What’s the deal with oil pulling?

Have you heard of oil pulling? We hadn’t so we did a little research and wanted to share what we found out…

Oil pulling is an ayurvedic practice from the traditional Indian health system that involves swilling 1-2 teaspoons of warm coconut oil around your mouth for 10-20 minutes.

Benefits:

• helps beat bad breath
• helps prevent gum inflammation
• helps prevent plaque and tooth decay
• whitens teeth
• helps to stop bleeding gums, cracked lips, a dry throat and even acne, migraines and asthma

The oils used kill harmful bacteria, specifically micro-organisms which cause tooth decay and coconut oil has the added benefit of being rich in auric acid which has anti-microbial agents.

From much of our reading, there is still more research to be done and some experts aren’t convinced yet and many say that we need more research before we rely on this as part of our daily routine.

Just remember that you should only use 1-2 teaspoons of oil and start with 5 minutes of swilling and build up to 10-20 minutes as trying this from the beginning will hurt your jaw.

Also remember that this shouldn’t replace your good old-fashioned daily brushing and flossing because the physical brushing action will remove bacteria and debris and the fluoride will strengthen and protect the enamel.