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Oral Health, Oil-Pulling

Have a sore mouth, consider oil-pulling. The first time I heard about oil-pulling I thought it was a hoax. There was no way I was about to swish my mouth with oil of all things. The evidence-based information kept pouring over my screen and I finally gave in and started learning about it. Fascinating how something this simple, and odd, can have so many health benefits, whitens teeth and even soothes a sore mouth.Oil-pulling is an ancient remedy rooted in Ayurvedic medicine that uses natural substances to clean and detoxify teeth and gums. It also has the added benefits of naturally whitening teeth and it may be beneficial for gum health and certain oils may help fight harmful bacteria in the mouth.

Oil-pulling may help with conditions such as:

  • Tooth decay
  • Bleeding gums
  • Halitosis
  • Gingivitis
  • Dental plaque
  • Strengthens teeth, jaw, and gums
  • And prevent cavities

healthcare, people and medicine concept - woman pouring medicati

Whole Body Health

More and more research is revealing that the health of your mouth is extremely critical to the health of your whole body. Oil pulling is an easy and inexpensive way to improve the balance of the oral microbiome and improve our health.

Benefits of doing this practice on a regular basis may have the following benefits:

  • Clear skin
  • Improves luster of hair
  • Eliminates parasites
  • Reduce joint pain
  • Boost the immune system
  • Improve body odor through detoxification
  • Reduces headaches from toxicity
  • Prevent some heart issues
  • Aids hormonal changes

“Without having to compete with foreign substances, hormones can behave as they should, functioning to their best ability without being thrown off balance.” ~ Food Matters

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How To Do Oil-Pulling

Oil pulling involves swishing/pulling 1-2 tablespoons of a pure oil around in the mouth and through the teeth to draw toxins from the body. The word “pulling” is literally because you “pull” the oil through the teeth. Do it for 10 – 20 minutes then spit it out, preferably NOT in your plumbing. This sounds bizarre if you have never done it before and it takes practice to get the technique. Start practicing!!

Oil-pulling first thing in the morning helps to clean your mouth from detoxing through the night while you sleep. Keep your oil for oil-pulling next to your toothbrush to remind you to do this. As soon as you get out of bed, do it immediately, before tooth brushing and before drinking anything. You want the toxins OUT of your body.

You can then rinse your mouth with warm water, or better yet, saltwater that has additional antimicrobial properties. Then you can brush your teeth.

I personally have no patience to stand there for 20 minutes and “pull” so I go about my morning routine for the first 20 minutes of each day while I am oil-pulling. I am not ready to speak that early in the morning anyway!!

Beginners: If you have never done this before and are a bit hesitant, start with a small amount for a short time. Start with swishing it around, that’s all. Then the next time, see if you can control it a bit more. In time you will have found that you can manipulate the oil to “pull” it between your teeth for up to 20 minutes.

Tips & Tricks:

  1. Don’t harm your bathroom drain and plumbing with the oils you spit out. Use 2 paper towels (one on top of the other): Spit out the oil into the paper towels and place in a trash can.
  2. You do not want to put your mouth on the bottle. Use a small medicine cup instead of spoons. Plastic medicine cup or disposable medicine cup. Or use a glass medicine cup and wash it.

Oils For Oil-Pulling

Daily Swish by Banyan Botanicals is my all-time favorite because it is organic, it is an ayurvedic oil combination of sesame and coconut, and it has light herbs that support oral health and refreshing mint in it for health and taste. Cannot recommend this enough.

Other great options are plain organic sesame oil or organic coconut oil. Even though coconut oil is solid, the warmth of your mouth quickly turns it into a liquid.

If you use plain sesame or coconut oil and want a fun healthy twist, add organic Essential Oils of 1) lemon, orange & peppermint or 2) tea tree or 3) clove & cinnamon. Contact me to order Essential OIls.

Spoon with fresh coconut oil taken from glass jar on wooden back

Are you willing to try odd things to help improve your health with a healthier lifestyle?

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AFFILIATE DISCLOSURE:  In order for me to support my blogging and social media activities, I may receive monetary compensation for links to products from this post. However, I only recommend products that I personally love and use myself. If it is not good enough for me, it certainly is not good enough for you!!

HEALTH COACH DISCLAIMER:  Health/Wellness coaching is not intended to diagnose, treat, prevent or cure any disease or condition. It is not intended to substitute for the advice, treatment and/or diagnosis of a qualified licensed professional. Trained and certified Health Coaches may not make any medical diagnoses, claims and/or substitute for your personal physician’s care. As your health/wellness coach I do not provide a second opinion or in any way attempt to alter the treatment plans or therapeutic goals/recommendations of your personal physician. It is my role to partner with you to provide ongoing support and accountability as you create an action plan to meet and maintain your health goals.

5 thoughts on “Oral Health, Oil-Pulling

  1. Is it ok to use fractionated coconut oil?

    1. Interesting question. From my understanding, fractionated (MCT) coconut oil is not what is traditionally used. It is suggested to use UNrefined coconut or sesame oil. I think it has more to do with having the right kind of acids in the oil you chose to pull the bacteria out. As an example: sesame oil has specific properties to get a certain kind of bacteria so it is very popular for oil-pulling. I personally switch back and forth between my homemade oil-pulling recipe with EO’s and with this already made organic Ayurvedic version: https://amzn.to/2HtEFcW
      Read this fantastic article from Dr. Eric Z to learn more and get his recipe:
      https://drericz.com/benefits-of-oil-pulling/

  2. I just tried this for the first time. Thanks to you, I consider this one a sucess!

    1. Cool beans!!! It is the weirdest the first time and then it becomes habit and no biggie.

  3. […] during oil pulling open ONE capsule of charcoal in your mouth. Tilt your head back and open it over your mouth. If you […]

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