Oil pulling

Welcome to my write-up regarding Ayurvedic oil pulling. I will briefly explain what this is & how to do it, discuss different types of oils you would use for this method (baby oil is NOT one of them, hah), and then will discuss the health benefits of oil pulling. I learned about Ayurvedic oil pulling a couple of years ago when I was having some issues with my teeth. Fast forward and I haven’t had those issues for a long time now.

What is Ayurvedic oil pulling?

In this University of Minnesota article we learn that Ayurvedic medicine was originally shared as oral tradition and was first recorded more than 5,000 years ago in the Sanskrit language. “Ayurvedic theory states that all areas of life impact one’s health”.

I am personally not familiar with other Ayurvedic practices, but am familiar with Ayurvedic oil pulling. This is practiced to benefit oral hygiene. By oil pulling, we remove certain toxins from our mouth. Trust me when I say that the clear sesame oil becomes cloudy (gross) after you’re done and you spit it out. You never want to swallow the oil after you pull as then you’re ingesting those toxins you’re trying to remove from your body.

How to do it

Here are the simple steps to try oil pulling:

1. Measure one tablespoon of your oil of choice (more in the next section).
2. Then put the oil in your mouth. We don’t want to swallow the oil.
3. Next we push, pull, and swish the oil between our teeth and in our mouth for a period of 10 to 20 minutes.
4. Very important that you spit it out when you are done. I suggest spitting it out into the trash as oil down your drains will lead to an issue. Again, I can not stress how important this is: Don’t swallow the oil as it now contains toxic matter in it.
5. Now rinse your mouth out with water.
6. Then brush your teeth.

I was doing this daily for quite a while. I suggest trying it a couple of times a week and see what works for you.

Different types of oils

You’re putting this in your mouth with the intention to detoxify, so you want to choose an organic, unrefined, and cold-pressed oil.

I have found that organic sesame oil is one of the best oils to use for this. I know many people who have successfully used coconut oil to do this & recommend that too, as it is easier to find. Other oils people use are sunflower or olive oil.

In Ayurvedic medicine, it is recommended that certain oils will have different effects. Since you know your body the best, you can decide which oil is the best to start with. Avoid all cheap quality oils that you would not even eat. Those include corn oil, canola oil, cottonseed oil and soy oil. Also, avoid flaxseed oil because it can go rancid very fast.

I have never used this product, but their website has more information regarding different oil types and some tips if you decide to use coconut oil.

Health benefits

I oil pull for the following health benefits:

• Strengthens teeth and gums and oral health in general
• Cleans the teeth, removing plaque
• Improves the health of sinuses
• Reduces headaches
• Benefits hormonal balance
• Reduces chronic inflammation in the body, thereby benefiting heart and brain health
• It’s one of the most powerful and effective practices available for detoxifying the body

Let’s learn more

I’m a little surprised, but in a good way, that there’s a website called oilpulling.com, which I haven’t heard of but might contain some good reads.

Here’s some interesting info about Sesame oil which is new to me and wanted to quote this from their website here:

“Among the seven chakras or the vital points of human energy, sesame oil is said to benefit the heart chakra responsible for unconditional love for others and self, compassion, emotions and all kinds of relationships with the world, root chakra responsible for dealing with the challenges of the world and the spleen chakra responsible for the right to think, self-confidence, self-control and intellect.”

How fascinating! I enjoyed sharing these hippie health tips and I hope you enjoyed them too. More hippie stuff on the way :)