The coconut palm is said to have a thousand uses. It provides island populations virtually everything they need to sustain life from food and medicine to building materials and clothing. Of all the products produced from the coconut palm, the oil is perhaps the most versatile and the most valuable. The oil is used for food, medicine, and numerous industrial purposes. It makes an excellent cooking oil with medicinal properties equivalent to that of dozens of medications, without any adverse side effects. Coconut oil is a renewable natural resource that is far healthier and environmentally friendly than other vegetable oils. Coconut oil is suitable for many industrial uses and can be used to make environmentally safe soaps, lubricants, and fuel. It is the only vegetable oil that can power diesel engines without any modification and produces as much as 99 percent less pollution than petroleum-based fuels.

In addition, coconut oil provides an alternative to products that are contaminating the environment, destroying coral reefs and tropical rainforests, and contributing to the loss of endangered wildlife. Because of its numerous uses, it is providing a reliable source of income to many populations that are economically disadvantaged.This book describes many of the advantages coconut oil has over other edible oils and industrial products and how its use can promote better health for us and for the planet.