The Extraordinary Health Benefits of Virgin Coconut Oil (VCO): October 2020

The first of three clinical trials conducted by the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) on Virgin Coconut Oil (VCO) as supplement for the treatment of COVID-19 showed promise with the majority of patients involved in the study sent home.

The fact that majority of the patients are now home is a good indication, DOST Secretary Fortunato dela Pena said in Pilipino at a Laging Handa press briefing on Tuesday.

“Pero kahit sila ay nakauwi na, itinutuloy pa rin iyong protocol. Sila ay bibigyan pa rin ng VCO (Still, the protocol remains. They will still be given VCO),” he added.

The secretary said the study requires more participants to forge a better conclusion. Dela Pena said the initial study was conducted at the Sta. Rosa Community Hospital and it involved 45 patients with mild symptoms. They were given VCO after meals for 28 days.

The second trial with 50 patients will be held soon at the Philippine General Hospital (PGH).  The third trial will be in Singapore.

The study aims to assess the possible benefits of VCO if given to patients with moderate to severe COVID-19 in addition to other drugs being assessed in the clinical trials.

Monday, October 12, 2020

DOST eyes virgin coco oil as potential COVID-19 cure (July 22, 2020)

https://cebudailynews.inquirer.net/328612/dost-eyes-virgin-coco-oil-as-potential-covid-19-cure?fbclid=IwAR1za8CF_8TutYxGfaRbHTYXxdkzwEiLSap0pbm8w6JzjcPvhCog8igWyts

MANILA, Philippines (July 22, 2020)  — Many of the mild COVID-19 patients who were given virgin coconut oil (VCO) as part of a treatment trial have been sent home from the hospital, according to Secretary Fortunato dela Peña of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST).

Dela Peña said this was a “good indication,” but would need more participants to join the trial before the DOST comes to a conclusion on the matter. He said that mild COVID-19 patients who had gone home should continue taking VCO for 28 days as part of the trial.

The trial is expected to include 90 patients—45 to get the VCO, and another 45 to serve as the control group, who would be given placebo for comparison.

Sunday, October 11, 2020

VCO na ibinigay sa ilang COVID-19 patients may 'positibong resulta': pag-aaral

https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/07/21/20/vco-na-ibinigay-sa-ilang-covid-19-patients-may-positibong-resulta-pag-aaral?fbclid=IwAR1Z2r8zO_s19qwQRMUq4oOndaXfo_2XFAhgKDgI1bZSTFTsaDfY3sr2S-M

MAYNILA (July 21, 2020) — Nagpakita umano ng magandang resulta ang virgin coconut oil bilang gamot laban sa COVID-19, base sa isang pag-aaral.

Ayon kay Fabian Dayrit, professor sa Ateneo de Manila University School of Science and Engineering's chemistry department, may anti-viral properties ang VCO.

Kwento naman ni Dr. Jose Mondejar, medical director ng Equilibrium Integrative Health Clinic, binigyan nila ng VCO ang 69 na kabilang sa mga unang COVID-19 patients sa Cebu City noong Abril at 45 ang nagnegatibo sa sakit sa loob lang nang 2 linggo.

Samantala, ang 24 ay hindi nagkaroon ng matinding sintomas. Sa Cebu Provincial Detention Center, 10 tauhang may COVID-19 ang nagnegatibo rin matapos bigyan ng VCO. "Actually ang result dito merong mga very promising, very positive 'yung results na after just within 5 to 7 days meron na pong naging negative," ani Mondejar.

Dagdag naman ni Dayrit, walang naitalang side effects sa paggamit ng VCO, bagama't puwedeng sumakit ang tiyan ng hindi sanay gumamit nito. Sabi niya, hinihintay pa nila ang resulta ng pag-aaral sa paggamit ng VCO sa Philippine General Hospital at mga researcher sa Sta. Rosa, Laguna.

"Mabuti sigurong ma-expand natin ang study kasi mga ilang pasyente lang iyon. Palagay ko may pag-asa naman. Ang kailangan natin mas malakas na katibayan pero magandang suporta ito sa nagawa ni Dr. Mondejar sa Cebu," ani Dayrit.

Saturday, October 10, 2020

Coconut oil credited for making provincial jail COVID-free (July 20, 2020)

https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2020/07/20/2029273/coconut-oil-credited-making-provincial-jail-covid-free?fbclid=IwAR3sUkxcGRHl1hqFurBGcrSINjwX06TGVbw-bTlLQdZ4HG4Nr8-QVgJ10g4&utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Facebook&utm_term=Autofeed

MANILA, Philippines - Virgin coconut oil or VCO is being credited for making the Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center (CPDRC) free of coronavirus disease 2019 as the city battled the COVID-19 pandemic in April and May.

Professor Fabian Dayrit of the Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU), currently vice president of the National Academy of Science and Technology (NAST), shared the results of a study he conducted with Cebu City’s Dr. Jose Ray Mondejar, which showed that 20 inmate-patients of the CPDRC had recovered from a mild strain of coronavirus in April and May when they regularly took tablespoons of VCO.

In his presentation titled “The Potential of Coconut Oil as an Antiviral and Immunomodulatory Agent Against COVID-19” in a Zoom webinar last Thursday, Dayrit said results of the research called for the conduct of a controlled study on VCO to support claims on its efficacy against the virus.

Also serving as resource person in the webinar organized by the Preventine, Regenertive and Integrative Medical Alliance (PRIMA), Mondejar stressed that aside from treating the 20 inmate-patients, the employees of the jail were also given VCO and seemed to develop “immunity” from COVID-19 despite presence of the virus in the immediate environment.

Mondejar said the CPDRC had remained COVID-19 free as of the time of the webinar while Cebu City has been known to have a high number of cases.

Mondejar and Dayrit discussed their collaborative study on the CPDRC COVID-19 inmates, titled “Efficacy of Virgin Coconut Oil in Treating Mild cases of Covid-19 in inmates and employees of the Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center.”

“This is not a clinical study. It was undertaken to provide medical management for COVID-19 infected inmates and employees upon the request of CPDRC,” Dayrit said.

“Because of its favorable outcomes, it can be the basis for conducting controlled clinical trials with more subjects,” he added.

Thursday, October 8, 2020

Virgin coconut oil clinical trials for severe COVID-19 cases in PGH gets greenlight (June 3, 2020)

https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/06/03/20/virgin-coconut-oil-clinical-trials-for-severe-covid-19-cases-in-pgh-gets-greenlight?fbclid=IwAR23Ex08zgt3O58wN7LmuT-4xHW4XbTunwZm0EiL0VjcMXRet_tLJueUPWc

MANILA - Clinical trials on the efficacy of virgin coconut oil for severe COVID-19 cases were already approved for patients in the Philippine General Hospital in Manila, the Department of Science and Technology said Wednesday. The ethics board of the University of the Philippines-Manila has approved the conduct of clinical trials on patients with moderate and severe cases of COVID-19.

"Ang good news, iyon pong sa PGH which is for moderate and severe cases ay inaprubahan na finally ng Ethics Board ng UP Manila, so I am just waiting for the report that they have already started," Science Secretary Fortunato Dela Peña said in a virtual press briefing.

(The good news is that the Ethics Board of UP Manila has approved the testing for moderate and severe cases in PGH.) A group of patients will be given VCO as part of their daily diet, Dela Peña said, to see if they would recover faster than those who don't drink the oil for 14 days. Some 100 patients are eyed for the clinical trials, he added.

"As I have indicated earlier, we are planning—or they are planning for 100 patients; half will be on VCO and half will not be given VCO, so for comparison purposes," Dela Peña said. So far, the world has yet to find a cure or vaccine for COVID-19 but clinical trials are ongoing on drugs seen as possible treatment for the respiratory disease.

Aside from PGH, the DOST earlier said it would also run clinical trials at the Santa Rosa Community Hospital in Laguna for mild cases of COVID-19. There are, however, not enough COVID-19 patients in the hospital for clinical trials, which prompted the DOST to include 2 other facilities with COVID-19 patients, Dela Peña said.

As of Wednesday, the Philippines has confirmed 19,748 COVID-19 cases. This includes 974 deaths, and 4,153 recoveries.

Whenever I experience symptoms of UTI, flu, or a cold, I take 1 spoonful of this VCO three times a day, every 8 hours, for 7 days, and I am healed by it. Every time I have a stuffy or runny nose, a sore throat, gum wounds or diseases, and toothaches, I also gargle with one spoonful of this VCO for at least five (5) minutes, at least twice a day, and I am healed by it as well. In addition, I regularly use this VCO for my oral hygiene. I also apply/rub this VCO to cure skin itchiness, wounds, and other skin diseases.