Why practice oil pulling?

Oil pulling is usually referred to as an ancient Ayurvedic art. But the way oil pulling and the oil pulling products are manufactured and advertised are somewhat different. That doesn’t mean the Ayurvedic or the modern interpretation don’t work. They are just different.

Ayurvedic oil pulling

There are two different variations of “oil pulling” in ayurveda:

1. Kavala: Here the oil or liquid (ghee, herbal infusions etc) is held in the mouth and then used for gargling
2. Gandusha: Is where the oral cavity is filled up with oil or liquid and simply kept without gargling or “pulling”

Either practice is part of a treatment. The doctor will look at the doshas and the individual. Sometimes also involving oil massage, steam or smoke.

The text above is from the Charaka Samhita (an ancient ayurvedic classic text) where it says that:

Oil gargling is beneficial for the strength of the jaws, deep voice, flabbiness of face, excellent gustatory sensation and good taste for food.

One never get dryness of the throat, nor do his lips ever get cracked, his teeth will never carious and will be deep rooted; he will not have any toothache nor will his teeth set on edge by sour intake; his teeth can chew even the hardest eatables.

So why wouldn’t we want to benefit from such a practice?

oil pulling + Scientific evidence

Interesting, like so many other “old” or traditional practices modern science is keen to look for evidence on why and how it may (or may not) work. Oil pulling is no exception.

One study concluded that oil pulling therapy showed a reduction in the plaque index, modified gingival scores, and total colony count of aerobic microorganisms in the plaque of adolescents with plaque-induced gingivitis.1

In another study, subjects were randomly assigned to massage their gingiva every day for three weeks with sesame oil, olive oil, coconut oil, and Chlorhexidine gel (control). The results show a significant reduction in mean Streptococcus mutants count, Lactobacillus count, plaque scores, and gingival scores in all four groups after the study.2

Oil pulling therapy has also been shown to be equally effective like chlorhexidine on halitosis and organisms associated with halitosis.3

All extremely promising results. And there are lots more if you look at research journals.

Create your own oil for oil pulling

I wanted to be creative. Respecting my knowledge and training in ayurveda yet also appreciating more modern research as well as my training in clinical aromatherapy. And so this is one of my attempts to create my very own version of an oil pulling oil.

Sesame oil is one of ayurveda’s favourite oils. It’s tridoshic, meaning it doesn’t aggravate any of the doshas, although it can be warming. So this was my main oil of choice. However, I wanted to incorporate coconut oil too. Coconut oil as been shown to attack the bacteria that cause caries. Coconut oil is a natural antibiotic and could be incorporated into commercial dental care products 4.

I also added our beloved turmeric as a tincture. Turmeric mouthwash can be effectively used as an adjunct to mechanical plaque control in the prevention of plaque and gingivitis. Both (Chlorhexidine gluconate and turmeric) mouthwashes have comparable anti-plaque, anti-inflammatory and anti-microbial properties.5 

My essential oils of choice are peppermint for its freshness and antibacterial properties 6 and myrrh essential oil which is a classic for gum and teeth issues. It is shown to be used for gingivitis/periodontal disease 7.

Oil pulling recipe

Creating approximately 100 ml. Make sure the coconut oil is liquid when you blend in the essential oil. And remember sometimes less is more. Keep the essential oil in low dilution of maximum of 1% as the oral cavity is very sensitive.

• 50 ml sesame oil
• 50ml coconut oil
• 2 ml turmeric tincture
• 9 drops myrrh essential oil
• 15 peppermint essential oil

Make sure you shake it well before you use it!

I get most of my products from The Natural  Dispensary. I like Fushi (link to Amazon and Natural Dispensary) as they are organic, high quality and reasonably priced. As my client, you can get it from there too. Simply register with me Anja Brierley Lange as your practitioner (and add ABL12 for a small discount). I get my essential oils from Neal’s Yard Remedies.

It is by no means an “approved” or scientific way of creating an oral hygiene product. Just me playing around and intended for inspiration only. I do make any claims for this mixture either and reproducing it is entirely your own responsibility.

How to perform oil pulling

So how is the perfect oil pulling routine? Preferable practice in the morning on an empty stomach. You can clean your tongue with a tongue scraper, then brush the teeth and finally put a tablespoon or so of oil in your mouth (you can use plain sesame or coconut oil here). Swirl it around and “pull it” through your teeth.

Start with a few minutes and then build up to 10-20 minutes. You can get things ready, have a shower, prepare breakfast etc in the meantime.

Spit the oil out in the bin. Oils will clog up your drains so never spit it out in the sink. Do not swallow the oil. From an ayurvedic perspective, you are also bringing up excess kapha dosha that has accumulated overnight. And from the Western perspective, you are “cleaning” the oral cavity so you want to get rid of it.

Massage your gums with the remaining oil. And if needed rinse with warm water.

For more ayurveda have a look at this online immersion and to explore essential oil take a look at this introduction course.

References:

1. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19336860/
2. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4158583/
3. http://www.jisppd.com/article.asp?issn=0970-4388;year=2011;volume=29;issue=2;spage=90;epage=94;aulast=Asokan
4. https://www.nature.com/articles/sj.bdj.2012.856
5. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3498709/
6. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4606594/
7. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3782986/