively easy way to treat tapeworm infestation.

Coconut meat is rich in fiber. Note that not all fibers have the ability to eliminate parasites. Acting as a vermifuge is an important coconut fiber benefit not found in other fibers. A vermifuge is simply a medicine or agent serving to discharge worms or other animal parasites from the intestines.

Using coconut meat to get rid of parasites and worms is not just a traditional practice in India. The effectiveness of coconut meat as a vermifuge (a medicine or agent serving to discharge worms or other animal parasites from the intestines) has also been tested in a study that was conducted in 1984 in a village in Rajasthan India where there are many cases of tapeworm infestation. As the people there are non-vegetarians, they usually get to east raw or improperly cooked beef. The study used fifty individuals infected with parasites volunteered for the study and they let them take different coconut preparations combined with Epsom salt which is a strong laxative. The subjects that were given either 400 grams of fresh coconut or 200 grams of dried coconut followed with Epsom salt successfully expelled parasites. After 12 hours, it was learned that those who were given dried coconut expelled 90 percent of parasites while those who took fresh coconut expelled 60% of parasites. Therefore dried coconut is much effective than fresh coconut as a vermifuge.

The health condition of the subjects was checked six months after the study and 1/3 of them had no reoccurrence of parasites. The majority of those who were infested with tapeworms again acquire it from eating improperly cooked raw beef.

Interesting stuff right?

If coconut oil isn’t your thing, there are other gentle ways to help certain parasites move along. I have used a couple of products myself, more for maintenance and not because I had a known parasitic infection. These are:

• Lauricidin
• BioRay

 

It also helps if you take a binder like Activated Charcoal or Bentonite Clay during your parasite cleanse. Just be sure to take the binders 2 hours before or after other supplements and main meals.

Have you battled parasites and used coconut oil or dried coconut to beat them at their own game? Do share in the comments. Also, are you wondering which coconut oil I use and why? Check out my Products I Love page.