Oil Pulling Therapy:
Benefits and Instructions

Oil pulling is an old ayurvedic process. Every morning before your breakfast, you take one tablespoon of oil in your mouth, rinsing and swishing in your mouth for 15 to 20 minutes.

After this you spit it out, because it is now believed to be full of toxins that your body has released into the oil. When you've spit it out you rinse your mouth and wash the sink.

Dr. F. Karach who is a strong proponent of oil pulling says that it can heal head aches, bronchitis, tooth pain, thrombosis, eczema, ulcers and diseases of the stomach, intestines, heart, blood, kidney, liver and lungs.

It is also believed to heal nerve diseases, prevent the growth of malignant tumors and many other things.

We then have to ask ourselves if this is true or not. That is another matter. To date I have only found studies showing that it is beneficial for your mouth and teeth.

On the other hand, there have been many cases where people have reported that their ailments were healed. Here are some of the areas that people have reported improvements in:

• Allergies
• Eczema
• Arthritis and joint pains
• Constipation
• Dandruff
• Diabetes
• Digestive issues
• Gum problems
• Heart disease
• Skin problems
• Teeth issues
• Pains (neck and above)
• Whiter teeth
• And more...

I have done some research and reading on forums and other places where I looked at hopefully unbiased visitors reporting their benefits. To me, it looks like it would be worth a try.

Oil Pulling Instructions: How to Do It

The method is very simple, but can take some time getting used to. Not everyone are comfortable having oil in their mouth for 20 minutes.

You can work your way up to 20 minutes by either starting with 5 minutes a day and slowly working your way up, or you can do 5 minutes, spit it out and take another tablespoon of oil. There are many ways!

The oil that is recommended for this is cold-pressed organic sesame seed oil.

People have used other oils with great results, but if possible, use sesame seed oil. Other oils you can use are sunflower, coconut, olive and hemp seed oil.

My personal favorites are coconut oil and sunflower oil.

Here are the oil pulling instructions:

1. First thing in the morning, on an empty stomach and before drinking any liquids, take one tablespoon of your preferred oil.
   
   
2. Swish and move the oil around in your mouth. Imagine that you are using mouthwash, moving it through your teeth. Relax your jaw muscles and use your tongue to move the liquid around your mouth. If your jaw muscles get sore, you're trying too hard!
   
   
3. The oil might become thicker the longer you swish it around. This is normal and to be expected. When your 20 minutes are up, spit the oil in the toilet.
   
   
4. Rinse your mouth with warm water. Then rinse your mouth with mouthwash or hydrogen peroxide diluted with water.

You can eat immediately after you've rinsed and cleaned your mouth thoroughly.

Are There Any Precautions?

There have been no reports of anything extremely dangerous. If you've had a lot of dental work done, you should pay attention, because oil pulling might loosen your crowns or fillings. This is very rare, but possible.

Children under five should not do oil pulling. For children above five years, give them a teaspoon of oil instead of a tablespoon.

Two great books on the subject are The Coconut Oil Miracle and Oil Pulling Therapy: Detoxifying and Healing the Body Through Oral Cleansing, both by Bruce Fife.