Health Benefits of Oil Pulling

If you are looking for natural ways to improve your oral health and smile? Consider oil pulling. Oil pulling can be done in various oils, such as sesame oil, castor oil, sunflower oil, mustard oil, olive oil, castor oil, and coconut oil. It can be done with these specific oils, but extra-virgin coconut oil is much better than others. Also, it’s a popular choice among people due to its pleasant taste. Here’s a brief explanation of why coconut oil is better.

Coconut oil contains many easily digestible fat-soluble vitamins such as A, D, E, and K. The vitamin-E has good antioxidant properties for the skin and provides you protection against Ultraviolet rays. At the same time, vitamin-D is good for strong bones and teeth. It also possesses strong antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties that’s why it’s suitable for oil pulling.

Apart from these oils, no other is recommended for oil pulling. All the oils we mentioned above can dilute many of the bacteria and other toxins present in the mouth.

Good oral health helps us eat any food comfortably and gives us more confidence while smiling in social areas. However, most people have some other oral problems. Visiting a dentist can help you solve those dental problems.

However, there are also some natural ways to cure dental problems and improve dental health. Among them, oil pulling is one of the best natural therapies that has been used for thousands of years as an Indian traditional folk remedy.

What is Oil Pulling?

Oil pulling or swishing is an Ayurvedic practice that helps to improve oral health. It is an ancient practice with some excellent benefits. The word pulling refers to how the practice results in removing or pulling out the toxins from the teeth and gums.

Oil pulling popularly involves the use of sunflower oil or coconut oil as a mouthwash. Also, it is similar to the way you should use it as a commercial mouthwash. The difference is, instead of using a chemical-based mouthwash, you are using a natural oil which is safer and healthier.

This Ayurvedic dental health technique helps to flush out the toxins from the teeth, gums, and the body as a whole. To do this, take one tablespoon of high-quality, cold-pressed plant oil or organic oil, especially sesame oil and coconut oil works great and swishes for up to 20 minutes.

Aside from detox, oil pulling can also help brighten the teeth, heal cracked lips, and reduce inflammation and bad breath. You can try infusing the oil with a few drops of tea tree oil (cleansing and purifying) or therapeutic grade orange essential oil (brightening) for additional oral health benefits.

When you do this for 15 -20 minutes, the oil removes all the toxins from the mouth. The oil you are “pulling” between your teeth offers various benefits. Once the gargling is complete, the oil needs to be spat out to eliminate toxins.
Practicing this every day helps improve oral hygiene and is also suitable for the body in general. Hence, oil pulling is a safe practice that is beneficial for oral hygiene and has been followed for several years and helped people naturally to improve oral hygiene.

One of the aspects of good health is keeping the teeth and gums healthy. Studies have also found a relationship between gum health and heart health. Brushing the teeth alone won’t help in oral hygiene. Moreover, the practice of oil pulling in Ayurveda helps in oral hygiene. In this article, you will know about oil pulling and how to do oil pulling.

Oil Pulling in Ayurveda

Oil pulling has been extensively used as Indian folk medicine for thousands of years. This practice is recommended by the ancient Indian science Ayurveda, where Ayurveda means life science. This ancient practice helps to prevent tooth decay, strengthening gums and jaw, healing cracked lips, bleeding gums, dryness of the throat, and naturally whitening the teeth. The Ayurvedic texts were written by sages thousands of years ago and that have innumerable references of Ayurvedic oil pulling benefits.

Oil pulling is also known as “Kavala Graha” and “Gandusha” in the ancient Ayurvedic texts. Kavala Graha means an oil pulling method that involves using a small amount of oil for swishing. Gandusha is a practice of filling the mouth with oil for 3-5 minutes and then swishing before spitting out. Ancient Indians mostly follow these practices to improve their oral hygiene, besides other essential health benefits. Hence, it’s a proven and time-tested method that can help ensure wellness.

Ayurvedic Basics of Oil Pulling

Oil-pulling is essentially a simple and ancient technique from Ayurvedic mouthwash. It consists of gargling oil in your mouth for 10-20 minutes.

You can perform Oil pulling at any time of the day. Still, most of the oil pullers and online personal testimonials suggest that oil pulling works best in the daytime, and it should be done in the early morning, especially on an empty stomach, before brushing your teeth to get excellent results.

How to Do Oil Pulling

Performing oil pulling is so simple and it involves just a few steps.

Here are the few simple steps to do oil pulling:

All it requires is a bottle of pure cold-pressed virgin coconut oil, sunflower oil, sesame oil, or olive oil. It’s recommended to avoid canola oil and other varieties processed with additives.

First, in the morning, measure one tablespoon of oil.
Swish or swirl it around in your mouth for 15-20 minutes.
When it starts to feel thick, spit out the oil and rinse your mouth thoroughly with warm salt water. It gently kills the leftover bacteria in your mouth. Ensure that the oil should not be spit into the sink or toilet as it can cause the pipes’ to clog.
Finally, rinse your mouth well using water before consuming anything.

Repeat these following steps up to three times daily or a few times per week. If you’re too busy with work , then swirl it for just 5 minutes, and you can increase the duration until you can do it for a full 15-20 minutes.

For best results, it’s recommended to do a pull before consuming any drink or food in the morning, i.e., on an empty stomach, Though you can adapt based on your personal preferences.

Here are some of the health benefits linked with oil pulling regularly.

1] Enhance Oral Health

The significant benefit of oil pulling is reducing the plaque formation and harmful bacterias in the mouth, which leads to gum disease, such as Streptococcus mutans, and improving oral hygiene.

Doing this daily can help keep your gums and teeth healthy. Bacterias in your gums and teeth are pulled out and eliminated. If you do oil pulling regularly, it creates an oil film on your teeth to prevent plaque formation. Some studies have also proven that gingivitis can be resolved through oil pulling. Since bacteria causes tooth decay and plaque, issues like cavities can be cured through regular oil pulling.

Gingivitis, a type of gum disease marked by red, swollen gums that bleed easily, can also be treated with regular oil pulling. The primary cause of gingivitis is by the bacteria found in plaque, as they can cause inflammation and bleeding in the gums.

Luckily, oil pulling may be an effective supplementary treatment to reduce inflammation and improve gum health. It’s essential to choose oils with anti-inflammatory properties like coconut oil, sesame oil, or olive oil that may reduce the inflammation associated with gum disease.

Overall oral hygiene can be improved by the regular practice of oil pulling. You can also observe gums that are pinker and healthier.

2] Reduces Bad Breath

One of the main objectives of oral hygiene is to prevent bad breath. Bad breath is also known as Halitosis, which occurs mainly due to the growth of bacteria, infection, gum disease, tongue coating( when the bacteria are trapped on the tongue), and poor oral hygiene. Halitosis effect is estimated upto 50% of the population. Usually, a person who suffers a lousy breath uses mouthwash to remove bad breath.

Fortunately, one study has found that oil pulling was as effective as chlorhexidine in reducing bad breath. So use a natural substance rather than using chemical mouthwashes. Also, Sesame oil is more useful in reducing bad breath when compared to other oils.

Moreover, a study with 20 children who rinsed their mouth with either sesame oil or chlorhexidine have shown a notable decrease in the levels of microorganisms that contribute to bad breath.

Therefore, oil pulling may be used as an alternative natural remedy to reduce bad breath and is an effective traditional treatment. Treatment typically includes removing the bacteria, either through brushing or using an antiseptic mouthwash like chlorhexidine.

3] Oil Pulling for Teeth Whitening

Apart from serving various oral health benefits, oil pulling is also capable of whitening teeth. Many people swear by natural remedies when it comes to teeth whitening and detoxing the mouth during social gatherings and affect confidence. Stained teeth can make you awkward. Instead of using chemical-based products to whiten your teeth, you can do oil pulling, which offers a natural way of whitening teeth. However, there is no hard evidence to confirm that oil pulling can whiten teeth, but people who use oil pulling every day are convinced that it can whiten their teeth. Oil not only pulls away bacteria, but also it is helpful in removing the stains from teeth. Regular practice of oil pulling can help in whitening your teeth safely and naturally.

4] For an All-around Holistic Health

Many people ascribe oil pulling for the general detoxification of your body and diversity of positive effects, including headache relief, reduced pain, reduced hangovers, insomnia relief, and other cures.

Studies have found that virgin oils, especially sesame or coconut, are exceptionally high in antioxidants sesamol, sesamolin, Vitamin E, and antioxidants are shown to halt the absorption of bad cholesterol in the liver. The antibacterial qualities of virgin oil also support the use of pulling to promote general oral health.

5] Alleviate Arthritis

Oil pulling has also been claimed to resolve many other ailments such as arthritis, asthma, sinuses, constipation, acne, etc. Animal researchers suggest that antioxidants(also known as polyphenols) found in coconut oil may help alleviate arthritis symptoms. Moreover, a study in rats with arthritis also found that treatment with the antioxidants in the coconut oil lowers swelling and several inflammatory markers.

It also benefits skin and blood disorders. Some accounts claim incredible improvements to psoriasis within just a few days of oil pulling. Although oil pulling is an ancient practice, it has also been backed by good science.

6] Beneficial for Hormonal Balance

Oil pulling can also help reduce chronic inflammation in the body, thereby benefiting brain and heart health. Indeed, it is a near-miraculous, panacea-like practice that improves your whole body’s health. It is one of the most influential and effective methods available for detoxifying the body. Some Ayurvedic practitioners have opined that oil pulling can also help treat cancer.

Summary

Oil pulling is a traditional Indian remedy used for centuries to maintain good oral health and several other benefits were discussed above. Some studies also suggest that oil pulling may reduce harmful bacterias in your mouth, improve gum and oral health, and prevent plaque formation.

Apart from improving your oral hygiene, it also helps in detoxifying your body and treating other diseases. Whatever issues you may have, Ayurveda has the proper protective shield for you, so that it’s rightly called the ‘Science of Life.’ Hence, start following Ayurvedic practice from today and embrace good health.