Coconut

The origin of the coconut has been lost to history. Coconuts are a prehistoric plant that scientists believe came from the South Pacific around what is now New Guinea.

It is said that the sailors aboard Vasco de Gama’s ships gave the coconut its name. They called it “Coco”, named after a grimacing face or hobgoblin. When the “coco” came to England, the suffix of nut was added and that’s how the name came about.

The coconut IV

Apart from its numerous health benefits, as it turns out, coconut water is a workable short-term substitute for human blood plasma and was positively tested as emergency intravenous fluid as far back as the ’50s. There’s been at least one documented case where a coconut IV was used in the Solomon Islands to treat a severely dehydrated patient.

Trained coconut monkeys

Palm trees are dangerous for humans to climb, and it can be awkward trying to wrench a 10-pound coconut free while holding on for dear life. That’s why in tropical countries like Sumatra, farmers train monkeys to harvest their coconuts. Most farmers control the beasts with a long leash, but some monkeys are so well-trained they respond to their owner’s voice. These animals are in such high demand that they can fetch quite the penny.

Published in Dawn, Young World, April 16th, 2015