Oil Pulling
Health Benefits

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Oil Pulling: Unlock Natural Oral Health & Detox Benefits

| Modified on Jul 28, 2024
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Oil Pulling Health Benefits

Oil pulling, a traditional Ayurvedic practice originating from India, has gained significant popularity in recent years for its natural approach to oral health. This ancient technique, deeply rooted in Ayurveda's holistic healing methods, involves swishing edible oil in the mouth for a specific duration to detoxify the body and improve dental hygiene.

The Process of Oil Pulling

The practice of oil pulling is simple yet effective. Typically done first thing in the morning, before eating or brushing teeth, it involves swishing a small amount of natural, food-grade oil (such as sesame, coconut, olive, sunflower, or safflower) in the mouth for 15-20 minutes. This prolonged swishing is crucial for achieving optimal results. Afterward, the oil, now milky and foamy, is spit out, followed by thorough rinsing with warm water and brushing of teeth.

Understanding Gandusha and Kavala Graha

Oil pulling can be performed in two distinct ways: Gandusha and Kavala Graha. Gandusha involves filling the mouth with oil and holding it for 3-5 minutes before spitting, while Kavala Graha involves a smaller amount of oil, swishing for about three minutes, then gargling briefly before spitting.

Health Benefits and Effectiveness

Oil pulling is believed to 'pull' bacteria and other debris into the oil, thus detoxifying the mouth and contributing to overall health. This practice is especially beneficial for tackling oral problems like gum disease, cavities, bad breath, and more. The removal of these oral pathogens can also have a positive impact on conditions like heart disease, arthritis, eczema, and chronic infections.

The list of conditions that oil pulling can treat is a very long one! For hundreds of years, this treatment has been used to assist the immune system and to prevent or cure, among other problems:

  • Heart Disease
  • Arthritis
  • Eczema
  • Chronic Infections
  • Coughs
  • Headaches Insomnia
  • Poor Kidney Function
  • Bronchitis
  • Bad Breath
  • Gum Disease
  • Stained Teeth
  • Low Immunity
  • Streptococcus

The Role of Different Oils

While sesame oil is the most popular choice for oil pulling, coconut oil, sunflower oil, olive oil, and safflower oil are also widely used. Each oil offers unique benefits, and some practitioners alternate between different types to maximize the advantages.

Cautions and Considerations

Despite its popularity, oil pulling should be approached with caution, particularly regarding the type of oil used. Some oils may be harmful if swallowed, so it's important to choose high-quality, edible oils for this practice. While there is limited scientific evidence supporting oil pulling's effectiveness in disease prevention and treatment, its dental benefits are widely recognized.

Conclusion

Oil pulling is a safe, natural, and easy practice that can significantly enhance oral health and overall well-being. Whether you're seeking a natural alternative to commercial oral care products or looking to complement your dental routine, oil pulling offers a unique approach to maintaining a healthy mouth and body. Discover the transformative power of this ancient practice and explore its benefits for yourself.

Continue reading below to learn how oil pulling helped our readers and please let us know how it helped you!

Related Links:

Oil Pulling Benefits with Sesame, Sunflower, and Coconut Oils
Oil Pulling for Dental Health

The comments below reflect the personal experiences and opinions of readers and do not represent medical advice or the views of this website. The information shared has not been evaluated by the FDA and is not intended to diagnose, treat, or prevent any disease or health condition. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional for medical concerns.
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About Oil Pulling

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Posted by Alan (Homestead, Florida) on 05/22/2013
 ★★★★★

I believe that the positive, measurable results of oil pulling are due to the the physics of CAVITATION. The implosion of bubbles in liquid is a well studied phenomenon outside of the human mouth... It's considerable power will degrade a ships propeller in short order... In an ultrasonic parts cleaner it will strip tarnish from silver and filth from your jewelry. The variations in oil viscosity (sunflower vs. Olive etc.) WILL produce different cleaning or stimulative effect. Water will work as well but takes much more time as it's viscosity results in lower cavitational power. Very little mysticism here but a lot of misinformation.

About Oil Pulling
Posted by Patricia (Carmel, Ca) on 10/31/2011

I have been reading about OP, and wonder if it works to eliminate toxins in system from past chemotherapy & radiation treatments?

Replied by Jay
(Toronto, Ont, Canada)
10/31/2011
★★★★★

To Patricia from Carmel, Ca. Oil Pulling detoxifies by absorbing bacteria and other organisms from the mouth only. This can help the immune system by taking on this workload and freeing the immune system to concentrate on other issues.

The 2 natural products that have been proven to remove toxins in your system from past chemotherapy & radiation treatments are chlorella and cilantro.

Replied by Debbie
(Melbourne, Australia)
11/01/2011

Patricia you would be better off taking iodine (lugols) to detoxify from the chemo.

Also the chemotherapy will according to this article kill off the good bacteria in the gut causing candida to overgrow as a result. The iodine will kill off the candida. I recommend you read the article.

http://www.whale.to/a/last1.html

Replied by Gavin
(Manganui, Northland, New Zealand)
11/01/2011

Don't forget an Australian study that claimed fish oil capsules, virtually eliminated the side effects of chemo, regarding hair loss etc.

Replied by Debbie
(Melbourne, Australia)
11/02/2011

You will also need to repopulate the gut with good bacteria (probiotics, fermented foods). I wonder if the fish oil helped with chemo because of the iodine content in it?

About Oil Pulling
Posted by Clare (Shotteswell, Oxfordshire, England) on 07/26/2011
 ★★★★★

There are several excellent books on coconut oil which you may like to read. In the meantime take one tablespoon of coconut oil and put in in your mouth. Swish it around your mouth energetically pulling it through the gaps in your teeth. Do this for twenty minutes. At the end of the time spit it out in your rubbish bin, and not down the plughole in your basin. Put a teaspoon of sea or rock salt in a mug and add half a teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda [baking soda I think in the States], and add hot water, as hot as you can stand. Thoroughly swill this around your mouth and spit out and repeat. Repeat the above twice a day if possible. It may seem impossible at first to swish for twenty minutes, but believe me it will only take a short time to get to twenty minutes. Happy oil pulling.

About Oil Pulling
Posted by Kathie (Houston, United States) on 05/16/2011
 ★★★★★

I have read in several places that oil pulling helps to activate our bile. If this is true, what do you think about taking a psyllium drink before or after oil pulling to "grab" the bile in the bowel and further assist its removal?

About Oil Pulling
Posted by Bluebelle (Various, Eu) on 03/05/2011
 ★★★★★

I've noticed that there are lots of people asking about the reasons for oil not turning white; and some, I have noticed, seem to think it has something to do with the toxins purportedly being removed.

Oil - ANY oil - will turn white when beaten, swished or mixed with water in any other way for a period of time long enough and/or with enough energy. It is a basic characteristic of emulsions, I.E. Mixtures of non-blendable liquids, such as water and oil. It has nothing whatsoever to do with the presence (or absence) of toxins.

If the oil in your mouth does not turn white and/or watery, it could be that you are not swishing it energetically enough. (It goes without saying that too short a period - like a a minute or two - won't suffice to produce an emulsion either. )

The most common mistake with oil pulling seems to be that the initial dose of oil is simply too big, so swishing it energetically around the mouth becomes much more difficult, especially as the quantity of liquid increases with the addition of saliva.

Try swishing a small amount of oil - but energetically.

I guarantee it will turn white. :)

About Oil Pulling
Posted by Jen (Malvern, Pa) on 12/26/2010
 ★★★★★

I have a private holistic practice and over the past 25 years have had my sensitive clients start with 3 minutes per day the first week. 5 the second. 7 the third and then up to 10-15 depending on how they respond. I had one client stay at 3 minutes for 3 months before he could work up to 5. I think that some of the intense side effects are due to the dental component of the root canals, tmj joint and brain aspects releasing as we need to understand the cranial component of this method as well. An offering for more sensitive clients and to recognize the body isn't to be pushed but encouraged. Namaste, Jen

About Oil Pulling
Posted by Daniel (Christchurch, Nz) on 10/28/2010

Regarding oil pulling, If you leave water, or any other liquid in your mouth, without spitting it out for 20 minutes you- will end up with a mouth full of mucus. Just try it with any oil or liquid

Replied by 818poochie
(Grand Rapids, Mi)
11/21/2010
★★★★★

This afternoon I oil pulled for the first time with about 1 tsp of EVCO and had an experience that I did not expect including a lot of mucus. This evening I read your post. You said that any water, oil or other liquid held in your mouth for twenty minutes would result in a mouth full of mucus. Because I do not like to be "fooled" about things I decided to test this before spending a lot of time oil pulling and fooling myself into thinking that the oil pulling was doing something special. My personal result is that after twenty minutes with a mouth full of water, all I ended up with was a mouth full of water and saliva. No other reaction even close to oil pulling with EVCO.

About Oil Pulling
Posted by Summerhaunt (Licking, Mo, United States) on 10/15/2010
 ★★★★★

I think one of the reasons they say to oil pull away from meals is because the swishing and chomping when you oil pull stimulates the gall bladder (chewing motions signal to the gall bladder that food is coming so release some bile). Waiting allows the oil pulling to stimulate the liver and gall bladder and get a mini-liver cleanse. If you do it too close to a meal, then you're not getting the added benefit of the liver/gall bladder stimulation.

Also, perhaps too close to a meal has the oil absorbing some of the nutrients your body is trying to absorb from the food. But it's good either way... Still lots of benefits to get from the oil pulling whether you do around food or not. Better to do the oil pulling whenever you can make the time than not do it at all.

About Oil Pulling
Posted by Gayla1957 (Coolidge, Az) on 05/27/2010
 ★★★★★

I ran across this site by accident a couple of days ago, found it exciting, ordered organic sesame oil and organic sunflower oil. OP'd yesterday morning using ...extra organic grapeseed oil, for 20 minutes. It went well but I did swallow (not oil, I kept the oil in the front of my mouth). Tomorrow morning plan to use organic camelina oil, will have proper oils in a few days.

My girlfriend's granddaughter practices Chinese medicine. I sent her this website and asked her opinion, here it is verbatim:

"Interesting link. I'd have to disagree with the phrase that "According to Ayurveda, mucous is a poison." That is not what Ayurveda teaches. Saliva is very important in Ayurveda and is actually a healing aspect of the body. Saliva decreases Agni or toxins and increases the digestive and assimilation processes. In excess, saliva can be seen as an imbalance--and easily remedied. Sesame oil is good to use at night (swishing it in the mouth) to prevent teeth grinding. Sesame oil is used for a number of things in ayurveda. This type of mouth rinsing can also be done with Tea Tree oil diluted.

I'd also have to disagree with the Note #4 that things will get worse before getting better. Those that study Ayurveda or any other form of herbal medicine know that this effect does not and should not happen if you are using what is right for your body. It is sort of like the "No pain, no gain" myth. But hey, if it works for you and you feel better doing it. then that is all that should matter."

I'm still going to do OP, because it sounds compelling. I know our mouths are filled with disgusting germs because a human bite will almost not heal, it is so terrible. Perhaps it is these disgusting germs, whatever they are, that the OP'ing deals with.

Replied by Lee
(New York, NY)
05/28/2010
★★★★★

Hi Gayla, Good luck with oil pulling. I never had a negative reaction to it. I use a variety of organic, cold pressed oils and it has become a peaceful part of my early morning ritual. Be relaxed about it and you will get to actually enjoy it! Lee

About Oil Pulling
Posted by Herb Bob (Truth Or Consequences, New Mexico) on 11/01/2009
 ★★★★★

Why does oil pulling work? It acts like a lubricant in your body's hydraulic systems. Sucking like a vacuum, the greasy fluid seals off access to your body's water and air availability. It pushes lymph with poisons, air and nutrients in it through any exit it can (lungs, pores, eyes, hair,etc) along with any water it needs to transport the gunk. That is why, you have to drink three glasses of fluid afterwards. Analogizing with frying oil, it does not work until your cells' water is added to the mix. Then with your cell water the oil becomes hydrogenated, less viscous and less effective after 10 or 15 minutes. The oil solution is forced into your system through the opening below your tongue, your tongue's taste cells, your gums, nasal passage, hairs, and etc. Depending who you want to be, mouthwash with Caesar's, French, Russian, Italian, Basil or Pennzoil. Paging Dr.Gupta, Paging Dr.Gupta

About Oil Pulling
Posted by luckylouie (Ocean Grove, VIC Australia) on 05/19/2009
 ★★★★★

The reason oil pulling would be more effective done on an empty stomach is because digestion uses a lot of the body's energy. A large proportion of the blood is directed to the centre of the body after eating to help with digestion. Think about how tired you feel after a big meal. The blood is not circulating as freely and therefore oil pulling will not be as effective. However you don't have to do it first thing in the morning. As long as it has been an hour since you drank anything and four hours since you ate anything, you can oil pull anytime of the day. I personally do it before dinner. I normally have lunch around 1pm and don't eat dinner until at least 6.30pm which leaves plenty of time for digesting my food.If you don't have enough time to oil pull in the morning, try this instead.

Abscessed Tooth

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Posted by Melinda (Macungie, PA) on 10/21/2008
 ★★★★★

I learned about Oil Pulling from your website and I feel so thankful for this wonderful treatment. I had an abscess under a tooth in my mouth that would not go away. I had tried antibiotics twice and it just went away for a while and came back. The last time I had an abscess I needed to have the tooth pulled and an implant put in - lots of pain and money.

I started oil pulling - for the first 2 weeks twice a day and then once a day. The abscess looked better and better but did not go away. Daily i would clean out any accumulated pus, and eventually i only had to do that every 3 days or so. Then - one morning after 2 months of this - when I went to clean it out to my great surprise a small bubble came out - the outside was clear and inside was a bright grass green color. After that day, the abscess completely healed. It has been three months and everything is just fine. Thank you so much for the information that you post here. I used 1 tablespoon of Cold Pressed Sesame Oil and I added a few drops of Oregano Oil to it for oil pulling. I am still oil pulling, switching types of oil every few months.

Addiction, Smoking

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Posted by Ken (Philadelphia, PA) on 04/01/2009
 ★★★★★

Yes! OP worked for me. 1 tbsp of sesame oil each morning. It absolutely clears all cravings for things you don't want to do, except spurred on by bad choice of food, hence watch your food at least for two weeks, that is if you really want to/ (just) 'want' to quit smoking/ addiction. Because oil pulling does 3/4 of the work. The only problem i encountered was the thought of cigarettes, especially when i see others smoke. In my thinking thats an iota of the real struggle people lament about in dealing with old habits.

You see this was even the first time i tried to quit and it made it feel so easy. In short, i think oil pulling corrects abnormalities in your body and makes you normal. Big two thumbs! up to Earth clinic. I don't know what the big companies are really doing, when the amazing medications lie in the very simple things of life. Thank you for your service on behalf of the world.

Addiction, Smoking
Posted by Leighroy (Stockport, Cheshire) on 01/05/2009
 ★★★★☆

Having spent the whole of the festive period wallowing in my own self pity due to a severe case of the flu, which I shared with the rest of my family, I was fortunate to find your website in the search for a remedy for my affliction.

I became engrossed in reading at least 10 pages of post's relating to "oil pulling" and its benefits. Being probably as sceptical as most are when they told that a tablespoon of oil swilled in the mouth for 15 minutes could change your life. I decided that I had nothing to lose and that I might even benefit.

Wooooooooow!!! the following day, my fever had subsided leaving me with just the "snotty congested remnants" of the flu - I kept an open mind as I had consumed several cloves of garlic that night and had enough "flu remedy tablets" to put a whale to sleep. The following day however I felt optomistic about the whole affair and pre breakfast treated myself to another bout of OP.

THe reason for my post is to give a huge thumbs up for the benefits of this treament which if nothing else has boosted my enthusiasm for life. More importantly I gave up smoking after my second treatment due to the fact that the taste of the tobacco was no longer pleasant. I have managed to remain a non smoker for the last seven days which is the longest I have been without tobacco for 27 years. Prior to OP I had absolutely no inclination to quit and rather enjoyed it smoking at least 10-15 per day.

I am in no way saying that OP will make you stop smoking .......but for at least 7 days it has been the driving force behind my new found love of fresh air. Each morning I use 1 tablespoon of cold pressed olive oil as I cant seem to source sesame. I swish for 20 minutes before rinsing out with a solution of 1tps rock salt/1tps bi carb soda and 8 oz water taking care to lightly brush everywhere.

As such I would recommend OP to everyone and have done so. I would be interested to know if there are any other documented cases where OP has directly contributed to a smoker giving up. Thanks again and yes my teeth are whiter but that may just be the absence of tobacco. I have also found that I need less caffein and have hardly touched alcohol but again this may be due to the flu residue or just the fact that sub conciously I am making a real effort to stay healthy.

Whatever.... OP for life

Addiction, Smoking
Posted by Tina Fina (San Juan, Puerto Rico) on 02/06/2008
 ★★★★★

Hola! My name is Tina. I've been a fashion model for years, a smoking fashion model, that has quit drinking alcohol but hasn't dropped the cigs. I did the oil pulling for the first time with E.Virgin Olive Oil and whoever came up with this technique is a genius! I did it for 20 minutes no problem (tasted the nicotine and the toxins emerging) It is imposible to take one drag off a cig all day. I keep tasting the nicotine coming out! I think i've found the ultimate solution! Can't wait to share it with my family and friends ! Thank you ARYUVEDA and DEIRDRE! GREAT SITE *MY FAVORITE! T.


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