Lodoicea, Sea Coconut

Double Coconut, Maldive Coconut, Coco-de-Mer
Aklari (Ayurveda)
Kadalthengai (Siddha)
Narjeel Daryai (Unani)

Sea Coconut palm, Lodoicea maldivica
Curtis, W., Botanical Magazine (1827)

Sea Coconuts (left, in a bunch, right individual)
Curtis, W., Botanical Magazine (1827)

Lodoicea maldivica
(Photo by David Stanley) (Wikimedia0

Botanical name:

Lodoicea maldivica, L. seychellarum

Parts used:

Kernel

Temperature & Taste:

Cool, moist. Sweet, Pungent
According to Unani sources, it has a mixed Temperature

Classification:

Uses:

1. Clears Heat:
-Fever including Typhus
-Boils, Abscesses, skin eruptions
-Diarrhea, Vomiting, Gastroenteritis
-antacid and antibilious
-Water of Unripe Coconut and the fresh Kernel are best for this function

2. Nourish the Lungs, Stop Cough:
-Cough, including dry or chronic Cough (TCM)

3. Strengthens Kidneys, Nourishes Yin:
-Thirst
-Diabetes (proven effect)
-good to promote sperm and used in formulas as aphrodisiac
-considered fattening in Unani

4. Strengthens the Heart:
-regarded as a Heart tonic in Ayurveda

5. Harmonizes other Drugs:
-considered to counteract adverse effects of other medicines.

Dose:

Unripe Coconut water is most cooling and best for Thirst and Fever.
The Ripe Kernel is most strengthening and used in tonic formulas.
Kernel in Powder: 5–10 grams
Raw: 30–30 grams

Substitute:

1. Pistachio
2. Pine nut
3. Walnut

Corrective:

1. Rose
2. Milk; Cane Sugar

Main Combinations:

1. Boils, skin eruptions and to clean the Blood, taken with Chebula.
2. Cough, Sea Coconut with Loquat leaf (Pi Pa Ye), Apricot kernel (Xing Ren), Licorice
3. Aphrodisiac
i. Sea Coconut with Orchis
ii. Sea Coconut with Orchis, Sparrow Brains, White Poppy seed, Red and White Behen, Bull Penis powder, Saffron
4. To promote Semen:
i. Sea Coconut with Emblic Myrobalan, Raisins, Orchis, Long Pepper,
5. Swollen glands, it is applied as a paste with Nux Vomica (Indian Folk remedy)