Coconut oil has a multitude of health benefits, and this explains why it has been used for decades across the world. The oil is made from pressing the meat of the coconut fruit and extracting the natural juices from it. Many people in the tropical regions have used coconut oil for a long time, primarily as a source of cooking oil. The oil is good for the skin, hair, stress relief, cholesterol level maintenance, weight loss, proper digestion, immune system boosting and regulated metabolism among many other functions. The topical uses, medicinal and nutritional uses of coconut oil can be attributed to the presence of lauric acid, caprylic and capric acid, and their properties including anti-fungal, and anti-bacterial as well as soothing qualities. Coconut oil has been used extensively for hundreds of years in the tropical countries particularly in Sri Lanka, Philippines, Thailand and India. These countries are known to have a good production of the fruit. The people in Africa, Polynesia and Central America have also used coconut oil for centuries. The 1500 BC documents reveal that the oil was used for soothing and healing the mind and spirit. Explorer James Cook once wrote about the virtues of the fruit and its oil. Coconut oil arrived in Western countries after World War II, but there was a strong propaganda campaign during the 1970s in the US and Canada, and the oil was considered harmful to the body. With time however, people began to question these propaganda claims, and it has been perceived by many as a very beneficial oil to the body today.