God's Pharmacy

Coconut oil benefits

It may be surprising for you to learn that the naturally occurring saturated fat in coconut oil is actually good for you and provides a number of profound health benefits, such as:
• Improving your heart health
• Boosting your thyroid. (4)
• Increasing your metabolism.
• Promoting a lean body and weight loss if needed.
• Supporting your immune system. (5)
Coconut oil even benefits your skin when applied topically and has been found to have anti-aging, regenerative effects.
So, what are coconut oil's secrets to success?
How Coconut Oil Works Wonders in Your Body
Nearly 50 percent of the fat in coconut oil is of a type rarely found in nature called lauric acid, a "miracle" compound because of its unique health promoting properties. Your body converts lauric acid into monolaurin, which has anti-viral, anti-bacterial and anti-protozoa properties. (6)
Coconut oil is also nature's richest source of medium-chain fatty acids (MCFAs), also called medium-chain triglycerides or MCTs. By contrast, most common vegetable or seed oils are comprised of long chain fatty acids (LCFAs), also known as long-chain triglycerides or LCTs.
LCTs are large molecules, so they are difficult for your body to break down and are predominantly stored as fat.
But MCTs (7) , being smaller, are easily digested and immediately burned by your liver for energy -- like carbohydrates, but without the insulin spike. MCTs actually boost your metabolism and help your body use fat for energy, as opposed to storing it, so it can actually help you become leaner.
Back in the 1940s, farmers discovered this effect accidentally when they tried using inexpensive coconut oil to fatten their livestock.
It didn't work!
Instead, coconut oil made the animals lean, active and hungry.
Coconut oil has actually been shown to help optimize body weight, which can dramatically reduce your risk of developing Type 2 diabetes (8). Besides weight loss, boosting your metabolic rate will improve your energy, accelerate healing and improve your overall immune function.
And several studies have now shown that MCTs can enhance physical or athletic performance.(9)
And finally, as we have already discussed, coconut oil is incedibly good for your heart. The truth is this: it is unsaturated fats that are primarily involved in heart disease and too much sugar and processed foods, not the naturally occurring saturated fats, as you have been led to believe.

Oregano Oil Health Benefits

Oregano oil is widely known as nature’s potent germ-killer. Not only is it highly respected within the natural health community, it is also being widely studied within the scientific community for its vast medical uses.

Research designed to examine oregano oil has encompassed many topics, including pain relief. Oregano oil also has extremely high levels of free-radical-fighting antioxidants, agents that protect the body.
Oregano oil may also provide support against common infectious ailments including the common flu, psoriasis, eczema, Athlete’s foot, yeast infections and bacterial infections.

Research on Oregano Oil

Studies have shown its usefulness against candida albicans, aspergillus mold, staph infections, vaginal infections, pseudomonas and listeria. A study from the US Dept of Agriculture showed that oregano essential oils presented antimicrobial activities against Salmonella and E.coli. Other research holds the same, stating that oregano oil is such a powerful antimicrobial that it can be used to preserve food. Studies from the Department of Food Science at the University of Tennessee and the University of the Algarve found that similar results for oregano’s antibacterial action on pathogenic germs.
A recent study from the Department of Physiology and Biophysics at Georgetown University Medical Center, stated the following in regard to the role of essential oils for infections:

“New, safe antimicrobial agents are needed to prevent and overcome severe bacterial, viral, and fungal infections. Based on our previous experience and that of others, we postulated that herbal essential oils, such as those of origanum (oregano oil)…offer such possibilities.” ^[PDF]

In an article published on Science Daily, oil of oregano was found to be effective in killing Staphylococcus bacteria. It was also equally as effective in its germ-killing abilities as common prescription antibiotics.
Another study published in the journal, Experimental and Toxicologic Pathology found that oregano oil could lower the negative effects of induced colitis in rats and opens the door to new ideas about its benefit to the colon and liver.

More Health Benefits of Oregano Oil

• Inflammation resistant
• Can help relieve congestion
• Emmenagogue — Oregano oil can aid irregular menstruation and reducing the negative effects of menopause.
• Anti-allergen — Oregano oils produce a sedating effect on the hyper-sensitivity of allergies.
• Potent anti-oxidant capacity — Through neutralizing free-radicals, oregano oil helps us slow the process of cellular deterioration, thus slowing the process of aging.
• Rosmarinic acid, a component of oil of oregano, is an antihistimine, and a more powerful antioxidant than vitamin E.
• Digestive aid — Stimulates the flow of bile in the digestive organs
• With regular use, oregano oil can help protect us against fungal infections.

Anti-microbial Capacities

• Holds anti-bacterial properties — This essential oil fights common bacterial infections, including urinary tract infections, skin infections and even food poisoning. A recent study on the antibacterial qualities of multiple essential oils found that both oregano and thyme oils showed the strongest levels of antibacterial activity.
• Inhibition of the growth of enteric organisms. A 6-weeks study on individuals with organisms found that supplementation with 600 mg of oregano oil daily led to a complete disappearance of the harmful organisms. It may also protect us against a wide variety of infiltration within the body, as well as the physical environment. This includes round worms, tape worms, bed bugs, lice, fleas and mosquitoes.

Oregano oil is also a excellent source of vitamins and minerals. It is high in the vitamins A C, and E complex, as well as zinc, magnesium, iron, calcium, potassium, copper, manganese and niacin.
I have used oregano oil for many different things over the years and highly recommend you keep some in your natural medicine cabinet. When researching oil of oregano products to buy, be sure to look at the amount of Carvacrol it contains, and also try to buy organic when possible. This is the oil of oregano product that I personally use and recommend for everyone.
-Dr. Edward F. Group III, DC, ND, DACBN, DABFM