Around the globe, scientists and researchers are hustling to find a vaccine (or in lieu of that, a treatment) for the coronavirus, which has put the world at a standstill. The search is so urgent and necessary that “global leaders have pledged to accelerate cooperation on a Covid-19 vaccine and to share research, treatment and medicines around the globe as part of a World Health Organization initiative,” reports The Guardian. The president himself has raised a P50 million bounty for any Filipino who can come up with a vaccine.
Our own local scientists are looking into a common household product that could potentially aid in the treatment of the virus: virgin coconut oil.
Department of Science and Technology (DOST) announced on Apr. 24 that the agency has been given the go-ahead to conduct clinical trials to see the effectiveness of VCO “as a health supplement for COVID-19 patients.”
“It works like soap,” doctor emeritus Dr. Fabian Dayrit from Ateneo de Manila University’s Department of Chemistry previously remarked about the coconut oil’s antiviral properties, explaining that “when coconut oil is ingested, enzymes in the body metabolize coconut oil releasing the active compounds, monolaurin and lauric acid. Monolaurin is used to protect farm animals against bacteria and viruses.”
To test this out, the study will enlist patients from Philippine General Hospital in Manila and the Santa Rosa Community Hospital in Laguna.
“Ang hangarin po namin ngayon ay maipakita na mas mabilis ang recovery ng mga magte-take ng VCO,” said DOST secretary Fortunato Dela Peña.
“Patients who would agree to take part in the clinical trials will be administered VCO as part of their daily diet and find out if they would recover faster than non-VCO patients.”
[Inquirer.net]
Featured photo courtesy of Isaac N.C. on Unsplash
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