Supplements · Fatty acids

Caprylic Acid: Candida Benefits, Food Sources, Dose & Safety

What caprylic acid is, how it works against Candida yeast in lab and human studies, where it fits in a candida cleanse, which foods supply it, and who should be careful.

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Evidence-based47 sources citedUpdated October 13, 2026
Published Oct 13, 2026Last updated Oct 13, 2026Editorial policyMedical review policyFact-checking policy
A split image: a smiling young woman with shoulder-length dark hair above, and below, halved fresh coconuts, a wooden spoon of shredded coconut and a small white bottle on white wooden boards
Coconut oil, pressed from the white meat of the coconut, carries about 0.9 grams of caprylic acid per tablespoon.
The Dr. Axe Score™
6.6/10
Overall Dr. Axe Score · Caprylic Acid

Caprylic acid scores 6.6 for its human results against yeast through the oils that carry it, its fast uptake and strong ketone response, and side effects that stay mild at protocol doses.

Scientific Evidence
4.8/10
Randomized trials of MCT oil in infants and coconut oil in the mouth against Candida, trials on tremor and Alzheimer's disease, ketone studies, and a deep base of lab work.
Bioavailability & Absorption
7.2/10
Absorbed fast and turned into energy or ketones in the liver; in a mouse study, medium-chain fat levels in the gut fell before the end of the small intestine, and carbs taken with it lower the ketone response.
Clinical Effectiveness
7.4/10
Our judgment: the oils that carry it lowered gut yeast in infants and eased denture sores faster than a chlorhexidine rinse, and caprylic acid itself steadied voice tremor.
Safety & Tolerability
7.6/10
Stomach upset and loose stools that rise with the dose; skip it with MCAD deficiency, cirrhosis, pregnancy and breastfeeding.
Why this score?
Why Caprylic Acid scores 6.6 / 10

    Weighting: Evidence 30% · Bioavailability & Absorption 25% · Clinical Effectiveness 25% · Safety & Tolerability 20% (4.8×0.30 + 7.2×0.25 + 7.4×0.25 + 7.6×0.20 = 1.44 + 1.80 + 1.85 + 1.52 = 6.61, shown as 6.6). How we score

    A transparent, weighted index built for supplements. See how it’s calculated →

    Interaction check: Low. The trials and safety reviews cited on this page report no drug interactions for caprylic acid or MCT oil; prescribed antifungals and antibiotics are covered below. Interactions are rated separately and don't change the score.

    Dr. Axe Protocol

    The Candida Cleanse Protocol

    30-day protocol

    The complete root-cause framework for starving, killing, and clearing yeast overgrowth — and reversing the bloating, cravings, brain fog and fatigue most doctors never trace back to the source.

    • A symptom self-check
    • The four-phase plan
    • A 7-day meal plan

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    Caprylic acid at a glance

    Caprylic acid is an 8-carbon fat found in coconut oil and milk fat, and in lab tests it keeps Candida yeast from forming its invasive threads and damages the yeast's cell membrane.123 In a randomized trial of 12 preterm infants, MCT oil, made mostly of caprylic and capric acids, cut Candida in their stool by about 85% in one week.4

    • Dr. Axe's dose: 1,000 to 2,000 mg twice a day with food, in the kill phase of his free Candida Cleanse Protocol5
    • Food: a tablespoon of coconut oil carries about 0.92 g6
    • Energy: in 9 adults who each tried several oils, pure caprylic acid oil kept blood ketones more than three times as high as coconut oil over a test day7
    • Extra care: MCAD deficiency, pregnancy and breastfeeding, children and cirrhosis

    Caprylic acid is a small, fast-burning fat from coconut and milk, and it's one of the best natural tools for bringing yeast back into balance. It's a saturated fatty acid only eight carbon atoms long, which is why it also goes by C8 and octanoic acid, and every tablespoon of coconut oil carries close to a gram of it.16

    Short fats like this one take a fast lane through your body: they're absorbed quickly and carried straight to your liver, where they burn for energy or become ketones.8 In lab tests, caprylic acid also stops Candida yeast from switching into its invasive, thread-like form, and it was already being used against yeast in the 1940s.29

    Caprylic acid is number one of the eight antifungals in my Candida Cleanse Protocol, and it's gentle and well tolerated.5 You take it in the kill phase, after two weeks of starving the yeast and a week of opening your drainage pathways. At the table, coconut oil heads my list of anti-candida foods because of its caprylic and lauric acids.5

    Skip the starve phase and the herbs hit a colony that's still being fed three times a day. Skip drainage and every dead yeast cell becomes a toxin you reabsorb.Dr. Josh Axe, DC, DNM, CNSWritten in The Candida Cleanse Protocol (2026), p. 15

    Get the free Candida Cleanse Protocol

    Caprylic acid is the first of eight antifungals ranked in this free 30-day protocol. It lays out:

    • How to test for yeast overgrowth, with the tests ranked
    • Four phases in order: starve the yeast, open drainage, kill, then rebuild
    • The top eight antifungals with their doses, and the top 10 anti-candida foods
    • What die-off feels like, and when to slow down

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    Did you know?

    • Caprylic acid is a food ingredient as well as a supplement: the FDA lists it as generally recognized as safe (GRAS) as a flavoring, used at up to 0.04% in cheese and 0.013% in baked goods.10

    • Saccharomyces boulardii, the probiotic yeast in the rebuild phase of my candida protocol, releases caprylic acid of its own, along with caproic and capric acids, a lab study found.115

    • Medium-chain fats like caprylic acid are used in clinical nutrition too: medical foods use them for people who can't absorb ordinary fats and for ketogenic therapy in hard-to-treat epilepsy.12

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    What is caprylic acid?

    Quick answer

    Caprylic acid is a saturated fatty acid with eight carbon atoms, also called octanoic acid or C8, found naturally in coconut oil and in the milk fat of cows and goats.110 It's one of the medium-chain fatty acids, along with capric acid (C10) and lauric acid (C12), and MCT oil is commonly half to three-quarters caprylic acid.17

    You'll see it under several names. Chemists call it octanoic acid, the keto world calls it C8, and three caprylic acids joined to glycerol make tricaprylin, the fat in pure C8 oil.107 It can also come bound to a mineral as a caprylate salt, like the sodium caprylate used in the first yeast studies.913

    Commercially, caprylic acid is made by oxidizing octanol or by fermenting and distilling the volatile fatty acids in coconut oil.10 MCT oil is made by joining caprylic and capric acids to glycerol, and on skin-care labels the same oil goes by caprylic/capric triglyceride.1214 Caprylic acid is a different compound from caprylyl glycol, a skin-care ingredient.

    Coconut oil

    The top food source, with about 0.92 g of caprylic acid per tablespoon, plus capric and lauric acids.6

    MCT oil

    A manufactured oil of medium-chain fats, commonly half to three-quarters caprylic acid; pure C8 oil is more than 95%.71

    Caprylic acid supplements

    Capsules of caprylic acid or a caprylate salt, the form used in the kill phase of a candida cleanse.5

    A short history of caprylic acid

    Caprylic acid's medical story starts with yeast. In 1946, a report in the Bulletin of the Johns Hopkins Hospital described sodium caprylate as a new and effective treatment for yeast infections of the skin and mucous membranes.9 Reports followed on caprylic acid for vaginal yeast infections in 1953 and on a fatty acid preparation for intestinal yeast in 1954.1516 In 1963, researchers at the University of Georgia looked at Candida cells treated with sodium caprylate under the electron microscope: budding stopped at low concentrations, and at higher ones the cells' inner structure broke apart.13

    What is caprylic acid good for?

    Quick answer

    Caprylic acid is best known for fighting Candida yeast, with broad lab research behind it and randomized trials of the oils that carry it: MCT oil in infants and coconut oil in denture wearers.17418 Its best-measured effect in people is a fast rise in blood ketones, a fuel your brain can use, in studies where each person tried several oils.7 It also eased voice tremor in a placebo-controlled trial of 16 adults.19

    Where the research stands

    We found two randomized trials of medium-chain fats against Candida in people, one of MCT oil in 12 preterm infants and one of coconut oil in 43 older adults with denture sores, plus clinical reports from the 1940s and 1950s.41891516 No controlled trial has yet tested caprylic acid capsules for gut yeast in adults. Caprylic acid itself has human trials for ketones, tremor and Alzheimer's disease, and the lab research on yeast is broad, from electron-microscope work in 1963 to biofilm studies in 2021.7192031317

    Caprylic acid benefits, graded by evidence (updated October 2026). Labels are editorial judgments that compare caprylic acid's uses with each other; they aren't formal certainty ratings.
    UseEvidenceWhat was studiedWhat the research shows

    Raising blood ketones

    Strong

    Pure C8 oil vs. coconut oil, two 20 mL doses

    Day-long average ketones of 363 µmol/L on C8 vs. 107 on coconut oil7

    Candida in the gut

    Emerging

    MCT oil (caprylic plus capric acids) added to feedings for 1 week

    Stool Candida down about 85% vs. the days before the oil4

    Denture sores linked to Candida

    Emerging

    Virgin coconut oil pulling vs. a chlorhexidine rinse, twice a day for 15 days

    Sores eased after week 1 on coconut oil, after week 2 on chlorhexidine18

    Voice tremor

    Emerging

    Caprylic (octanoic) acid capsules, 16 mg/kg a day for 3 weeks

    Measured tremor down 4.14 points vs. 0.48 on placebo19

    Memory in Alzheimer's disease

    Mixed

    A C8 (tricaprylin) formula (20 g a day in the first trial)

    Better scores at day 45 in the first trial; no difference at 26 weeks in the larger one2021

    Candida threads, biofilm and membranes

    Preclinical

    Caprylic acid alone and with carvacrol

    Biofilm cut by more than 75%; all yeast cleared in 1 minute with carvacrol173

    Bacteria

    Preclinical

    Caprylic acid, 50 to 100 mM

    Five bacteria, including staph and E. coli, cut by more than 99.999% in 6 hours22

    How does caprylic acid work against yeast?

    Candida can grow as round yeast cells or switch into long threads, called hyphae, that anchor into tissue and build protective biofilms.17 The first three steps below come from lab studies of Candida; the last comes from a trial in infants:

    1It blocks the switch to threads

    Caprylic acid turned down several genes yeast use to form threads, and at 2 µg/mL it cut biofilm formation by more than 75%, far below the 100 to 200 µg/mL it takes to stop the yeast growing.217

    2It damages the cell

    On its own it damaged the cell membrane in 15.7% to 36.5% of yeast cells and blocked the pumps yeast use to push compounds back out in 15.4% to 31.3%.3 Under the electron microscope, treated cells lost their inner structure.13

    3Oregano's carvacrol finishes the job

    Paired with carvacrol, the main compound in oregano oil, it disrupted the membranes of more than 83.1% of cells and cleared all the yeast in the test within 1 minute at body temperature, far more than either did alone.3

    4Gut yeast falls

    In preterm infants, MCT oil lowered stool Candida during the week it was given; the trial is described in full below.4

    That third step fits the week-one pairing in my protocol, caprylic acid with oregano oil.53

    Caprylic acid benefits, ranked by evidence

    Ranked by how much human research backs each one, caprylic acid's benefits start with fast ketones for energy, then less gut yeast, calmer denture sores, less voice tremor and brain energy in Alzheimer's disease, with deep lab support against yeast and bacteria.

    1

    Fast ketones for your brain and body

    Strong evidenceHuman studyMetabolic studies · each person tried each oil · 9 adults

    In 9 healthy adults who each tried several oils, pure caprylic acid oil kept blood ketones more than three times as high as coconut oil over a test day.7

    Study takeaway: caprylic acid is the most ketogenic of the medium-chain fats.

    2

    Less Candida in the gut

    Emerging evidenceHuman studyRandomized trial · 12 preterm infants · MCT oil

    MCT oil, made mostly of caprylic and capric acids, cut stool Candida by about 85% in one week in a randomized trial of 12 preterm infants, and a follow-up found no significant change in their gut bacteria.423

    Study takeaway: medium-chain fats lowered gut yeast while they were given.

    3

    Calmer denture sores

    Emerging evidenceHuman studyRandomized trial · 43 older adults, 33 finished · coconut oil pulling vs. chlorhexidine

    Swishing virgin coconut oil twice a day eased denture stomatitis, the red, sore Candida-linked tissue under a denture, after the first week, a week sooner than a chlorhexidine rinse.18

    Study takeaway: coconut oil pulling calmed Candida-linked mouth sores within a week.

    4

    Less voice tremor

    Emerging evidenceHuman studyPlacebo-controlled · each person tried both · 16 adults with voice tremor

    Caprylic acid capsules, taken for 3 weeks at a research dose, cut the measured tremor in people's voices by 4.14 points, against 0.48 on placebo.19

    Study takeaway: a steadier voice after 3 weeks of caprylic acid.

    5

    Brain energy in Alzheimer's disease

    Mixed evidenceHuman study2 placebo-controlled trials · 152 and 413 patients · plus a brain-scan study

    In a brain-scan study with no placebo group, medium-chain fats doubled the ketones the brain took up in people with Alzheimer's disease, and a C8 formula improved memory and thinking scores at day 45 in one trial, with no difference from placebo at 26 weeks in a larger one.242021

    Study takeaway: medium-chain fats, C8 included, give the Alzheimer's brain a fuel it can still use.

    6

    Antifungal and antibacterial action

    PreclinicalIn vitro (lab)Lab studies

    In lab tests, caprylic acid blocked Candida's threads and biofilms at low concentrations and, alongside carvacrol, cleared the yeast within a minute.173 In milk, it cut five common bacteria, including staph and E. coli, by more than 99.999% within 6 hours.22

    Study takeaway: broad action against yeast and bacteria in the lab.

    Does caprylic acid kill candida?

    Quick answer

    Yes. In lab tests, caprylic acid stopped Candida from forming threads and biofilms and damaged its cell membrane, and in a randomized trial of 12 preterm infants, MCT oil made mostly of caprylic and capric acids cut stool Candida by about 85% in one week.1734 It's the first of eight antifungals in my Candida Cleanse Protocol, taken with food during the kill phase.5

    Candida is a yeast that lives quietly in most people's gut, kept small by a strong microbiome and a working immune system. Trouble starts when something tips the balance: a course of antibiotics, a long stretch of stress, or a diet built on sugar and refined flour.5 Chinese medicine tied the pattern we now call yeast overgrowth to worry and a weak Spleen, its name for the digestive system, long before anyone could measure cortisol. In those terms, yeast overgrows in a gut whose terrain has become damp, sluggish and sweet, which in plain English means slow, heavy digestion fed by too much sugar.5 That's why my protocol works on the terrain before any antifungals.5

    Where caprylic acid fits in a candida cleanse

    My Candida Cleanse Protocol runs four phases in order over 30 to 35 days, and caprylic acid belongs to the third:5

    1. Starve, days 1 to 14: Cut sugar, alcohol, refined flour and most fruit so the yeast loses its fuel. The candida diet continues through all four phases.
    2. Open, days 7 to 21: Get your bowels, liver, lymph, kidneys and sweat moving, with molybdenum on board, so what dying yeast releases can leave your body.
    3. Kill, days 14 to 28: Rotating antifungals, led by caprylic acid, with a biofilm breaker first and light binders.
    4. Rebuild, day 14 on: Repopulate with S. boulardii and multi-strain probiotics, repair the gut lining and bring foods back one at a time.

    Test before you start. My protocol ranks two tests first: an organic acids test, which measures compounds yeast releases into your urine, and a comprehensive stool analysis, which detects Candida species by their DNA alongside the rest of your gut bacteria.5 The bloodwork markers that show the terrain around yeast are in the card at the end of this section.

    What the studies show in people

    The clearest human test comes from a hospital nursery. Researchers at Brown University and Tufts screened 237 preterm infants, found Candida in the stool of 43, and randomly assigned 17 of them to have MCT oil added to their breast milk or formula for one week, 0.5 mL per ounce of feeding, or to no supplement. Five cleared the yeast on their own before treatment began, leaving 8 infants on MCT oil and 4 without it.

    During the supplement week, stool Candida in the MCT group fell to about 15% of its level in the 3 days of stool samples taken before the oil, a drop of about 85%, and it climbed again once the oil stopped. In the infants without the oil, yeast held at about 98% of their level over the same days. The staff and families knew which babies got the oil, and no feeding problems or side effects turned up.4 That pattern fits the order of my protocol: the kill phase brings the yeast down, and the rebuild phase keeps it from coming back.5

    Stool Candida in the study week: about 15% of the starting level on MCT oil, 98% without it

    Stool Candida in the study week: about 15% of the starting level on MCT oil, 98% without it12 preterm infants, 8 on MCT oil and 4 without · 1 week · randomized. MCT oil added to feedings: 15 % of starting level; No supplement: 98 % of starting level12 preterm infants, 8 on MCT oil and 4 without · 1 week ·randomized
    15 % of starting level
    MCT OIL ADDED TO FEEDINGS
    98 % of starting level
    NO SUPPLEMENT
    Source: Arsenault et al. · Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal, 2019 [4]Yeast in daily stool samples during the study week, as a share of each group's level in the 3 days of samples taken before it. Lower is better.

    A follow-up trial of 17 preterm infants from the same research group found the MCT oil didn't significantly change their gut bacteria, including a family of bacteria that holds many potential troublemakers.23 In mice, a diet rich in coconut oil kept gut Candida lower than diets built on beef fat or soybean oil, and switching mice from the beef-fat diet to coconut oil cut yeast that was already established.25

    In the mouth, the test was coconut oil itself. In a randomized trial in Chile, 43 older adults with denture stomatitis, the red, sore Candida-linked inflammation under a denture, either swished about a teaspoon (5 g) of virgin coconut oil for 5 minutes or rinsed with chlorhexidine, twice a day for 15 days. The examiners and lab staff didn't know who used which, and 33 people finished. Both groups improved significantly, and Candida counts in saliva fell significantly only on chlorhexidine, but signs eased after the first week on coconut oil and only after the second week on chlorhexidine. By day 15, the tissue looked healthy again in 9 of 18 people on coconut oil (50%) and 5 of 15 on chlorhexidine (33%).18

    For thrush, that white coating on your tongue, I recommend oil pulling with coconut oil and clove.26 Take a tablespoon of coconut oil with a drop or two of clove oil mixed in, swish it around your mouth for 5 to 20 minutes, then spit it out.2728

    Bloodwork that shows the terrain around yeast

    These markers show the terrain yeast grows in, so your practitioner can see what to work on first; the organic acids test and stool analysis are what find the yeast.5

    • Fasting insulin: How hard your body works to keep blood sugar steady. Insulin resistance feeds yeast.
    • HbA1c: Your average blood sugar over about three months.
    • RBC zinc: The zinc stored inside your red blood cells, which can run low with a yeast overgrowth.
    • Ferritin: Your body's iron stores, which can run low too.

    See the cellular bloodwork panel

    Have results? Analyze them free →

    Does caprylic acid help energy and brain health?

    Caprylic acid is the fastest of the medium-chain fats to turn into ketones, the fuel your liver makes from fat when carbohydrates run low. Medium-chain fats are absorbed more efficiently than long-chain fats, travel in the blood straight from the gut to the liver and enter your mitochondria, the energy centers of your cells, without the carnitine shuttle that long-chain fats need.812

    At the Université de Sherbrooke, 9 healthy adults each tried six oils on separate test days, taking two 20 mL doses (about 1⅓ tablespoons each) in milk, one at breakfast and one at noon. Pure caprylic acid oil, more than 95% C8, raised blood ketones the most. Ketones peaked at 900 µmol/L on C8 and at 300 on coconut oil, and over the whole day they averaged 363 µmol/L on C8 against 107 on coconut oil, more than three times as high. No significant stomach side effects were reported.7

    Blood ketones over a test day: 363 with pure C8 oil, 107 with coconut oil

    Blood ketones over a test day: 363 with pure C8 oil, 107 with coconut oil9 healthy adults · two 20 mL doses · each person tried each oil. Pure caprylic acid (C8) oil: 363 µmol/L, day-long average; Coconut oil: 107 µmol/L, day-long average9 healthy adults · two 20 mL doses · each person tried eachoil
    363 µmol/L, day-long average
    PURE CAPRYLIC ACID (C8) OIL
    107 µmol/L, day-long average
    COCONUT OIL
    Source: Vandenberghe et al. · Current Developments in Nutrition, 2017 [7]Average blood ketones over 8 hours after the same total amount of each oil. Higher means more fuel for the brain.

    A second study by the same team, in 9 healthy adults who each tried each oil (each 91% to 95% pure), found that C8 raised blood ketones 2 to 2.5 times as much as capric acid (C10), while lauric acid (C12) raised them far less than either.29 Ketones also ran about twice as high when a dose came without a meal.29 A 2024 analysis of 7 trials found that carbohydrates taken with caprylic acid lower the ketone response.30 So for ketones, take it away from carbohydrates; for a candida cleanse, my protocol has you take it with food.5

    As our coconut oil guide explains, if quick energy or ketones are your goal, MCT oil takes you further than coconut oil.31 Start with a teaspoon or two of MCT oil and build up, since large amounts at once can loosen stools.31 For more on using it with a keto diet, see MCT oil on the keto diet.

    Ketones matter most where glucose falls short. In Alzheimer's disease, parts of the brain lose some of their ability to use glucose.20 In a brain-scan study with no placebo group, 11 people with mild to moderate Alzheimer's took 30 g a day of an MCT oil for a month, and their brains took up twice as many ketones without losing any glucose use; 6 of them went on to take pure C8 for a month with the same result.24

    Whether that extra fuel improves memory is still being worked out. In a 90-day trial of 152 adults with mild to moderate Alzheimer's, neither the people nor the researchers knew who got a powdered C8 formula, 20 g a day, and who got placebo. At day 45, memory and thinking scores were 1.9 points better on the formula than on placebo, and among the 55 people who didn't carry the APOE4 gene variant, the gap was 4.77 points. At day 90, the trial's main checkpoint, the gap for the whole group was no longer significant, while the non-carriers stayed 3.36 points better. The company that made the formula designed and ran the trial.20 A larger 26-week trial of 413 patients, also industry-run, found no difference from placebo; the researchers noted that ketone levels ran lower than expected and the placebo group didn't decline.21

    In Heal Your Cells, Dr. Will Cole and I note that coconut and MCT oil are being studied as therapies for conditions like Alzheimer's and epilepsy.32 For daily habits that feed your brain, see these brain foods and ways to improve memory.

    Caprylic acid and tremor

    Caprylic acid has a second line of brain research, in essential tremor, a shaking of the hands or voice. In some people it eases after a drink of alcohol, and researchers at the National Institutes of Health tested caprylic acid because 1-octanol, an alcohol that eased tremor, turns into caprylic acid in the body.3334

    In 19 adults with alcohol-responsive essential tremor who each took a single 4 mg/kg dose and a placebo, hand tremor was lower at 180 and 300 minutes, though not at the main 80-minute check, and side effects were mild and similar on both.33 In a follow-up study with no placebo group, single doses up to 128 mg/kg caused no serious side effects, mild stomach discomfort was the most common complaint, and tremor eased more as the dose rose.34

    The clearest result came in the voice. In 16 adults with essential voice tremor, each took caprylic acid capsules at 16 mg/kg a day for 3 weeks and a placebo for 3 weeks, and neither the people nor the researchers knew which was which. The measured tremor in their voices fell 4.14 points on caprylic acid against 0.48 on placebo, and 11 of the 16 had a drop of more than 10%; listeners' ratings and people's own ratings of their voice didn't differ significantly between the two.19

    Voice tremor fell 4.14 points on caprylic acid, 0.48 on placebo

    Voice tremor fell 4.14 points on caprylic acid, 0.48 on placebo16 adults with essential voice tremor · 3 weeks on each · each person tried both. Caprylic (octanoic) acid: 4.14 point drop in tremor; Placebo: 0.48 point drop in tremor16 adults with essential voice tremor · 3 weeks on each ·each person tried both
    4.14 point drop in tremor
    CAPRYLIC (OCTANOIC) ACID
    0.48 point drop in tremor
    PLACEBO
    Source: Lowell et al. · The Laryngoscope, 2019 [19]Drop in the amplitude of voice tremor, measured from recordings, after 3 weeks of each. A bigger drop is better.

    These were research doses given under medical supervision, so treat the tremor findings as a promising lead for now rather than a home protocol.

    Which foods have caprylic acid?

    Quick answer

    Coconut oil is the best food source, at 6.8 g of caprylic acid per 100 g, or about 0.92 g per tablespoon, with smaller amounts in coconut meat, canned coconut milk, butter, ghee and goat cheese.63536373839 MCT oil, a manufactured oil, is commonly half to three-quarters caprylic acid.71

    Values from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy). Per-serving amounts are calculated from each record's per-100-gram value at its serving weight.6353637383940414243

    FoodServingCaprylic acid per servingCaprylic acid per 100 g

    Coconut oil

    1 tablespoon (13.6 g)

    0.92 g

    6.8 g6

    Coconut meat, raw

    1 cup shredded (80 g)

    1.88 g

    2.35 g35

    Coconut milk, canned

    1 cup (226 g)

    3.37 g

    1.49 g36

    Butter

    1 tablespoon (14.2 g)

    0.17 g

    1.19 g37

    Ghee (butter oil)

    1 tablespoon (12.8 g)

    0.14 g

    1.11 g38

    Goat cheese, soft

    1 ounce (28.35 g)

    0.16 g

    0.569 g39

    Heavy cream

    1 tablespoon (15 g)

    0.06 g

    0.384 g40

    Cheddar cheese

    1 ounce (28.35 g)

    0.10 g

    0.337 g41

    Goat milk

    1 cup (244 g)

    0.23 g

    0.096 g42

    Whole milk

    1 cup (244 g)

    0.18 g

    0.075 g43

    Coconut oil is first on my list of the top 10 anti-candida foods, at 1 to 3 tablespoons a day during a cleanse, because its caprylic and lauric acids act as a food-level antifungal.5 By USDA's numbers, that's about 0.9 to 2.8 g of caprylic acid a day.6 As I said in my show episode on using coconut oil, "We know that lauric acid, capric acid and caprylic acid specifically fight off Candida and fungal overgrowth in the body."44 It's also a great oil to cook with during a candida program.26

    Coconut oil and medium-chain triglycerides rank fourth among my foods for healing leaky gut as well, because coconut oil's lauric acid is a natural antimicrobial and the oil is easy on the gut lining.45 Outside a cleanse, about a tablespoon a day, rotated with olive oil and other fats, works for most people.31 If you use coconut oil every day, ApoB is the number to watch, since coconut oil raised it compared with unsaturated oils. If your ApoB is already high or you have heart disease, favor olive oil and check your numbers.31

    Milk fat carries smaller amounts. Butter, ghee, goat cheese and goat milk all contain caprylic acid, and during a cleanse my protocol sets conventional dairy aside while keeping ghee.373839425 Coconut meat and coconut milk carry it too: a cup of canned coconut milk holds 3.37 g.36

    MCT oil concentrates the medium-chain fats into a clear liquid oil. A classic MCT oil tested in research was 55% caprylic acid and 35% capric acid, and pure C8 oil is more than 95% caprylic acid.7

    Want help fitting caprylic acid into your plan?

    Ask Dr. Axe AI. Answers are grounded in this library, with sources shown.

    How much caprylic acid should you take?

    Quick answer

    Take 1,000 to 2,000 mg of caprylic acid twice a day with food in the first week of the kill phase, paired with oregano oil, the dose in my Candida Cleanse Protocol.5 If you're sensitive, start at half the dose for 3 days.5

    Caprylic acid has no official daily intake, since your body doesn't need it the way it needs a vitamin. The dose here is the one in a candida cleanse, where the order of the steps matters as much as the amount. Here's how my protocol uses it:5

    1. Starve and open first. Start on about day 14, after two weeks of the candida diet and a week of drainage support, and keep drainage running through the kill phase.
    2. Break the biofilm. Take a biofilm breaker, NAC and serrapeptase, on an empty stomach 30 to 60 minutes before your antifungals.
    3. Take it with food, twice a day. Use 1,000 to 2,000 mg each time, and start at half the dose for 3 days if you're sensitive.
    4. Rotate every 7 days. In week one, pair caprylic acid with oregano oil; in week two, switch to berberine and pau d'arco so the yeast can't adapt.
    5. Keep binders apart. Take light binders, chlorella and modified citrus pectin, 2 hours away from food, herbs and supplements.
    6. Eat the antifungal foods. Add raw garlic, coconut oil and Ceylon cinnamon to your meals, with daily bone broth.
    7. Rebuild. Add S. boulardii and multi-strain probiotics alongside the kill phase, and stay on probiotics for 60 to 90 days after.

    A severe or long-standing overgrowth may need a second kill cycle after 4 weeks of rebuilding.5

    A day at the protocol dose, 2 to 4 g, is about the caprylic acid in 2 to 4 tablespoons of coconut oil.6 An established overgrowth needs more than food can supply, which is why the kill phase uses a supplement: the right diet starves the yeast while the herbs do the killing.5 Mild die-off on days 2 to 5 is common, and the safety section below covers what's normal and when to stop.

    How to choose a caprylic acid supplement

    Look for these on the label:

    • Caprylic acid named on the label, with the milligrams per capsule, so you can count your way to 1,000 to 2,000 mg a dose5

    • Caprylic acid or a caprylate salt, the forms used in research and in the early yeast reports913

    • Bovine or fish gelatin, or a plant-based capsule shell

    • No added sugar or sweeteners, since sugar feeds the yeast you're working to clear5

    Caprylic acid side effects and who should be careful

    Quick answer

    Caprylic acid is gentle at protocol doses, and its main side effects are stomach upset and loose stools, which rise with the dose.53420 Skip it with MCAD deficiency, during pregnancy or breastfeeding, or with cirrhosis; for children, my protocol uses coconut oil and gives no caprylic acid dose.46547

    Stomach upset is the side effect researchers see, and it tracks the amount. In the tremor trials, a single 4 mg/kg dose caused only mild side effects, similar to placebo, and in the study with no placebo group, mild abdominal discomfort was the most common complaint at single doses up to 128 mg/kg.3334 In the placebo-controlled Alzheimer's trial of 152 adults, at 20 g a day of a C8 formula, many times a protocol dose, 24.4% of people had diarrhea, against 13.6% on placebo, and fewer dropped out once the mixing instructions were changed.20 MCT oil showed no notable toxicity in 90-day feeding studies of lab animals, and intakes up to 1 g per kilogram of body weight have been tolerated in human clinical trials.14

    Die-off is the other thing you may feel in a kill phase. As yeast dies, mild headache, fatigue, flu-like achiness and irritability are normal on days 2 to 5. Keep going, drop to half the antifungal dose if you need to, and treat severe symptoms as a reason to slow down rather than push through.5 For what to expect, see candida die-off.

    For children, my protocol uses a gentler version that cuts sugar and juice and adds coconut oil, S. boulardii and a children's probiotic, and it gives no caprylic acid dose for children, so check with your child's practitioner before giving capsules.5 The infant study above took place in a hospital nursery, so any change to a baby's feeding belongs with the baby's medical team.4

    If your doctor has prescribed an antifungal such as fluconazole, keep taking it as prescribed: the diet, drainage and rebuild phases still apply, and the herbs simply step back while the prescription does its job.5 If you're on a prescribed antibiotic, keep taking it as prescribed too. Run the diet, drainage and rebuild phases alongside it, protect your gut with S. boulardii and a probiotic through the course, and clear caprylic acid or any other new supplement with your prescriber first.5

    Good to know before you take caprylic acid
    • MCAD deficiency: skip caprylic acid, coconut oil and MCT oil. This inherited condition, usually found on newborn screening, keeps the body from breaking down medium-chain fats.46

    • Pregnancy and breastfeeding: skip caprylic acid supplements, along with the other antifungal herbs and biofilm breakers. The candida diet, probiotics, coconut oil, garlic and bone broth are safe and often enough.5

    • Cirrhosis: skip caprylic acid supplements. A medical review lists cirrhosis and acidosis, a dangerous buildup of acid in the blood, among the conditions where medium-chain fats shouldn't be used.47

    • Stop the antifungals and call your doctor promptly for vomiting, fever, heart palpitations, severe dizziness or a rash that spreads. These aren't part of a normal die-off.5

    • Call emergency services for trouble breathing, swelling of the face, lips or throat, or a rapidly spreading rash, which can signal a serious allergic reaction.5

    The bottom line

    Should you take caprylic acid?

    Yes, if you're clearing a yeast overgrowth, and it belongs at the start of the kill phase, after you've starved the yeast and opened your drainage pathways. Caprylic acid is the first antifungal in my Candida Cleanse Protocol, gentle and well tolerated, and in lab tests it damaged the yeast's cell membrane, blocked the threads and biofilms Candida uses to dig in, and, paired with oregano oil's carvacrol, cleared the yeast within a minute. In people, MCT oil lowered gut yeast in a randomized trial of 12 preterm infants, coconut oil pulling calmed denture sores within a week in a randomized trial of 43 older adults, and pure caprylic acid is the fastest of the medium-chain fats to turn into ketones for your brain. It has been used against yeast since the 1940s, and lab studies from 1963 to 2021 keep finding new ways it works against the yeast.

    Take 1,000 to 2,000 mg twice a day with food in week one of the kill phase, after a biofilm breaker and alongside oregano oil, then rotate and rebuild with probiotics. Cook with coconut oil and keep sugar out. Skip the capsules with MCAD deficiency, pregnancy, breastfeeding or cirrhosis. Then give your gut the terrain it needs, and let your body, designed to heal, keep the yeast in balance.

    Get the free Candida Cleanse Protocol

    Four phases in order, the top eight antifungals with their doses (caprylic acid first), the top 10 anti-candida foods, how to test and what to expect from die-off. Free with your Dr. Axe account (email or Google). You'll also get the protocol's short email series and the Dr. Axe newsletter; unsubscribe anytime. Have recent bloodwork? Analyze it free.

    Open the free protocol →

    Caprylic acid: frequently asked questions

    What is caprylic acid good for?

    Caprylic acid is best known as a natural antifungal against Candida yeast: in lab tests it blocks the yeast's threads and biofilms, and in a randomized trial of 12 preterm infants, MCT oil made mostly of caprylic and capric acids cut stool Candida by about 85% in one week.174 It's also the fastest medium-chain fat to turn into ketones, and it eased voice tremor in a placebo-controlled trial of 16 adults.719

    Does caprylic acid kill candida?

    Yes, in lab tests: it blocked the threads and biofilms Candida uses to dig in and damaged the yeast's cell membrane.173 In people, MCT oil lowered gut Candida in a randomized trial of 12 preterm infants, and caprylic acid is the first of eight antifungals in Dr. Axe's Candida Cleanse Protocol.45

    How much caprylic acid should I take for candida?

    Take 1,000 to 2,000 mg twice a day with food in the first week of the kill phase, the dose in Dr. Axe's Candida Cleanse Protocol, and start at half the dose for 3 days if you're sensitive.5 That's 2 to 4 g a day, about the caprylic acid in 2 to 4 tablespoons of coconut oil.6

    When is the best time to take caprylic acid?

    Take it with a meal, twice a day, 30 to 60 minutes after a biofilm breaker such as NAC and serrapeptase taken on an empty stomach.5 Keep binders like chlorella 2 hours away from it.5

    How long should you take caprylic acid?

    About a week at a time: in Dr. Axe's protocol, caprylic acid and oregano oil cover the first week of a 14-day kill phase, then berberine and pau d'arco take over so the yeast can't adapt.5 The whole cleanse runs 30 to 35 days, and a severe or long-standing overgrowth may need a second kill cycle after 4 weeks of rebuilding.5

    Does caprylic acid kill good bacteria?

    Not in the trial that checked: in a randomized trial of 17 preterm infants, MCT oil made mostly of caprylic and capric acids didn't significantly change their gut bacteria, and a companion trial found it lowered Candida.234 Dr. Axe's protocol still rebuilds with S. boulardii and multi-strain probiotics alongside the kill phase.5

    Can you take caprylic acid with oregano oil?

    Yes: they're the week-one pair in Dr. Axe's Candida Cleanse Protocol, with oregano oil at 200 to 400 mg twice a day alongside caprylic acid.5 In lab tests, caprylic acid plus carvacrol, oregano oil's main compound, cleared all the yeast in a test within 1 minute, far more than either did alone.3

    What foods are high in caprylic acid?

    Coconut oil is the best source, at about 0.92 g per tablespoon, followed by coconut meat, canned coconut milk, butter, ghee and goat cheese.63536373839 Goat milk and cow's milk carry smaller amounts.4243

    Is caprylic acid the same as coconut oil or MCT oil?

    No: caprylic acid is a single fatty acid that makes up about 6.8% of coconut oil by weight and commonly half to three-quarters of MCT oil.671 Pure C8 oil is more than 95% caprylic acid, and in 9 adults who each tried several oils, it kept blood ketones more than three times as high as coconut oil over a test day.7

    What is caprylic/capric triglyceride?

    It's the medium-chain oil made by joining caprylic and capric acids to glycerol, the same kind of oil sold as MCT oil, under the name used on skin-care labels.1214 It's a different ingredient from caprylyl glycol.

    What are the side effects of caprylic acid?

    Stomach upset and loose stools, which rise with the dose: in a placebo-controlled trial of 152 adults with Alzheimer's, 20 g a day of a C8 formula gave 24.4% of people diarrhea, against 13.6% on placebo.20 During a candida cleanse, mild die-off such as headache, fatigue and achiness is normal on days 2 to 5.5

    Can you take caprylic acid with fluconazole or antibiotics?

    Not alongside a prescribed antifungal like fluconazole: in Dr. Axe's protocol you keep taking the prescription, and the antifungals in the kill phase, caprylic acid included, step back while it does its job.5 With an antibiotic, keep taking it as prescribed, run the diet, drainage and rebuild phases alongside it, and clear caprylic acid or any other new supplement with your prescriber first.5 The caprylic acid and MCT oil studies cited here report no drug interactions.

    Is caprylic acid safe during pregnancy or breastfeeding?

    Skip caprylic acid supplements while you're pregnant or breastfeeding, along with the other antifungal herbs and biofilm breakers; coconut oil in your food is fine.5

    Can children take caprylic acid?

    Dr. Axe's candida protocol gives no caprylic acid dose for children, so check with your child's practitioner before giving capsules.5 His gentler version for kids cuts sugar and juice and adds coconut oil, S. boulardii and a children's probiotic.5

    Does coconut oil help oral thrush?

    It can help Candida-linked mouth sores: in a randomized trial of 43 older adults with denture stomatitis, a form of oral yeast infection, swishing virgin coconut oil twice a day eased the sores after the first week.18 For thrush, Dr. Axe recommends coconut oil pulling with a little clove oil.2627

    Freshness & update log

    October 13, 2026 — Rewrote the page in full and moved the byline to Dr. Josh Axe. The previous version cited a 2001 report in an acupuncture journal for claims that caprylic acid worked better than a prescription antifungal and treated chlamydia, linked it to cancer, autism and sexually transmitted infections without citing human evidence, and gave 500 to 1,000 mg three times a day for three to four months without a source. This version explains what caprylic acid is and where it's found, with USDA values, ranks its benefits by human evidence with each study's design and size, adds a Dr. Axe Score (6.6) with an interaction check, three charts and a step diagram, the dose and schedule from Dr. Axe's Candida Cleanse Protocol, and cautions for MCAD deficiency, pregnancy and breastfeeding, children and cirrhosis, with 47 references.

    April 1, 2024 — Previous version last updated.

    References

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    Dr. Josh Axe

    Dr. Josh Axe, DC, DNM, CNS

    Doctor of Natural Medicine · Founder, DrAxe.com

    Dr. Axe is a certified doctor of natural medicine, clinical nutritionist, and multiple New York Times bestselling author. He has spent 20+ years in clinical practice helping people heal at the root cause and founded one of the most-visited natural-health platforms in the world.

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