PHARMACOGNOSY ASSIGNMENT

GROUP 3 MEMBERS

VERONICA WAMAHIGA –P70/3180/2019

VANESSA WAIRIMU – P70/3237/2019

DANIEL MUTUI - P70/3175/2019

LIZBETH NYAMBEKI – P70/5492/2019

VALENTINE WAMBUI – P70/3179/2019

HOW TO MAKE COCONUT OIL AT HOME

Coconut oil is a hydrocarbon which for years has been used as a household necessity. It
is an edible oil, it can also be used on hair for growth, on skin as an anti-inflammatory, anti-fungal and
moisturizing agent. It is extracted in various ways from the meat or kernels of mature coconuts.
9 to 10 mature coconuts will give 150 grams of oil
3 to 4 mature coconuts will give 50 grams of oil.

There are different ways to make coconut oil at home. Here are some methods:

Cooking method

METHOD 1
Step1: Locate the eyes of the coconut and puncture it to open up the coconut. Drain the coconut water
into a separate container and set aside

Step 2: Extract all flesh from the coconut and grate it to smaller bits.

Step 3: Extract the coconut milk from the flesh by squeezing it with a Muslim cloth. The milk will pass
through the Muslim cloth and be separated from the flesh of the coconut. Some hot water can be added
to the grated coconut to make the process faster.

Step 4: Once the coconut milk is extracted, sieve /strain using another Muslim cloth to remove any
impurities. Collect /strain as much milk as possible. Repeat the process if possible.

Step 5: Put the milk in a pot and heat on very low heat to concentrate the milk. Precautions should be
taken to ensure It doesn’t burn Heat till it becomes a brownish color. Once concentrated, remove it
from the fire and let it cool down. Place cooled thickened milk in a Muslim cloth and squeeze out all the
oil. Collect the oil in a plastic bottle.
METHOD 2
Step 1: Remove the husk. Steadily hold the coconut palm facing up and slam the spine of a cleaver into it
until it cracks I.e. wrap coconut in a kitchen towel, using a mallet or a hammer gently knock several
areas of the coconut until the brown shell cracks and carefully pick off the remaining shell.

Step 2: Grate the coconut. Hand grate the coconut using the fiber side of a grater (you can use food
processor or blender to grate the coconut)

Step 3: Soak and strain. Add about 1 to 3 cups of water to your grated coconuts (this will help when
squeezing the juices, squeeze the juice out of shredded coconut with your hands.I.e. squeeze the juice
using a cheese cloth. Strain coconut milk through a sieve to get as much of the shredding out.

Step 4: Heat. put the coconut milk into a large pot and let it warm up. (don’t stir the mixture, don't leave
it to boil)

Step 5: Cool let the coconut milk cool (preferably to room temperature)

Step 6: Skim. using a spoon skim the fat off the top and put it in a pan.

Step 7: Boil. Let the coconut custard come to boil, and then reduce the heat to medium and let it
simmer for around 45 minutes. There is minimal stirring during this part of the process. As it boils the
appearance will change. Clear spots (oil) and grayish brownish chunky waste, the oil will continue to
separate from cooked waste, eventually you can use your spoon and separate the two.

Natural fermentation method: Mix the remaining coconut water with the milk, and fill the mixture in a
transparent glass jar. Allow the jar to remain at room temperature (around 32 degrees Celsius) for about
20 hours. This allows the water to settle at the bottom.

Blender method: Remove the meat of the coconut from its shell. Then, use a blender to combine the
meat with water and make coconut milk. The coconut milk can be converted to coconut oil by the
cooking methods.

Juicer method: Run the coconut flakes through a juicer 2 times to extract all of the coconut milk from
them. Put the juiced coconut in a jar and let it sit for 24 hours so the oil and cream separate.

Coconut oil is very useful as it contains antioxidants such as vitamin E, provitamin A, polyphenols and
phytosterols.
 Because coconut oil has a lot of medium-chain fatty acids it can be useful for malabsorption
 conditions.
 May have some antibacterial, antiviral and antifungal properties.
 Maintains coagulation factors and therefore does not increase heart disease risk.
 Reduces cholesterol and triglyceride levels.
 Reduces risk of heart disease best results are obtained when combined with safflower, corn, or
olive oil
 May help support the immune system.