Can coconut water be used as direct IV FLUID to fight dehydration?!
Question: Can coconut water be used as direct IV FLUID to fight dehydration?
Answers:
Chandan,
With respect to "JB" who claims to have obtained the information from a 'Health Care Provider',(and, one hopes, that it is not JB who is the health care provider!) Coconut water as found in young coconuts, as opposed to coconut milk which is made from the grated flesh of a coconut, has been used as an emergency short-term intravenous hydration fluid. It was reportedly used by the British military when fighting the Japanese in WWII. There is also a report of this procedure being performed on a patient in the Solomon Islands who was too ill to have a nasal tube or to drink. Coconut water can not actually replace blood plasma, but it’s chemical analysis indicates that it is closer in makeup to intracellular fluid. It is usually sterile, and when mixed with plasma it behaves like saline solution. It has fewer electrolytes in it than our bodies are used to and too much potassium, so it is not an ideal rehydration fluid and may only be used for emergencies and for short periods.
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Hope this helps
matador 89
NO - you can NEVER put anything directly into a vein that is intended for your stomach. It could have the potential to kill you. Saline given IV is the most common fluid replacement to treat dehydration but, unless you are vomiting non-stop, you can orally rehydrate yourself after a vomiting episode and then, you could use coconut water but plain water, 7-up or gatorade would be better.
Health care provider
I am no MD but I would say no. Your blood has very special properties. it has a balanced chemical structure. it has white and red blood cells and blood plates. coconut water is completely different. if you want to fight dehydration you should drink enough fluids or get a normal IV.
probably not. Why not just drink the stuff? Go to a hospital and get a saline IV if you are worried about dehydration.