What Is Oil Pulling?Used primarily in Ayurvedic medicine, oil pulling — known as gandusha in Ayurveda — is a fantastic oral detoxification procedure that’s simply done by swishing a tablespoon of oil (typically coconut oil, olive or sesame oil) in your mouth for 10–20 minutes.
Oil pulling works by cleaning (detoxifying) the oral cavity in a similar way that soap cleans dirty dishes. It literally sucks the dirt (toxins) out of your mouth and creates a clean, antiseptic oral environment that contributes to the proper flow of dental liquid that’s needed to prevent cavities and disease. Benefits To date, there are only around 30–40 oil pulling research studies reporting on the health benefits of oil pulling. Although it is unfortunate that science has taken so long to take this ancient art seriously, it is encouraging to see the literature database grow. I’m excited to read more as researchers catch on to how oil pulling can help transform someone’s life. The Journal of Ayurveda and Integrative Medicine, for example, highlighted a study that reviewed holistic approaches to oral health and discovered that oil pulling is one of the most effective natural health solutions known to scientists that prevent tooth decay and loss. Praised for curing more than 30 systemic diseases, the authors of this study have some profound things to say about this ancient natural healing practice: Oil pulling is a powerful detoxifying Ayurvedic technique that has recently become very popular as a CAM remedy for many different health ailments. Using this method, surgery or medication could be prevented for a number of chronic illnesses. The oil therapy is preventative as well as curative. The exciting aspect of this healing method is its simplicity. Ayurveda advises oil gargling to purify the entire system; as it holds that each section of the tongue is connected to different organ such as to the kidneys, lungs, liver, heart, small intestines, stomach, colon, and spine, similarly to reflexology and TCM. I really like this passage because it highlights how the detoxification effect that oil pulling has on the entire body reaches far beyond oral health. This is especially important for people who have conditions that contraindicate brushing, such as mouth ulcer, fever, indigestion, those who have tendency to vomit, asthma, cough or thirst. In addition, I found these five studies showing how sesame seed or coconut oil pulling can help a wide range of oral health issues:
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