It has been documented that doctors have injected about 2.5 liters of coconut water into the patient in the absence of intravenous fluids to help the patient survive the crisis. If this is the case, is it possible to properly inject coconut water directly into the blood vessels? The red color of blood is mainly the color of hemoglobin. There is no hemoglobin in coconut milk, but it contains sugar, fat, protein, vitamins, electrolytes, etc. It is very similar to plasma (the plasma itself is light yellow), especially in raw coconut milk. The electrolyte balance is very similar to plasma. It is said that coconut water is almost the same as human plasma. Does this statement sound reliable?
Coconut water has a sodium content of about one-fortyth of that of plasma, and potassium is 10 to 15 times higher than plasma. It also contains higher levels of calcium and magnesium, and its acidity far exceeds plasma. All of this shows that coconut water is not the same as plasma. However, in extreme emergency situations, coconut water can still be used. So this statement seems ridiculous, but there are certain reasons.
In Solomon Islands, coconut is an essential part of the diet of the locals. They divided the process of coconut development into six distinct stages. When the coconut grows to 7 months, it contains the most coconut water inside. By the way, coconut water is very different from coconut water, which is an emulsion of fresh coconut flakes mixed with coconut water.
If the coconut shell does not break, the coconut water inside the coconut is usually sterile. If the composition of coconut water is very similar to plasma, can it be injected into the human blood vessels to replenish fluid loss? As early as 1942, Dr. Pandra, a doctor in Havana, Cuba, injected filtered coconut water into the blood vessels of 12 children at a rate of about 1 to 2 liters per 24 hours. His report stated that no adverse reactions occurred.
In 1954, three doctors, Eisman and Losano Hager, combined the results of their respective studies. They injected a total of 157 patients with coconut water intravenously in Thailand, the United States and Honduras, most of whom were located in Honduras, a total of 136. Of the 157 patients, 11 responded to coconut water, including fever, itching, headache and hand tingling. Some patients feel that the veins injected with coconut water are painful. The researchers believe that this may be related to the high potassium content in coconut water.
Going back to whether coconut water is exactly the same as plasma, the answer is no. 55% of human blood volume is plasma, and 45% are blood cells – most of them are red blood cells, and a small number are white blood cells and platelets. Red blood cells make the blood appear red.
The blood is centrifuged to sediment the blood cells, and the pale yellowish supernatant of the upper layer is plasma. The sodium ion content in plasma is high, and the potassium ion and other mineral ions are very low. True intravenous infusions need to meet the requirements of high sodium and low potassium. Coconut water is not the same as plasma. On the contrary, it is closer to the liquid inside the red blood cells, that is, it contains higher potassium ions, and the sodium ion content is very low. The liquid in the human body can be divided into two parts, the liquid inside the cell and the liquid outside the cell, and the sodium and potassium ion contents of the two are just opposite. In fact, each cell has an innumerable sodium-potassium pump that delivers a relatively low concentration of potassium ions outside the cell into the cell and sends a relatively low concentration of sodium ions out of the cell.
All of this shows that coconut water is not the same as plasma.
However, in extreme emergency situations, coconut water can still be used. In a medical literature, the process of treating a man who has suffered a stroke is described. The man from Solomon Islands had difficulty swallowing, neither liquid nor solid, swallowed and vomiting. He replenishes water through regular intravenous injections and feeds through a conduit that leads directly to the stomach. After spending 36 days in the hospital, he can finally no longer have to endure the feeding tube, but unfortunately, the hospital just used up the intravenous infusion. Due to the remote location, the supply will take two days to arrive. In the next two days, the doctors injected him with about 2.5 liters of coconut water to help him through the crisis. He eventually recovered his swallowing ability and was discharged on the 39th day.
In extremely urgent situations, such as the South Asian battlefield during World War II, or in the depths of the tropical rainforests of South America, doctors use coconut juice as a substitute for plasma. They can also be used as intravenous fluids in the field. But there is still a considerable risk in doing so.
