Have you heard about the benefits of Oil Pulling? Wait… What? What is oil pulling? Oil pulling is an ancient technique used in Ayurvedic medicine for full mouth health. Coupled with brushing, flossing, and tongue scraping it’s the ultimate way to prevent dental disease and bad breath. Let’s dig deeper!
Ayur-Whatnow?
First let’s discuss the roots of Ayurveda. Considered the oldest system of traditional medicine, Ayurveda originates in India. Practitioners of Yoga often use this sister science within their practice to help stay healthy and treat aliments. This practice focuses on the overall health of your whole. Body, mind and spirit. The wisdom is based on your doshas, or body constitution, and many swear by these ancient practices. If you are curious about alternative medicine, these practices are rooted in wisdom and experience. You can learn more about your Dosha, to see if this practice is right for you.
Benefits of Oil Pulling
If you didn’t know, alcohol-based mouth wash is believed to disrupt the balance in mouth flora and decrease the good bacteria needed to maintain oral health. However, coconut oil has antimicrobial benefits that won’t destroy your mouths good bacteria. How? Well, the medium chain fatty acids found in coconut oil only kill the bad guys! What a win for oral health. Traditionally, oil pulling was done with raw sesame seed oil. Some people aren’t big fans of the flavor, but either are great to use for oil pulling.
Oil pulling, also called kavala or gundusha in Ayurveda benefits your mouth in more ways than just killing off bad bacteria. Oral health is linked to overall physical health because the bacterium in your mouth easily finds its way into your body. These bacteria can also impact the health of your sinuses, throat, ears and esophagus. In addition to being responsible for bad breath, cavities, and gingivitis.
So, how does oil pulling help? Well, the “pulling” in oil pulling refers to pulling bad bacteria from the mucosal tissue in your mouth. Once you build up to several minutes of oil pulling per day, you spit out all the things that oil collected and then you scrape your tongue and brush your teeth to get the full benefits of a clean mouth.
How to do Oil Pulling and Tongue Scraping
Well then let’s get to it!
You can use extra virgin coconut oil in its solid form allowing it to soften in your mouth and then you swish for several minutes. Be sure to spit this oil into the trash can as it will re-solidify and has potential to clog your drains. Or you can use fractionated coconut oil, which comes in a liquid state. No need to let it soften in your mouth, its ready to use! Raw Sesame oil is another option, this oil does have a stronger flavor some do find pleasing and others do not. Just don’t get the toasted sesame oil used in cooking, this is not the same thing.
Using about 1 tablespoon of oil, swish this in your mouth for at least one minute. This is the starting point. As you do this daily you should focus on working up to 5-10 minutes per day. An additional benefit to oil pulling is the soft and moisturizing effect it also has on your lips.
Once your timer is up, spit out the oil! You do not want to swallow it because you want to get all that gunk out of your body not put it back in.
After your oil pulling sesh is complete, it’s time to use your tongue scraper. I got mine from my local Sprouts, but you can even find them in Walmart and on Amazon these days. This is pretty straight forward, scrape the tool from the back of your tongue forward to the tip, rinse and repeat a few times. Swish your mouth out with some water and then continue to brush and floss as usual. If you skip some of these steps, make sure you at least brush after oil pulling. Easy peasy!
Do you think you are ready to begin a daily Oil Pulling routine?
About the Author
Tricia is a dedicated writer, working towards earning her BA in Creative Writing and English. As an avid reader, Tricia constantly seeks new literary adventures, drawing inspiration from the diverse narratives she encounters. When not immersed in literature, she indulges her passions for painting, hiking, kayaking, and gardening. She also prioritizes spending time with family and her dog, Dove. Using her downtime to paint and explore the outdoors with family and pets is what renews Tricia’s enthusiasm for writing more each day. If you are interested in seeing creative writing content you can check it out here.
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