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Nature GuideGuide

Coconut tree

Coconut tree

• Roots (‘a’a) : employed in medicinal recipes to treat sprain and fractures (intern)

• Trunk : used in construction, furniture, canoes...

• Bark : traditional medicinal care

• Leaves (ni’au) : woven to make roofs, baskets, bags, mats

• Fruit : The coconut water is a beverage and can be used in traditional medicine as an excipient to convey active principles of other plants. The coconut flesh is edible and very rich in fatty acid, potassium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, vitamin A and E, zinc and copper. The coconut milk is made with the flesh of mature nuts, by grating and pressing. It’s used in Polynesian food, to cook fermented meals like the “mitihue” or the “taioro” for example, but can also be employed to prepare a well known oil; monoi. This oil has many medicinal and cosmetic properties: hydration, purging, conditioner, anti-dandruff, anti-stretchmarks, intimate hygiene, healing, spot care… It is also used to replace fuel. In the past this oil was exploited as a light source, and to embalm dead persons. Lastly, many objects can be made with the coconut: bowls, plates with the shell, or even jewellery and ropes with coconut-fibre.

Coconut tree with new fruits (drupes)
Coconut tree with new fruits (drupes)
Germinated coconut
Germinated coconut