Are you into natural therapies? Or are you all about the benefits of traditional medicine? Either way, you will be pleasantly surprised as to the amazing benefits of doing something most of us would probably never think of doing, and would probably trigger your gag reflex if you were asked to give it a go.

Oil Pulling is the ancient Ayurvedic practise of swishing organic oil around in one’s mouth to remove toxins and other nasty rubbish from the throat, mouth, gums and teeth. Your mouth is a breeding ground for all kinds of germs that cause viruses and bacteria and the use of pure oil pulls all this ‘crap’ from your system, effectively removing it when you spit out the oil.

Benefits of Oil Pulling include:

Reduction in severity and presence of bad breath
Reduces and prevents plaque build up
Stops bleeding gums
Soothes sensitive teeth
Lowers inflammation
Detoxifies the throat, mouth, teeth and gums
Reduces allergies, chest congestion and even stomach issues
Revs up the meatbolism
Wakes the body up – clears that ‘foggy’ feeling
Significantly whitens teeth

The idea is that you basically put 1 tablespoon of organic oil (usually coconut, sesame or sunflower oil, but it has to be cold-pressed, unrefined and organic) into your mouth and swish it around, sucking and pulling it between your cheeks and teeth for anywhere between 5 and 20 minutes. Obviously the longer you do it, the more beneficial it is, however a lot of people new to oil pulling cannot actually manage to keep it up for 20 full minutes and break it down to two lots of ten minutes. Another good idea to distract from the practice is to ‘pull’ in the shower, whilst you are busy doing other personal hygiene maintenance, or whilst you check emails or watch TV.

Oil Pulling requires a significant length of time to ensure the oils are able to absorb the toxins and bacteria from the mouth and throat. Rigorous sucking and swishing is not necessary, as the length of time is more important than the intensity, and the liquid will build up over time as saliva combines with the oil.

Once the 20 minutes is up, the oil needs to be spat out into the toilet as it is full of toxins, and the mouth needs to be rinsed with warm sea salt water. There are some reports that suggest rinsing with raw apple cider vinegar, but the acidity in the vinegar is thought to not be good for your teeth enamel, especially after pulling. When the oil is spat out, it should be milky and watery. If the mouth still feels oily and the oil is still it’s original colour, it has not been pulled for long enough.

Oil pulling should be done daily, first thing in the morning, on an empty stomach and teeth need to be brushed gently after rinsing. There is no documented limit on how many times oil pulling can be performed in one day, however experts suggest no more than three sessions per day.

So why not give it a go? Have you ever tried oil pulling? Did you find it beneficial, or just kind of gross?