Coconut oil is an edible oil made from the wick, meat, and milk of the fruit of the Coconut palm tree. It’s a white, solid fat that melts at room temperatures of about 25° C. It then becomes clear, thin oil.
Around the world, the use of Coconut oil is very diverse — it’s widely utilized for cooking, in food products, in cosmetics, in detergent production, and for massage.
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In India, Coconut oil has a long history of use in food and in massage. In Abhyanga Oil Massage, it’s used as a body i.e. skin moisturizer, notably to improve suppleness, tone, and elasticity. Additionally, it’s also applied medically on the body to treat skin problems, such as psoriasis, dermatitis, dry or flaky skin, eczema, scars, and burns.
Yet, in Ayurveda, Coconut oil has much more applications than mentioned above. For instance, it’s used as a natural deodorant, as a mouth wash (for oral health and cleaning teeth, in Ayurveda called Oil Pulling), as a soap, and as oil for healthy hair and scalp.
Coconut oil has a cooling effect and is therefore beneficial to pacify the Pitta Dosha. Pitta is associated with heat and fire, and calming this Dosha treats affections such as anger, overheating, inflammations, and high blood pressure.
