Coconut Oil is not something I previously would have associated with the immune system. This year I've come down with illness after illness so far and wanted to try and find a natural way to boost my immune system so when I Googled that exact term I was quite surprised to find Coconut Oil featuring in a lot of the search results. It sounded like an easy way to improve my situation though so I ordered a 250g tub of organic coconut oil, also known as "Coconoil", which could be eaten or applied to the skin. I bought mine from an Amazon seller for £6.75 and the 250g tub is classed as a "baby" size.

So why Coconut Oil? Well apparently it kills viruses that have a fatty coating so is useful for helping with the flu, hepatitis C, herpes etc. There are claims that it helps against HIV but I'm not sure I believe those! It is also supposed to be useful against a variety of bacterial infections and yeast infections too.

Coconut Oil is apparently not stored like other fats and is broken down by the liver quickly so the body uses it as a carbohydrate so it can increase energy levels and endurance. A few websites claim it is helpful for weight loss as it increases metabolism but I'm not sure how a fatty oil with 900 calories per 100g is going to help with weight loss! I would tell you the fat content but the label is full of complicated different types of fat and very unclear how much fat is contained.

Coconut Oil is said to improve digestion of fat soluble vitamins, minerals and amino acids and another claim online is it's good for IBS. Now I have to kind of dispute that one because during my Coconoil experiment I found taking even a small amount by mouth had the effect of, shall we say, oiling the works! So perhaps if you suffer from constipation type IBS this might be of use.

It contains high amounts of antioxidants and here's the bit that actually convinced me to give it a go, Lauric Acid and Capric Acid. These are two ingredients found in human breast milk and provide protection against certain illnesses while improving the immune system. This really swung it for as we all know how "breast is best" and how breast fed children seem to have less illnesses and allergies than bottle fed and as a bottle fed myself with countless problems I wondered if this may actually help me.

As far as external use goes obviously this is oily so is going to be moisturising for hair or skin, it is supposed to be an effective mosquito repellent and a healing balm. I can't comment on the mozzy issue as I haven't seen many this year so far but it is a very moisturising oil that smells delicious!

So those are the claims. Coconoil comes in a solid form which is very similar to Vaseline and melts on contact with the skin. I can tell you that today while it's 26 degrees outside my solid Coconoil is now a tub of liquid oil so it melts very easily. I read a fair amount of reviews about this with people saying they used it in place of vegetable oil for cooking or added it to smoothies or added it to hot drinks. Some used it in place of butter and spread it on their toast! My plan was to keep it simple and to interfere as little as possible with my normal routine so I planned to add a teaspoon or two to my nightly cup of herbal tea. I don't use oil for cooking very often and I certainly didn't fancy coconut flavoured Vaseline on my toast!

The daily dose isn't definite and some people eat tablespoons a day while others just have a teaspoon. I only had a teaspoon a day and frankly after my earlier comment about "oiling the works" I'm glad I didn't rush straight in and have more!

It sounds simple doesn't it? Make a hot drink, stir in a teaspoon of this and drink it. I wasn't anticipating how oily this really is and found myself quite disgusted by the added coconut taste in my drink and the oily layer floating on top. I ignored it however and forced the drink down, it moisturises your lips pretty well by the way as you drink it! One of the problems for me was once my mouth cooled down a bit from the hot drink, as this melts with heat and solidifies with cold, I soon noticed a layer of coconut oil on my teeth that was so thick it was like I'd brushed my teeth with it! I didn't much like this and could see no way around it.

I followed this routine for about a week then decided rather than ruin my evening drink I'd try and force a spoonful down on its own instead. I can highly recommend you don't do this unless you like having coconut flavoured lard in your mouth! I found it hard to swallow it and soon gave up with this plan. As for adding it to smoothies, I find it has the same effect as adding it to a hot drink and leaves a horrible coating on your teeth while turning your smoothie into something not very tasty!

I actually gave up taking this internally about a week ago and started using it as a skin moisturiser some nights instead. It's lovely on dry skin and a tiny bit stops flyaway hairs going crazy and of course smells of lovely coconut. If you use it externally though remember it is an oil and will stain clothing unless you let it fully absorb or wipe off any excess.

As far as immune boosting goes I didn't take this long enough to find out I'm afraid. I can still see the benefits of coconut oil and haven't given up on the idea. I think I'll try capsules next time though!

Overall it's a lovely skin softener and the coconut scent is very summery but I couldn't stand to actually eat chunks of oil so for me not the best way to get the benefits of the product. I'm going to give it 3 stars because of its positives and hopefully the capsule form will suit me better!