Sweet oily and cool, the coconut strengthens and builds up the body. It is called 'auspicious fruit' in Sanskrit, as it is used in almost every religious ritual. The inner water of tender coconuts flushes out the kidneys and cools the system; as the coconut gets older and drier, this water gets hotter. Coconut oil is especially nourishing for the hair, and extracts of coconut are sometimes used to treat tuberculosis and yeast infections.
Related to the coconut palm is the toddy palm, whose sap, fruit and root are cooling and relieve gastritis. The sap, which, like the water of tender coconuts, flushes the urinary tract, ferments soon after collection. The resulting alcoholic beverage, toddy, is a pleasant laxative, and is also used in poultices with rice flour on inflamed body parts.
References:
Ayurveda Life Health and Longevity by Robert E. Svoboda - Penguin Books.
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