I was watching a new medical show on TV the other day, Off The Map, where doctors in a jungle used the liquid inside a coconut to act like plasma for a patient when the blood supply ran out.
I wondered if this was based in any kind of fact. Here is some information I discovered, and links to the information:
India's National Newspaper, Monday, Nov 24, 2003 states:
"It (coconut juice) is also considered a close substitute for blood plasma since it is sterile, cool, easily absorbed by the body and does not destroy red blood cells. To quote Morton Satin, Chief of Food and Agricultural Organisation's Agricultural Industries and Post Harvest Management Service: "It is a natural isotonic beverage with the same level of electrolytic balance as we have in our blood. It is the fluid of life, so to speak." This quote taken from this site:
It is important to note that we are talking about the liquid inside the coconut—the juice. Coconut milk is thick and milky white, made from the meat of the coconut.
Also, the juice can work as hydration when needed in emergency situations. Course, you would need to be in the tropics or a jungle area.
I’ll let you go to this web site to read a little more the heroic coconut. There's also some great info in case you ever knock out a tooth!
By the way, the show was great. It is definitely a medical show, but what makes it so unique and fascinating is how they have to do their job in this remote location.
Hooray for Coconuts! Mahalo for visiting.
Cheryl
