The coconut is called the tree of life for it has been providing us, humans, food and drink, materials for housing, fuel and many industrial uses. And its medicinal uses are many and varied. The latest medical potential of products of the coconut first identified by Jon Kabara and others in the 70s, is the anti-bacterial, anti-viral and anti-fungal activity of its medium chain fatty acids, particularly lauric acid (C12:0) in its monoglyceride form (monolaurin or ML).
The first clinical trial ever of ML was on 15 HIV-infected patients reporting regularly at the San Lazaro Hospital, Manila who, never having received any anti-HIV medication, were randomly assigned to 3 treatment groups: 7.2 g ML, 2.4 g ML and 50 ML of coconut oil daily for 6 months. The San Lazaro Hospital Team was led by Eric Tayag.
Viral, CD4 and CDS counts, complete blood counts, blood lipids and tests for liver and kidney functions were done at the beginning of the study and after 3 and 6 months of treatment. In one patient, the viral load was too low to count.
By the 3rd month, 7 of the patients (50%) showed reduced viral load and by the 6th month 8 patients (2 receiving 7.2h ML, 4 receiving 2.4 g ML and 3 receiving, coconut oil had a lowered viral count. The CD4/CD8 counts showed a favorable increase in 5 patients. There were no serious side effects observed.
Three patients developed AIDS on 3rd month of therapy when their CD4 count dropped below 200. One of these three, who was in the coconut oil group. died 2 weeks after the study. The two other AIDS patients were in the 2.4 g ML group; one recovered fully on the 6th month and the other showed a rapid return towards normal CD4 and CD8 counts.
Emeritus Professor of Pharmacology University of the Philippines Past President. Federation of Asian Scientific Academies and Societies Past President, National Academy of Science and Technology. Philippines
Folkloric and Ayurvedic writings are replete with accounts of the efficacy of the coconut for many ailments -from the cure of wounds, bums, ulcers, lice infestations to dissolution of kidney stones(l) and treatment of choleraic dysenteries(2). The people of South Asia and the Pacific also look to the coconut as an important provider of food, drink and fuel, not to mention its many uses in industry. Hence, it has been called the tree of life.
More recently, Lim-Sylianco et al demonstrated in animals a powerful protecting effect of coconut oil against six powerful muta-carcinogenic chemicals, (such as benzpyrine, azaserine and nitrosamines). The protection was observed not only when coconut oil was given with the diet for several days before the mutacarcinogen but also when it was given in one bolus or dose with the mutacarcinogen(J.4). In both experiments, coconut oil gave a significantly higher protection than soybean oil. In another animal study by Lim-Navarro, et al (5), evidence for another protectant effect of coconut oil was obtained, i.e. significant prevention against shock in rats injected with E. coli endotoxin. The mechanism for these anti-inflammatory, antitoxic, antimutacarcinogenic actions are still not known.
In a series of papers published in the 70s, Jon J Kabara et al (6-10) and other workers studied the anti-microbial activity of various fatty acids. They found that the medium chain fatty acids (MCF A) with 6 to 12 carbons, possessed significant activity against gram positive bacteria, but not against gram negatives; they were also active against lipid coated viruses as well as fungi and protozoa. Saturated fatty acids, longer than 14 carbons long had no such activity. And of the MCFA, lauric acid (CI2:0) was most potent, particularly in its monoglyceride form (monolaurin); it was more active than caprilic acid (C-8) caprie acid (C-I0) or myristic acid (C-14). The dilaurin and trilaurin (di and triglycerides) had no activity. This finding has found use in the incorporation of monolaurin in cosmetic products and mouth washes; but although classified by the USFDA as GRAS (Generally Regarded as Safe), its oral use for systemic inflections has not been tried.
According to Mary Enig(11), the AIDS organization, Keep Hope Alive, has documented several HIV -AIDS patients whose viral load fell to as low as undetectable levels, when they took coconut oil or ate coconut (half a coconut a day) or when they added coconut to their anti-HIV medication (anti protease and/or antiretrovirals) that had previously not been effective. The amount of coconut oil consumed (50 ml or 3 1/2 tablespoonfuls) or half of a coconut, would contain 20-25 grams of lauric acid, which indicates that the oil is metabolized in the body to release lauric acid and/or monolaurin.
The first clinical trial (pilot study) using Monolaurin for 6 months as monotherapy on 15 mv patients was just completed (12). These 15 patients (Table 1) ages 21 to 38 years, 5 males and 10 females, were all regularly reporting to San Lazaro Hospital, the hospital for infectious disease of the Department of Health. None of them could afford' or ever received anti-HIV treatment. The males averaged 58 k in weight (49 to 68 k) and the females, 54k (39 to 65 k). Seven showed elevated liver enzymes (ALT and AST) and 12 had unexplained eosinophilia. Two patients had high serum cholesterol and one had elevated triglyceride. No one had renal dysfunction. Their viral load ranged from 1,960 to 1,190,000 except for one patient (#94-022B) whose load was too low to count (below 400). This fact unfortunately was not determined before the random assignment of the patients to the 3 treatment groups. The monolaurin used was 95% pure. It was given in capsules, each containing 800 mg ML. The coconut oil was administered by tablespoonfuls.
