Two RCTs Show Virgin Coconut Oil Treats Mild to Moderate COVID-19; Researchers Recommend Preventive Intake

For basic humanity, some countries responsibly used science to treat covid. One of these nations is the Philippines, whose government began clinical testing of a homegrown antiviral against covid-19 early in 2020. Their efforts have been rewarded, as two randomized controlled trials show that virgin coconut oil speeds recovery from mild to moderate cases of covid-19. The first study was published in May 2021 in the Journal of Functional Foods, while the second is in the process of publication. The Philippines’ Department of Science and Technology (DOST) announced their findings to the Philippine media as soon as results were available, but these results have been covered by only one Western journalist.

Virgin coconut oil (VCO) is extracted from freshly harvested coconuts and is not refined. The VCO randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were led by DOST’s Food and Nutrition Research Institute (FNRI) and colleagues, with funding from DOST’s Philippine Council for Health Research and Development and other agencies. “Both VCO clinical trials by DOST-FNRI confirmed that VCO hastens the resolution of COVID-19 signs and symptoms,” Science Secretary Fortunato de la Peña said in a press conference on January 21, 2022, to announce the results of the second clinical trial. “VCO was again confirmed to significantly lower the C-reactive protein,” de la Peña reported. C-reactive protein (CRP) is a biomarker for inflammation and infection.