Covid-19: Another country makes claim on coconut oil as cure

In the Phillipines, alternative medical scientists are claiming to have brewed another snke-oil cure for Covid-19 currently ravaging the world.

Virgin coconut oil (VCO) is o clinical trial as a possible treatment for COVID-19 in the country, and its Department of Science and Technology (DOST) said that the anti-viral properties of the VCO are under examination in Singapore.

The clinical trial, “Virgin Coconut Oil and Omega-3a Adjunctive Therapy for Hospitalised Patients with COVID-19,” is being conducted by the DOST and the Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA) at the University of the Philippines-Philippine General Hospital (UP-PGH) and in other hospitals in the National Capital Region (NCR) and Region IV-A CALABARZON.

The Guardian in its report cited Dr. Fabian Dayrit of the Ateneo De Manila University’s Department of Chemistry, VCO, as saying VCO is recommended as a supplement and treatment for COVID-19 due to its antiviral properties. He compared VCO’s properties to a soap, which destroys membranes of viruses when used in washing hands.

“The components of the coconut oil will act on the lipid membrane of the virus and destroy the membrane,” said Dayrit. “The evidence for its antiviral properties is strong. And it’s based on evidence from different types of studies,” he added.

Dayrit has been studying the efficacy of VCO in treating diseases. In 1998, he conducted a pilot study at the San Lazaro Hospital on the health benefits of VCO found. The study found that VCO could also help improve the health of Human Immuno-deficiency Virus (HIV) patients.

When a patient ingests VCO, the enzymes in his body metabolise the coconut oil and release the active compounds, monolaurin and lauric acid, Dayrit said.

These active compounds are known to protect farm animals against bacteria and viruses.

DOST announced earlier in April that it would fund clinical trials for VCO at the Philippine General Hospital and at various community quarantine facilities in the country. VCO will be mixed with the food served to COVID-19 patients and persons on quarantine.

But WHO has reminded the public that the response to the pandemic should be guided both by science and evidence.

“There is no robust scientific evidence that the virgin coconut oil has protected people from infection with COVID-19,” said the eorld body. “Until there is sufficient evidence, WHO cautions against recommending or administering unproven treatments to patients with COVID-19 or people self-medicating with them.”