Herbal Medicines Cures: Coconut: The Tree of Life (A Tribute)

Thank God for the Coconut! This is my personal tribute and gratitude to the Coconut tree that is helping and keeping our country healthy, beautiful and economy afloat, In the Philippines coconut is not only a "tree of life" but considered sacred in a sense that, it is regarded as the most intelligent creation of God, that is why in schools during childhood days our teacher always tell us to "use your coconut head" which means be smart, it is also a big industry in my country, from leaves to the nut (by the way coconut is not a fruit but a giant nut) there are always a use for them, you can't throw anything (walang tapon). The government banned and prohibit cutting off coconut trees, in case you have to, you need to get a permit before doing so. If you dissect the uses and benefits of coconut it will be endless... We use the palm leaves in making roofs for houses (Bahay kubo), handicrafts like baskets, sleeping or yoga mats, bags, decors, broom sticks etc, The coconut water is a good source of natural electrolytes for dehydration, if can also be fermented to make a great vinegar, coconut water is also great for making stocks and soups (cooking), the coconut water unknown to many is used to make "coco nut" or nata de coco, a delicious and healthy (for its fiber content) dessert and not only that, countries like Japan find wonderful uses in electronics. The coconut flowers is good source of coco nectar, the favorite food of the bees and source of honey, coco nectar harvested from the flowers (young budding) is called coco nectar, a honey like sweet and delicious alternative to sugar, it has a low glycemic index and can be used by diabetics and those on a diet, the powdered form of coco nectar is made into coco sugar. The young coconut buds (usbong) is a very delicious and nutritious delicacy in the Philippines, It is use as a vegetable in making the most delicious lumpia ubod or vegetable rolls. The fiber rich trunk is used as firewoods, charcoal, decorative art pieces, ropes, soil conditioner and fertilizer, you will be amazed that the possibilities are endless! because there are so many inventors in the Philippines are using materials from coconut, same goes for the coco shell! and the Oil is a miraculous manna from heaven. The coco milk is good for the hair, digestion and many infections, and to those who want to lose weight, it is great for cooking, makes all the foods delicious, can be use for cooking meats, poultry, vegetables, desserts, "kakanin" (rice cakes) etc etc..It is very good source of Lauric acid which is also found in breast milk to boost immune system. There are two ways of extracting the oil from the milk , one is by direct heat until the oil comes out, this type of oil is use to treat head lice and as a natural hot oil treatment by our old folks, during our childhood our old folks never runs out of oil in the household to use for hair treatment, and treat skin diseases. The other one is the "cold process" of making virgin coconut oil, is is done by fermenting the coco milk until such a time the oil floats and harvested, again the uses of the VCO is endless, I will post a link below that you could read for more info and research done on the wonders of VCO and its many health benefits in cosmetics, food and supplements etc etc. , and oh by the way the "sapal" or used coconut meat is powdered and dried to make a good fiber supplements (slimming aid), soil conditioner and for baking purposes. Aren't coconut an amazing tree? that is why we love coconut and this is really a gift from God. Please read the links below for further information on the world of coconut..enjoy! - Tien Cho

P.S.:
Please take note that the soft brown skin inside the young coco nut is contributed to the kidney cleansing properties of the water, make sure when you are eating the meat include the soft skin as well.

Now, This my childhood favorite! We called it "Buwa" in Tagalog, it is from matured coconut seedlings, I don't really know how to describe it, but when a coconut started to sprout, inside you will find this round, white spongy edible thing, we love eating them! sweet and spongy. I believed it has health benefits as well.