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:

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.