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Botany
Unarmed, erect,
tall palm reaching a height of 25 meters. Trunk is stout, 30-50
cm in diameter, thickened at the base; marked with annular scars.
The leaves are crowded at the apex, 3-6 meters long, with a stout
petiole. Leaflets are bright green, numerous, linear-lanceolate,
60 to 100 cm long. Spadix is about 1 meter long, erect, drooping,
simply branched. Fruit is variable in size, shape and color,
obovoid to subglobose, often obscurely 3-angled, 15-25 cm long.
Endosperm forms a thick layer of fleshy substance adherent to
the testa which is adherent to the shell. The shell is covered
by a fibrous husk.
Distribution
Extensively cultivated
in the Philippines.
Constituents
Fixed oil, 57.5
- 71%; volatile oil, wax containing the myricyl ester of cerotic
acid.
Meat: potein, 6.3%; vitamins A, B, and C; nonyl alcohol; methyl
heptyl ketone; methyl undecyl ketone; capronic, decylic, caprylic,
lauric and myristic acids; lecithin; stigmasterin, phytosterin;
choline; globulin; galactoaraban; galactomannan.
Water, 93%; protein, 0.5%; ash, 1%; saccharose; oxidase; catalase,
diastase.
Parts used and preparation
Roots and bark.
Young and mature fruit.
Uses:
Folkloric
- Constipation:
Take 1 to 2 tablespoons of gata (cream).
- Dandruff: Massage oil on scalp, leave overnight, and wash hair.
- Diarrhea and/or vomiting: Drink water of young fruit, as tolerated.
Water from the young coconut has been used as a substiture for
dextrose infusion in emergent situations during World War II.
- Dry skin: Apply oil and massage into affected area.
- Young roots astriingent for sore throats.
- Ash of bark used for scabies.
Food
- Use oil for cooking; take meat and/or gata (cream) as food.
- The ubod part is a delicacy used in a variety of preparations:
lumpia, achara, salads. A good source of iron and calcium.
Others
- Most versatile
of all palms with its wide range of utility : as lumber, food,
drink, alcohol, vinegar, thatching material, manufacture of baskets,
rope, hats, brooms; shell for making charcoal and utensils as
cups, bowls, spoons; oil for food, massage, and as base for medications
for external use; cooking, illumination, , soap making; decorative
for celebrations and religious rituals.
Coconut oil
- Increasingly
popular, natural coconuit oil is now being touted as the most
beneficial of all oils. Although high in saturated fat, it is
the richest natural source of health-promoting MCFAs (medium-chain
fatty acids). The recommendation is 3 1/2 teaspoons (50 gms)
of coconut oil daily, estimated from the amount equivalent to
the MCFAs found in human breast milk, known to be effective in
nourishing and protecting infants Alternative sources are:
| 3 1/2
teaspoons of pure coconut oil |
| 7 ounces
of fresh coconut meat (about half a coconut) |
| 2 3/4
cups of dried, shredded coconut |
| 10 ounces
of coconut milk |
There is no known toxicity
for coconut oil. The FDA includes it in its GRAS list (Generally
Recommended As Safe). An easy supplement would be to use it as
cooking oil. It tolerates moderately high-cooking temperatures,
but best to keep it below smoking point of 350 degrees. As in
any other cooking oil, avoid overheating because of toxic by-products.
When available, the best is the "virgin" coconut oil,
made from fresh coconuts, extracted by boiling, fermentation,
refrigeration, mechanical press or centrifuge, not subjected
to high temperatures or chemical solvents.
Also available as RBD
(Refined, Bleached, and Deodorized) coconut oil, usually made
from dried coconut, copra, that might have undergone sun-drying,
smoking or kiln processing, using higher temperatures and chemical
solvents. Consumers beware, there are cochin oils, that may be
labeled "virgin" which may be made from cheap sun-dried
copra, gaining impurities and mold in the process. (Source: The
Coconut Oil Miracle}
Availability
Ubiquitous in the
rural landscape; common cultivation as a plantation tree.
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