Oil Pulling with Coconut Oil- My 3 Day Experience

I have to start off with a little chuckle because when my daughter brought to my attention "oil pulling" the only thing that came to mind was the disgusting feeling of having castor oil in my mouth when my grand-mother deemed my body in need of a "back to school" detoxing. 

She talked about all the great benefits of oil pulling using coconut oil.  So, I did some research and found what oil pulling was all about and how to do it. So what exact is oil pulling. Oil pulling, also known as "kavala" or "gundusha," is an ancient Ayurvedic dental technique that involves swishing a tablespoon of oil in your mouth on an empty stomach for around 20 minutes. This action supposedly draws out toxins in your body, primarily to improve oral health but also to improve your overall health.

So what are the benefits?

• Whiter teeth • Cavity and gingivitis prevention • Better breath (halitosis suffers also reported greatly improved morning breath) • Stronger teeth and gums • Less jaw pain (TMJ sufferers noted great improvement), sleep problems and sinus issues • Alleviation of headaches, hangovers and skin issues (reports have shown improvement in acne, psoriasis and eczema).

Really? Ok, As a severe sinus sufferer and one that truly believes is the benefits of detoxification, I figured I would try it.  

Day 1

It took me almost 5 minutes to convince myself to put oil in my mouth. This clearly had nothing to do with my love of coconut! I only managed to make it to 10 minutes.  I just barely made it, hating every second of it.  In the process of "swishing", I was gagging.  Let's try again the next day.

Day 2:

I closed my eyes, took a spoonful of solid coconut oil, only to have it melt in mouth as soon as I took the spoon out. I little more tolerable. I lasted 15 minutes.  Not bad. 

Day 3:

Back to gagging and the "stress" of all of that toxin in your mouth, and not being able to spit it out until the required time.  I couldn’t couldn't the oily feeling in my mouth and the thought of having a lot of bad stuff just swishing around in my mouth was not part of the game. To see the benefits of oil pulling, you really have to do this most days of the week for about two weeks, but I will say that my teeth were considerably whiter after only three days and sinuses were draining.

Still, coconut oil does make a great, organic substitute for mouthwash as it contains Vitamin E, which acts as an antioxidant, and also has anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties thanks to the lauric acid and monolaurin. I tried to add some essential peppermint oil, but the oily feeling in my mouth, I just could not take it. However, my breath was considerably fresher longer.

Coconutoil, as I have been blogging about, has other proven benefits too. It contains lots of easily digestible, fat-soluble vitamins: A,D,E and K. Vitamin A is good for the immune system, Vitamin E has strong antioxidant properties for the skin and can provide some protection against UV rays, Vitamin D is good for strong bones and teeth, and Vitamin K is good for blood-clotting.

I say: TRY IT! Coconut Oil has proven itself to be all that it says it is.

You have just been "Kissed by Nature"

DM