Caprylic Acid

Octanoic Acid · C8 MCT · Octanoate

Snapshot

Indications	Contraindications
Essential tremor¹ Chronic wound healing²	Repeat-sprint performance events Gastrointestinal intolerance

Caprylic acid (octanoic acid) is an eight-carbon medium-chain fatty acid found in coconut oil, palm kernel oil, and goat milk, absorbed quickly and oxidized as fuel. People take it as an exercise and energy substrate, usually as medium-chain triglyceride oil, and as an antifungal in gut Candida protocols. It has also been studied for essential tremor and as a topical wound ingredient.

A 2026 randomized trial found a polygalacturonic and caprylic acid ointment healed chronic wounds at least as well as medical-grade honey. In a 2021 laboratory study, a polygalacturonic and caprylic acid ointment eradicated Candida albicans biofilms; oral caprylic acid for Candida overgrowth has no trial behind it. Products listing caprylic acid number in the tens of thousands, mostly capsules, with softgels and tablets also sold; see Form comparison.

Last updated October 15, 2026. Read how we make monographs.

In the full monograph

53 sources, 35 studies

When to useThe situations practitioners use it for, each with the reason and the study behind it.
SafetyWho should avoid it, who needs extra care, and the side effects reported in studies.
InteractionsThe medicines and supplements it interacts with, the effect of each, and what labeling says to watch.
Protocol notesThe doses used in studies, how and when they were taken, and how the forms on the market compare.
How it worksWhat it is and how it works in the body, in plain terms.
Published studiesThe studies behind each use, popular claims checked against them, and trials still under way.
Word of mouthWhat patients and practitioners report online, kept separate from the clinical evidence.
Clinical perspectiveA closing read of where the evidence is solid, where it is thin, and what has not been studied.

Snapshot

In the full monograph

Sources