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.
Sunflower Oil Health Benefits
Posted by Barb (New York, NY) on 09/07/2007
★★★★★
I've been oil pulling for a month. I have found it very easy, most of the time I read email while doing it. I found it is best for me to take less than 1 full Tablespoon, because- of all the salvia that fills my mouth so fast. It has made my teeth stronger, and really white, for the first time in my adult life! I have a very healthy system to begin with - I have hopes that a slight (genetic, psroisis) skin condition.. will finally move on. The process is working slowly on me. It might be more effective if I was swishing and pulling more..instead of holding it in mouth. My first few days had the older symptoms returning.. pains, fevers, aches.. waking with sour mouth. This was a sign it IS working. Now, no more bad effects! I still oil pull 1 or 2 X per day, with sunflower oil. Do not have any aches or pains, wish to see improvement in my weight loss..skin..and continued healing overall. I tell others to try it!
Sunflower Oil Health Benefits
Posted by Paige (Seattle, WA) on 09/02/2007
★★★★★
I have been oil pulling with sunflower oil once daily (mornings) for 3 weeks now, and here are my observations from my journal:
For about 2 years I was unable to chew on the right side of my mouth because of tooth pain and extreme sensitivity to hot, sweet, cold, etc. I strongly suspect I am in need of another root canal. Starting with the second day of oil-pulling I found the entire right side of my my mouth was no longer sensitive. Beginning with the 3rd day, I was able to chew on the right side of my mouth, albeit gingerly. Now, 3 weeks later I chew on the right side of my mouth equally with the left side - no pain, no sensitivity. And I've noticed my teeth feel more secure and they no longer feel 'loose. And as many has commented on, they feel cleaner and look whiter.
The audible wheezing noises while breathing whenever I would lie down have stopped. I seem to be sleeping better too. Some nights all the way through. I have a way to go on this problem, though.
Milk makes my lungs fill with phlegm which was really hard for me to expectorate in the mornings. This too has stopped. Despite continuing to drink milk (homemade probiotic Kefir, actually) and the occasional milk in my coffee, teas and with cereal, my lungs no longer feel congested and I have no coughing fits anymore while trying to expel the congestion out of my lungs; no coughing either as there doesn't seem to be any congestion. I had been a heavy smoker for twenty-some years before quitting 18 years ago and this is probably the genesis of my lung problems.
Since early childhood I have had the herpes simplex virus in my body and suffered from frequent cold and canker sores. Now, by the time I feel one on my tongue it is gone in the morning. The other day the smallest, single-blister cold sore I ever had - which was all but invisible appeared in the corner of my mouth. It went through its stages and absolutely gone in 3 days, flat. Without treatment the blisters multiply and the healing process normally takes around 2 weeks.
NOTE: As I do not have the time nor disposition to do this oil-pulling therapy more than once a day - I 'pull' sometimes for over the 20 minutes - all the way up to an hour. None of my fillings have loosened or fallen out. A funny aside to all this is that I now find myself absent-mindedly 'pulling' all my drinks, coffee, tea, milk and if nothing else I am sure it is helping to remove food trapped in between my teeth.
Sunflower Oil Health Benefits
Posted by Claire (Suffolk, England) on 08/23/2007
★★★★★
I have peri oral dermatitis, Gilberts Syndrome and I.C. All three are pretty much incurable (for me anyway) and i've lived with them forever. Today was day 2 of my oil pulling and something is definately working. I'm doing it just once in the morning. Yesterday i awoke feeling okay, oil pulled with sunflower oil and the second i spat it out my head felt like it was going to explode! had the headache all day. But I noticed my bladder was no longer as uncomfortable, and my skin, I think it looks a bit better..?.. Last night i had a bit of a drinking session because it was my sisters birthday and I awoke with a cracking hangover! Feeling very ill I went downstairs and sat at the dining table with the oil and after a minute or so with the oil in my mouth, I became brighter and more...WELL feeling. I even got up and started tidying! Guys, my hangover DISAPPEARED. whats going on here? I dont understand how this is working, but I am SURE it's not in my mind, I am feeling better! I will post again after a week. Cant wait to see if anything else happens....
Sunflower Oil Health Benefits
Posted by Tara (Princeton, USA) on 08/21/2007
★★★★★
I came across this site while looking for a natural cure for sinus troubles which have been plaguing me unusually more this season. When I first heard about oil pulling, it did sound a bit absurd but I decided to give it a go. What was I going to lose? I had organic olive oil in the house and used it. Immediately after, I felt amazingly light-hearted and joyful - this after weeks of being miserable with stiffed sinus pains. So I went out and got sunflower oil because I found the olive oil taste a bit heavy and, well, oily for me. After a month of OP these are the results: Sinus pain GONE. At first the mucus came out thickly and quickly for about five minutes after I had oil pulled. Within a week, it lessened to a maybe one or two times when I had to spit it out. I needed to have a pillow under my legs when I went to bed but two days after oil pulling, I suddenly pushed it away and don't need it any more. I have no idea why this happened and how it is related to oil pulling. But the pillow I have been using for years is now in the closet. Thirdly, I am losing weight, especially around the lower abdomen, an area that I have been trying to lose for years. My teeth look good. An ache in the upper tooth has disappeared. In short, oil pulling is great!
Sunflower Oil Health Benefits
Posted by Ian (Sedona, Arizona) on 06/05/2007
★★★★★
I started oil pulling one week ago using cold pressed sunflower. A part of me felt a but naive to be doing it at first - but the first few seconds I used it I knew it was bonafide and working homeopathically at different levels, as I felt an immediate subtle electrical change all over my body similar to when I am in meditation and when I first tried the ionic foot bath. I really didn't expect that. That night I slept soundly and woke up tingling all over and feeling very soothed. I am combining this treatment with the ultimate cleanse herbs and good amounts of fresh fruit. I am coughing up mucus and get runny nose often when oil pulling. My skin condition has improved. Oral Hygeine is much better. The oil when you are done is clearly toxic just by smell alone-- yuk!. First thing in the morning seems to make most sense to help clear up after the body's work over the night. It is to my mind clearly helping detoxification and not just physically. All my symptoms this week have been typical of healing reactions and I have been facing some mental/emotional states and old ways of thinking fair and square. My esoteric kind of view on this is that if we can be prepared to detox internally and go thru all of the holistic processes that come up, then perhaps this can help us heal what is a very toxic environment all around us and move into a proper application of planetary ecology.
Sunflower Oil Health Benefits
Posted by Carolyn (FWB, Florida) on 05/29/2007
★★★★★
I have just learned of this oil pulling remedy. I have done this for the first time today. I used garlic sunflower oil, and swished for 20 minutes. I could feel it loosening up my chest congestion that I have had since winter before last when I got pnuemonia. After I spit it out, I begin to gag really bad, and almost vomited. That was short lived and I actually felt better, and my sinuses seemed clearer. The chest congestion seemed to get worse hours later, so I swished again for just under 10 minutes the second time. I again gagged and almost vomited again, but noticed that this time my sinuses seemed to loosen up during swishing and when I cleared my sinuses I spit out traces of blood- twice. I have had chronic sinusitis since I was 14, (I'm 45 now, so a very long time). I'm sure it must have been the toxins being released, but I haven't found anything like that being reported in the study I did about OP. Has anyone ever experienced this before? Oh, and by the way, I read that the oil is suppose to turn white and foamy, but mine only liquified to clear, but never foamy, what does that mean? Any info is appreciated, as I am very interested in detoxing by anything that I dont have to swallow...Please HELP, I hate pills!
Sunflower Oil Health Benefits
Posted by Lee (W. Bountiful, Utah) on 05/05/2007
★★★★★
twelve days ago i started using sunflower seed oil to find out if oil pulling might benefit my health concerns. im 65 years, 5' 10" 185 lbs. constant fatigue syndrome, muscle aches. i have stopped using junk foods and soda five years ago. still have same health problems. three days after starting oil pulling once a day, i could hardly stand up. coughed up lots of yellow mucus, also from the nose. next day felt a little better. got bad laryngitis, but no pain in throat. but kept doing oil pulling each day, two or three times twice a day. had loose bowels two or three times. on the tenth day i felt relief from body aches and strains, like i was walking around with someone else's body. this is the twelfth day, i continue to feel like a new person. i don't know what to expect next. plan to do this for the rest of my life.
Sunflower Oil Health Benefits
Posted by Lara (Greenacres, FL) on 04/17/2007
★★★★★
I've been oil pulling since December 06. These are my results. I suffered from severe irregular periods that were very dark. I would get my period like once every two or three months. My hormones were completely off. I was out of balance. After my first month of oil pulling my periods came about 6 weeks apart. That was like unheard of for me for years. The next month my cycle came exactly 28 days after. And I have since had regular cycles for the past four months. The cycles are regular and bright, not dark or clotty anymore. I get compliments on my teeth all the time now. My hair is softer. But most importantly, I suffered from an unknown itch in my ears that would not go away. They would feel clogged like I have water trapped in them. I researched it over and over and even went to the doctor where he treated me for an ear infection. I did ear candling and it was worse. I figured I was so toxic with candida or allergic to dairy because every time I drank milk my ears would itch so compulsively. It was embarrassing and such a nuisance I could not even function some days. And everyone around me was totally annoyed that I was always itching my ears. I must say that oil pulling has completely cured my ears, my candida or whatever it was that was in my head. I noticed a difference the first week. Now, my ears never itch except if I double dose on my whey protein which I can feel it seizing up in my throat. Anyway, I will continue to use the oil as a daily routine. I used sunflower oil organic cold pressed. I am interested in trying sesame next and olive oil with perhaps a drop of peppermint or tea tree oil. I don't want to experiment too much. I know what works, but I can't see harm in trying the others. I would recommend this to everyone who has suffered from allergies, menstrual problems, skin problems, oh yes, my eyes are clearer as well and my vision is clearer. Just keep doing it...whatever it does, it works!!!
Sunflower Oil Health Benefits
Posted by Mick (Dallas, TX) on 04/02/2007
★★★★★
After going online and seeing so many reports of benefits to the mouth and teeth, I tried it with Hain sunflower oil. I was surprised to experience a significant increase in energy that made morning coffee unnecessary, plus a slight whitening of the teeth that was evident from the first time I did it. This odd-sounding procedure WORKS!
My own routine is to brush my teeth lightly WITHOUT TOOTHPASTE upon rising, just to get rid of the mouth film that might prevent full contact with the oil. After the swishing I brush well with toothpaste and my mouth feels terrific.
I swished for 20 minutes the first time but felt increased energy much sooner, so 15 minutes will become my norm. The protocol worked so well that I tried it again before lunch, with similar results. My afternoon was as energetic as my morning... very unusual and USEFUL, to say the least.
Since this is only the first day, it will be interesting to see if the benefits accrue over time or if today's results are a first-time phenomenon. Either way, I would endorse this odd-sounding routine without hesitation to almost anybody and am looking forward to getting my dentist's reaction to it.
Oil pulling defies conventional logic, but there's no question that the body reacts to it in a dramatic way. I've e-mailed a number of friends, urging them to try it for themselves.
I'm put off by the claims of major cures, but increased energy, whiter teeth and reduced dependence on caffeine are reason enough to do it. My energy finally began to run down around 6PM, so two tablespoons of oil accomplished more than my ususal three cups of coffee... plus, my teeth and mouth look and feel healthier. More people need to know about this!
Sunflower Oil Health Benefits
Posted by Renuka (Jordan) on 12/28/2006
★★★★★
I learnt about oil pulling when I came across your wonderful site accidently. What a lucky accident! I've been oil pulling with sunflower oil, twice a day, for about twenty days now and my gums have almost completely stopped bleeding (they had been bleeding for years) and they feel firm and healthy. My teeth are cleaner and whiter. I suffered daily from indigestion problems and gases in the past. But now the stomach rumblings have reduced significantly and I don't feel bloated after a meal. The best result of OP however, is that in just twenty days I've lost about 4 lbs. I have no appetite for junk food anymore and feel full after a moderate meal - no more second and third helpings like before. All in all, I'm very happy with the initial result and hope to make OP a twice-daily habit for life. Just one question however: Why should one OP on an empty stomach only? What if I've had a meal an hour or two before? I wish I could have an answer to this, because with my busy schedule, my meal times are not very regular.
Sunflower Oil Health Benefits
Posted by Valerie (Germantown, MD) on 11/14/2006
★★★★★
I have an infection in my tooth that is so bad that came back in 3 days after a 10 day dose of penacillion. Peroxide stopped working after a while. sunflower oil is the only thing that keeps it under control. If I skip a few days it will come back but when I start back up it goes away but I have no bad side effects. It has only been 3 months and my teeth are very white. I am hoping that by the time I reach my 6 month mark that my heels will be better also.
Sunflower Oil Health Benefits
Posted by Liliane (Quebec, Canada) on 09/20/2006
★★★★★
I used sunflower oil for oil pulling. Believe it or not, this morning, I did it for the first time, after having problem with bronchitis and bronchiectasies, and coughing every day plus full of yellow and green mucus. Well, since this morning, nothing, no coughing and mucus. I am ready for my 2nd oil pulling right now before supper, cross my fingers so that it cure me after 14 years of health problems and a lots of antibiotic, months and months. I will give you feedback later on, I promise. One more thing, I did throw it in the toilet, but too greasy, so I will spit it out in a plastic bag full of paper, and throw it away. When the oil is in the toilet, it can eventually block. Merci.
Sunflower Oil Health Benefits
Posted by Joan (West Los Angeles, CA) on 08/02/2006
★★★★★
I have been pulling now for about 3 weeks. My teeth look a tiny bit whiter, but the main thing is that my sinuses seem to open up in the morning after pulling. My tongue is definitely more pink than its ever been and I don't have quite as intense dark circles under my eyes! This practice is definitely energizing and I think my metabolism is speeding up -- I have lost about 2 lbs eating the same way I always do.
I felt very fatigued the first 2 days after pulling with Sunflower Oil, but after that, haven't felt any side effects. I have terrible cracked heels, but so far haven't noticed much change. I think it would take them at least 2 months to heal. At any rate, I love this new practice and don't have any plans to stop.
