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Author: DA Communications Group | 1 May 2020<\/p>\n
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The Department of Agriculture through the Philippine Coconut Authority (DA-PCA) is partnering with other agencies to study the curative properties of virgin coconut oil (VCO) on patients infected with the COVID-19.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is indeed good news for us, a silver lining in the scientific community. This inter-agency effort is reflective of the \u2018Bayanihan to Heal as One Act\u2019 the success of which will not only help our Covid-19 patients, but also benefit our marginal coconut farmers,\u201d said Agriculture Secretary William Dar.<\/p>\n
PCA administrator Benjamin Madrigal, Jr. said previous researches have shown that VCO has high potency anti-viral, anti-bacterial, and anti-fungal qualities.<\/p>\n
\u201cInitial research results show that the lauric acid in VCO helps fight the corona virus in three ways, as it: disintegrates the virus membrane; inhibits virus maturation; and prevents binding of viral proteins to the host cell membrane,\u201d said Madrigal.<\/p>\n
The ongoing study, with an initial P5-million funding, is being conducted by the DA-PCA in partnership with the Department of Science and Technology\u2019s Food and Nutrition Research Institute (DOST-FNRI), Philippine Center for Health Research and Development (PCHRD), and DOST Region 4A, the Department of Health (DOH), University of the Philippines-Philippine General Hospital (UP-PGH), and the team of Professor Fabian Antonio Dayrit of Ateneo de Manila University.<\/p>\n
The two-pronged study involves, first, a community-based modified clinical study on the use of VCO, involving persons under investigation for Covid-19 infection who exhibit symptoms of the disease. The tests are being conducted by the FNRI with DOST-4A, Santa Rosa City government, in Laguna, and Medical City South Luzon.<\/p>\n
Second, the VCO is used as a supplement to the daily treatment regimen \u2014 in addition to the pharmaceutical drugs being assessed in clinical trials \u2014 of Covid-19 positive patients at PGH.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo ensure the success of said research studies, the PCA is providing all the quality VCO that has passed stringent laboratory analysis for its physio-chemical, microbial and heavy metal content,\u201d said Madrigal, noting that the agency shared P1.4 million in the inter-agency initiative.<\/p>\n
The PCA will also support all the clinical laboratory tests in the community-based studies to determine the anti-viral and immune system boosting qualities of VCO.<\/p>\n
\u201cWith this favorable development, the demand for VCO has started to pick up with the on-going confirmatory clinical research at UP-PGH and at the community quarantine facility in Sta. Rosa, Laguna,\u201d Madrigal said.<\/p>\n