What is oil pulling?
Perhaps you’ve never heard of the term. Oil pulling comes from India and is an ancient Ayurvedic dental technique of swishing a tablespoon of coconut oil around your mouth for anywhere from one minute to twenty minutes.
This technique is ideally done first thing in the morning, on an empty stomach. Coconut oil is known for its antimicrobial properties and when used in this way, may encourage dental health and help whiten teeth.
Oil pulling is said to help extract harmful bacteria and other nasties that can hide in between our teeth and gums, but also draws out toxins from the mouth to improve overall health.
Ready? Here's how to oil pull.
Ingredients
- Or you can also use raw, unprocessed sesame oil if you wish
Instructions
- Ideally this practice should be done first thing in the morning, on an empty stomach.
- Choose a high quality, edible coconut oil and place a tablespoon (or a half tablespoon if you’re just starting out) in your mouth.
- Swish oil around your mouth (don't swallow!) for as long as you can, up to twenty minutes before spitting out.
- It is not uncommon to only be able to do this for one to five minutes at a time at the beginning – don't worry! You’ll find you will be able to increase the amount of time you swish the more you practice.
- After spitting out the oil, brush your teeth as normal.
More information
We wanted to note that our raw virgin coconut oil is wonderful for cooking, eating straight from the jar and skin care - not just oil pulling! And Georganics’ Oil Pulling Mouthwash actually comes in several different flavours if you’d like to give them a try.
Have you tried oil pulling? Do you do it on a regular basis? What has worked for you and what hasn’t?
We’d like to know! Join the conversation by commenting on our latest post on Instagram or by sending us a message at @indigo_herbs.