Octanoic acid

Caprylic acid is the common name for the eight-carbon straight chain fatty acid known by the systematic name octanoic acid. It is found naturally in coconuts and breast milk. It is an oily liquid with a slightly unpleasant rancid taste that is minimally soluble in water. more...

Caprylic acid is used commercially in the production of esters used in perfumery and also in the manufacture of dyes.

Caprylic acid is known to have anti-fungal properties, and is often recommended by nutritionists for the treatment of candidiasis. According to nutritionist Erica White, caprylic acid is excellent for dealing with candida in the intestines, which are frequently colonized by candida; but, being a long-chain fatty acid, it has difficulty in penetrating fatty cell wall membranes. Some nutritionists therefore recommend starting with caprylic acid when treating candidiasis, but moving later to other plant oils (e.g. oil of cloves, or oregano) which contain fatty acids with a shorter carbon chain that can more easily penetrate tissues in the body such as muscles, joints, and sinuses.

Caprylic acid is also used in the treatment of some bacterial infections.

That capricorn and caprylic have the same word root, it is not a co-incidence. Capryilic acid is, as with other short-chained fatty-acids, present in goat's milk in relative abundance, hence the origin of its name.

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