Oil Pulling – The Ayurvedic Way to Supreme Oral Health & More

You might have heard me talk a lot over the years about the Ayurvedic concept of oral hygiene.

I've discussed the problems associated with using commercial mouthwashes , and how in Ayurvedic medicine it is being prescribed for thousands of years to combine this with daily tongue scraping for keeping the mouth truly clean and the teeth and gums strong and healthy.

Well now I think you're ready for the full version. It's called 'oil pulling' and not only cleans the mouth, and keeps one's teeth and gums in tip-top health, it is said to help purify the entire body and optimize the functioning of our entire physiology.

Rather than me explaining it all however, it is a great joy of mine to have one of the world's pre-eminent experts in Ayurveda to do this for us.Her name is Dr. Vicki Broome.

VICKI BROOME INTERNATIONALLY REWARDED EXPERT IN MAHARISHI AYURVEDA

Dr. Vicki Broome is based in Johannesburg, South Africa and has been practicing and lecturing on Maharishi Ayurveda for over 20 years. She is a great friend and an absolute fountain of wisdom. Over to you dear Vicki.

* The following is copyrighted to Dr. Vicki Broome so please ask her permission to use anything - .

OIL PULLING (GANDUSHA)

Ayurveda is very holistic in its approach to health.

In Ayurveda, dental health is known by the Sanskrit term Danta Swasthya.

Ayurveda considers that improper oral hygiene is the root cause for numerous diseases.

In traditional Ayurveda, gargling treatments known as kavala graha and gandusha (oil pulling) are used to treat imbalances of various doshas. These Ayurvedic remedies are a part of the Ayurvedic text, Charaka Samhita.

Charaka Samhita describes the benefits of oil pulling:

“It is beneficial for strength of jaws, depth of voice, flabbiness of face, improving gustatory sensation and good taste for food. One used to this practice never gets dryness of throat, nor do his lips ever get cracked; his teeth will never be 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.”

- Charaka Samhita Ch V. 78 to 80.

SESAME OIL

Ayurveda suggests as the preferred oil for these therapies the use of pure sesame oil. It is rightly known as the queen of oil seed crops because of its rich nutrients, therapeutic properties and varied health benefits.

Oil in the mouth can be used in two ways:

1) Oil gargling - for the voice and throat.

This is to prevent the sound of aging of the voice as people age.

This is done by ideally lying down on your back with your head slightly backwards (though benefits will still be received if standing up *be careful of your neck though/don't tilt your head back too far!- Mark) and gargling with sesame oil for at least two minutes - swirling it around in the throat.

2) Oil pulling - which involves swishing of vegetable oil (preferably sesame) in the mouth for about 20 minutes. (20 minutes is ideal, but still do it for as long as you can if you can't do it for the full 20 minutes - you won't get the full benefits unless the oil has gone milky white but something is better than nothing - Mark)

LOGIC BEHIND GANDUSHA OR OIL PULLING.

Oil pulling is curative as well as preventative in nature.

Ayurveda suggests that this therapy purifies, cleanses and detoxifies the entire system by removing all the harmful toxins from the body.

This is because oil pulling thoroughly cleans the teeth, gums and tongue. Each segment of the human tongue is linked with many vital organs of the body like lungs, kidneys, stomach, colon, liver, spine, heart and small intestine.

AYURVEDIC HEALTH BENEFITS OF OIL PULLING:

To strengthen teeth, fortify your gums, support healthy dental system, treat halitosis, check tooth decay, treat dry throat, cracked lips and bleeding gums along with other major health disorders like rheumatoid arthritis, impaired vision, dry skin, gingivitis and periodontal disease, eczema, loss of taste, bronchitis, psoriasis, exhaustion, kidney problems, headache, anorexia, heart disorders, obesity, sinusitis, migraine, asthma, diabetes and much more.

HOW TO OIL PULL:

Oil pulling is best done first thing in the morning on an empty stomach after brushing your teeth.

Spoon a tablespoon of organic, cold-pressed sesame oil into your mouth, and swish it around for 20 minutes (or as long as you can. See Note above - Mark) before spitting it out.

Never swallow the oil - it is considered poisonous as the swishing will render it full of toxins. Under a microscope of 600 magnification, scientists have seen live organisms swimming in it which are bacteria embryos which can cause disease.

There are actually thousands of different types of bacteria in the mouth. Some of them are friendly, others are not.

Spit it out into the basin or toilet bowel. The oil should look like a thin milky white liquid now. (If it is still yellow you have not done it long enough).

Be sure to brush your teeth and rinse your mouth thoroughly afterwards.

Have a separate toothbrush to use just for brushing teeth after oil pulling.

Follow by drinking 1-2 glasses of warm/hot water.