Edible Parts: Flowers  Fruit  Oil  Root  Sap  Seed  Stem
Edible Uses: Coffee  Condiment  Drink  Milk  Oil  Sweetener

Edible portion: Nut (Seed), Sap, Cabbage, Nut milk, Apple, Palm heart. Seed - raw or cooked[ 297 ] A very versatile food, being eaten raw and used in a wide range of cooked dishes. The seed is often dried then shredded to be used as a flavouring in cakes, curries etc[ 297 ]. Coconut milk or cream, which is pressed from the mix of freshly grated seed with water, has been a traditional ingredient in many African and especially Asian food and bakery products, and is becoming more widely known[ 299 ] The flesh inside a half-ripe seed is gelatinous and clear in colour, it is eaten as a delicacy either raw or cooked[ 63 ]. An edible oil can be extracted from the seed. It is widely used in cooking, making margarines, shortening, filled milk, ice cream, confectioneries etc[ 297 , 299 ]. The oil is traditionally extracted by grating the kernel, macerating with water and boiling it - the oil floats to the surface and is skimmed off[ 63 ]. Most oil, however, is obtained by pressing the kernel[ 63 ]. The liquid inside unripe fruits is a delicious refreshing drink[ 297 ]. It is cool even on a hot tropical day[ 61 , 297 ]. Inflorescence - cooked and used as a vegetable[ 301 ]. A sugary sap can be obtained from the stalk of the inflorescence[ 297 ]. It is obtained by tapping or cutting the stalks of young flower bunches[ 63 ]. This sap can be fermented into an alcoholic beverage[ 300 ]. Apical bud - raw[ 301 ]. Eating this bud effectively kills the trunk since it is unable to produce side branches[ 301 ]. The roots are roasted and used as a coffee substitute[ 301 ]. The pith of the stem is made into a bread, added to soups or pickled[ 301 ].

Plants For A Future can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. Always seek advice from a professional before using a plant medicinally.
Antidiarrhoeal  Antirheumatic  Aphrodisiac  Cytotoxic  Diuretic  Dysentery  Emetic  Emollient  
Hypotensive  Kidney  Poultice  Purgative  Skin  Vermifuge

The coconut is widely used in traditional medicine, where it is ascribed a very wide range of applications[ 311 ]. The seed oil is cytotoxic, emetic, emollient, hypotensive and purgative[ 311 ]. The oil is rubbed onto stiff joints[ 311 ]. It is also used to treat rheumatism and back pains or as an ointment to maintain smooth, soft skin[ 311 ]. Mixed with turmeric, it is used to treat sick new born infants and women who have just given birth[ 311 ]. To place a baby from a breech to a normal position in the mother?s womb, the abdomen is massaged with coconut oil[ 311 ]. Coconut milk is diuretic[ 311 ]. It is used to treat fish poisoning[ 311 ]. The juice from a green coconut is given to women who have difficult pregnancies[ 311 ]. Juice from the fruit is taken to treat kidney problems[ 311 ]. The root is employed in treating stomach-ache and blood in the urine[ 311 ]. It is boiled in combination with Ruellia tuberosa root and used as a treatment for bladder ailments and as an aphrodisiac[ 348 ]. In Fiji, weakness after childbirth is treated with liquid extracted from the stem[ 311 ]. Juice from the midrib at the lower base of the leaf is used in treating maternal postpartum illness[ 311 ]. In New Guinea, sores and scabies are treated with parts of the plant[ 311 ]. A poultice made from the apical bud is used externally to treat ulcers[ 348 ]. The coconut is said to have vermicide properties[ 311 ]. Haemorrhaging is stopped with the use of the dry, spongy kernel[ 311 ]. In the Solomon Islands, diarrhoea and dysentery are treated with parts of this plant[ 311 ].

Basketry  Beads  Broom  Brush  Buttons  Charcoal  Compost  Containers  Cosmetic  Fibre  Filter  Fuel  Furniture  Lighting  Mulch  Musical  Oil  Potash  Roofing  Scourer  Soap making  String  Stuffing  Thatching  Wood

Landscape uses: Seashore, Specimen, Street tree. Agroforestry Uses: The fibre around the seeds is widely used in making peat-free composts where it replaces the peat[ K ]. The burnt husks form a useful sort of potash that is used to fertilize the trees[ 303 ]. The husks also make valuable mulch for moisture conservation in the dry season and help to suppress weeds[ 303 ]. Other Uses An oil obtained from the seed contains fatty alcohol and glycerine[ 303 ]. It is widely used in making goods such as soaps, detergents, cosmetics, candles, pharmaceuticals etc and to a lesser extent as a lubricant[ 63 , 297 , 303 ]. The oil can be used as a substitute for diesel oils, for electric generating plants and motor vehicles. This use, however, depends on the price of other fuels being high if it is to be economic[ 303 ]. The leaves are interwoven and used as a roofing or thatching material for walls of huts[ 63 , 297 ]. They can also be woven into mats, baskets etc[ 297 ]. The midribs of the leaflets are used for brooms[ 63 ]. The root may be used as a toothbrush[ 311 , 324 ]. The fibrous material that surrounds the seed is known as coir[ 63 ]. There are three types of fibre obtained from the husks:- Mat fibre or yarn fibre. This is used in making mats. Bristle fibre. This is used for brush making. Mattress fibre. Used in stuffing mattresses and in upholstery. The fibre can also be used for making ropes and cordage[ 63 , 297 ]. The hard, woody shell surrounding the seed can be used as cups, bowls, in craft work, buttons, combs, bangles, musical instruments, etc[ 63 , 324 ]. Coconut-shell flour, obtained from grinding clean, mature coconut shells to fine powder, is used as a filler in the thermoplastic industry and as an abrasive for cleaning machinery[ 303 ]. A good quality charcoal is made from the shell of the seed[ 63 ]. It gives off an intense heat when burnt[ 63 ]. The charcoal is very absorptive and has been used in gas masks[ 63 ]. Coconut-shell charcoal may be processed further into activated carbon that has many industrial applications, including general water purification, crystalline sugar preparation and gold purification[ 303 ]. The high moisture content of the wood and the difficulty of splitting it has made it relatively unpopular as fuel[ 303 ]. The trunk of palm trees has its hardest and most wood-like portion towards the outside of the stem, the inner portion being very fibrous. The outer portion of the coconut stem is a widely used source of timber in the tropics[ 297 ]. The stem is red-brown with a coarse texture and straight to entangled grain. The outer portion is hard, heavy, but not very durable. It seasons slowly, with a slight risk of checking, but a high risk of distortion; once dry it is moderately stable in service. It has a high blunting effect, stellite-tipped and tungsten-carbide tools are recommended; nailing and screwing are good, but require pre-boring; gluing is correct. The wood has traditionally been used in tropical countries for the structural framework of house[ 303 , 848 ]. Coconut timber taken from the lower and middle parts of the trunk can be used for load-bearing structures in buildings, such as frames, floors and trusses[ 303 ]. Coconut trunks can be used for poles, as they have great strength and flexibility. The wood can also be used for high quality furniture and parquet flooring[ 303 , 848 ].

Special Uses

Carbon Farming  Food Forest