After Experiment, Virgin Coconut Oil Was Found To Help Destroy COVID-19 – Philippine Scientists

MANILA – Virgin coconut oil may help destroy the new coronavirus, according to Philippine researchers, after months of experiments with the product as a possible antiviral agent.

“The results are very promising, as they not only show that VCO, by itself, can destroy the virus, but also has a key mechanism to upregulate the immune response against COVID-19”, Dr. Jaime C. Montoya, executive director of the Philippine Council for Health Research and Development (PCHRD), said in a statement.

“In fact, we await the results of clinical trials on the various uses of VCO as an adjunct to the treatment of COVID-19.”

According to research funded by the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), compounds in coconut oil and virgin coconut oil lowered the coronavirus count by 60 to 90 percent with a low viral load.

The researchers also found that the compounds were seen to improve cell survival, the PCHRD said.

But the agency cautioned that more experiments were needed to determine whether a higher concentration of coconut oil compounds would further reduce the replication rate of the virus, which causes the respiratory illness COVID-19.

In an interview with Teleradyo on Monday, Science Secretary Fortunato de la Peña said that the first analysis of virgin coconut oil as a possible antiviral agent could be available by the second week of November.

This, after Filipino researchers finished conducting clinical trials of virgin coconut oil in a Laguna hospital, in which 56 participants participated.

“The fact that they came home and no one stopped them is a good indication,” he said.

(The fact that they were discharged from the hospital and [their conditions] did not deteriorate is a good indication).

But De la Peña also warned that those involved in the study were suspected and mild cases of COVID-19. The Philippine General Hospital (PGH) is conducting a separate clinical trial for virgin coconut oil among critically ill patients battling the virus.

The Philippines has so far recorded 356,618 coronavirus infections, with 6,652 deaths and 310,158 recoveries. Some 39,808 patients are still sick with the virus.