Jennifer Morganti, ND, Director of Education for NEEDS
One of the important
compounds in coconut oil
is lauric acid, a medium chain
fatty acid, which when digested is converted into monolaurin.
Monolaurin has antiviral and antimicrobial benefits. One the
most unique benefits is that is can access and kill "coated" viruses,
which includes difficult-to-control viruses such as Epstein-Barr
Virus (EBV), herpes viruses, and cytomegalovirus (CMV), to name
a few.
EBV is the cause of mononucleosis or "mono," and to date, there
is not an effective medical treatment. It causes extreme fatigue
and lethargy and intermittent fevers and is most prevalent among
teenagers. Bed rest is the standard recommendation.
Monolaurin is one
of the few effective
treatments for EBV
because it can access
coated viruses. I have
personally seen quick
recoveries of EBV
in teenagers using
monolauin, even after dragging through several weeks of feeling
awful. There are specific directions for Monolauin—it requires a
high initial loading dose, and a gradual tapering over many months.
It is important to follow the protocol for the duration, or the
virus may re-appear even after feeling better.
