For years, readers used to tell us that they used Archway Coconut Macaroon Cookies as a remedy for diarrhea. Donald Agar was the first to discover this and share it with us. Many others agreed with him. Now, people have had difficulty finding Archway Coconut cookies. What else can they do?
Where Have the Archway Coconut Cookies Gone?
Q. I had good success using Archway Coconut Macaroons for chronic diarrhea. Other brands do not seem to have the reliability of Archway. However, that product seems to have disappeared from the market.
Archway is now owned by Synder’s-Lance and they say they are making all the same products as Archway, but no explanation is made for the absence of the coconut macaroons. Do you have any information about them?
A. Cracker maker Lance acquired Archway in December, 2008. The company merged with Snyder’s of Hanover in 2010. In 2018, Campbell’s (of soup fame) acquired the merged snack brand.
It seems that the parent company is now making fewer of Archway’s distinctive cookie varieties. We have searched unsuccessfully for Archway coconut cookies.
Make Your Own Coconut Macaroons:
We can offer an alternative if you are at all handy in the kitchen. A reader shared her simple recipe for coconut macaroons, and we have included it in our book, Recipes & Remedies From The People’s Pharmacy. Combine 2 and 2/3 cups shredded coconut, 2/3 cup sugar, ¼ teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon almond extract and 4 egg whites. Drop by teaspoonfuls on greased cookie sheets and bake 20 minutes at 325 degrees. Remove cookies immediately from the cookie sheet when they are done.
We wish we knew exactly how coconut seems to calm diarrhea. Scientists have found that the lauric acid in coconut oil helps fight C. difficile, an intestinal pathogen that causes diarrhea (Journal of Medicinal Food, Dec. 2013). Not everyone with chronic diarrhea has C. diff overgrowth, but perhaps coconut changes the balance of intestinal microbes for the better.
