Oil Pulling

Funny how things can seem new to you but when you research them, you find they have been around for years. This is true with oil pulling. Supposedly, it has been around before the toothbrush!

Do you know what that is? It is using an edible oil in your mouth and swishing it around for 5-20 minutes to clean your teeth and gums.

It is believed to remove plaque from the teeth, kill harmful bacteria in the mouth, improve bad breath and may help prevent tooth decay and improve gum health. Ayurvedic practitioners also believe that by cleaning out toxins in the mouth, it can help with other problems in the rest of the body like the sinuses. They also believe it helps reduce inflammation and headaches although modern science hasn’t proven these claims yet.

Of courses pure, good, edible oil is necessary for this. I use organic coconut oil, but you can also use, sunflower or sesame. Take about a tablespoon and drop it into your mouth. Of course, don’t swallow! The key is to move it around your mouth, getting into all the crevices. You may find that you salivate more and the amount of fluid in your mouth increases. If it is too much, spit some out and continue swishing until you hit at least 5 minutes. After you are done, you can spit (some say to spit into the garbage and not the sink to reduce clogging of the pipes) and then brush your teeth.