Coconut / Buko Herbal Medicine
10+ Surprising Health Benefits from Coconut / Buko (Cocos nucifera) that you should know..
Coconut / Buko (Cocos nucifera). In most Pacific islanders, is called the tree of life for its versatility of use. Almost every part of the Coconut / buko tree has good use as seen in many domestic, commercial and industrial applications. It is also valued in traditional medicine for the many health benefits it provide, from graying hair to cancer. We shall examine in this article how they are used and what are the scientific basis if any.
Scientific Name: Cocos nucifera
Common Names: Cocos nucifera
The Coconut / Buko tree ;(Cocos nucifera), is a member of the family Arecaceae (palm family) The Coconut / Buko tree is of the genus Cocos. The Coconut / Buko tree or Coconut / Buko palm can be found in rainforests and countries with tropical climate such as in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Pacific. In the United States, Coconut / Buko tree can be found in Hawaii, the Southern tip of Florida, and the Virgin Islands.
The Coconut / Buko tree has erect graceful gray colored trunk, swollen at the base and grows slightly curved. The truck is ringed due to old leaf scars and is smooth. The Coconut / Buko tree is topped by a crown composed of about 25 to 30 pinnate feather-like leaves that are about 6 feet wide and 18 feet long. There are about 200 leaflets in every leaf, colored yellow green when young and as it matures turned to brown. The Coconut / Buko leaves are shed as it grows old and young new shoots grows from the top most of the crown.
Coconut / Buko flowers start to bloom when the Coconut / Buko is about 4 to 6 years of age. The Coconut / Buko flowers are yellow and are sweet scented. The flowers grow in clusters from a branched stalked with both male and female flowers growing from the same inflorescence.
The flower buds turned to Coconut / Buko fruits that grow to a large nut like shape about 10 inches in diameter and about 12 inches in length. The fruit is commonly called as Coconut / Buko . The Coconut / Buko has a smooth hard protective outer layer, usually green, but others may be pale yellow, silver-gold or brown depending on variety and age. Coconut / Buko fruit has a husk of about 1 to 2 inches thick with an inner hollow round seed of about 5 to 7 inches in diameter. The Coconut / Buko seed has a hard shell that when cracked open will reveal a layer of white edible meat and about a glassful of sweet watery Coconut / Buko milk. A matured Coconut / Buko tree can produce about 50 to 200 Coconut / Buko s per year depending on variety and growing conditions.