Mahanth is Editor

In recent decades coconut oil has gotten a bad rap due to being a saturated fat, typically solid at room temperature in its virgin organic form. But this nonsense should be trumped by what my ancestors from India have known for centuries: pure coconut oil is unquestionably as magical as any one thing you can find in the grocery store or online.

In the frigid Wisconsin winters my skin, and particularly my scalp get as dry as the Sahara Desert from blasting heaters. My largest organ can become a mess of unbearable itchy discomfort. Over the years in dire search of relief I have tried every possible skin cream, lotion, soap, shampoo, and ointment known to man ranging from over the counter to the strongest possible prescription steroid varieties. Thanks to my ability to afford it I have tried eye-wateringly expensive products among them. I was willing to try anything under the sun. And then, in the last year, I was fortunate to discover a cheap, superior, simple, elegant, and completely natural solution that roundly defeated them all in my quest: virgin organic coconut oil. Nothing has worked better for moisturizing my scalp or any other part of my body from head to toe, so I lather it on with abandon, and it works to provide lasting relief where nothing else could.

This is no coincidence. This miracle oil has strong anti-fungal and antibacterial properties on top of its supreme moisturizing powers. That makes it shelf stable at room temperature in your kitchen for a very, very long time without going bad. This also makes coconut oil exceedingly suitable as a much healthier version of mouthwash than the kinds you can get at the pharmacy, typically full of harsh alcohols, carcinogens and other nasty chemicals that over time could do more harm than good to your oral hygiene. A daily swish of coconut oil around your teeth and gums is an age-old practice from India known as “oil pulling” and once you get used to it, it’s a wonderful and harmless addition to your tooth and gum care routine. Bonus: did you know that killing bacteria in your mouth can also help prevent infections in other parts of your body? I did not till recently. Double win!!

The very same coconut oil supply is perfectly healthy for cooking, the recent medical literature denouncing saturated fat be damned. It’s far healthier for your heart and various other innards than most vegetable oils like corn, vegetable, or canola that go through a disgusting, unnatural processing treatment that is now proven to be the opposite of heart healthy. As an added bonus, the fragrance of coconut oil is delicious for those of us who grew up on it, whether in frying up an omelet or a yummy vegetable saute. Have some fun with it like I do, by mixing it up with other healthy fats like extra virgin olive oil or ghee on the stove.

There can be no other substance naturally occurring on this earth with minimal processing needed that can be safely smeared all over your body every day, swished all around the insides of your mouth, or that can be used and ingested in your daily meals, all so very effectively, all in service of making your health and your life better and more flavorful.

Let’s take the age-old wisdom and deep knowledge of nature’s godly bounty from our ancestors from India and use it to our advantage rather than wasting money on highly synthesized, overpriced and newfangled products that are ruining our health instead of enhancing it. What could possibly be more hip than that?