As the Omicron variant continues to drive resurges of COVID-19 cases across the country — as well as a temporary shortage of paracetamol —, the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) says that there’s one alternative treatment that can be effective in the relief of mild COVID-19 symptoms that could already be in your kitchen cabinet: virgin coconut oil.
A DOST official said in a press briefing that their community-based clinical trials on VCO, a common ingredient locally but hailed as a superfood abroad, participants who had the oil mixed in their daily meals reported an improvement in their symptoms.
“Based on DOST-Food and Nutrition Research Institute’s community trials, where mild COVID-19 patients added VCO to their food in addition to standard care, their symptoms reduced and did not progress to severe cases. They also recovered faster,” DOST Undersecretary Rowena Guevara said.
The DOST official said that during the study, half of the participants took VCO, while the other half did not receive VCO mixed in their meals.
DOST Secretary Fortunato de la Peña said the VCO group no longer had COVID-19-related symptoms on Day 18 of the trials. Meanwhile, symptoms persisted among some members of the group without VCO until Day 23.
The VCO group has recovered from infection or inflammation about 14 days after, he said.
According to Guevara, the study proves that VCO can be mixed with meals and can be taken directly to reduce the symptoms among mild COVID-19 cases, adding that VCO can be taken by adults and minors.
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