In the early 1990s in Bangalore, South India, an ancient Ayurvedic practice as popularized and adopted by Tummala Kotes Wara Rao. Rao brought the practice of “oil pulling” to the western world, and he advocate this method, used to help relieve bacteria in the mouth. This method now, is a popular alternative home remedy medicine.
What is “oil pulling” you might ask? How does it work, and what is the benefits of practicing this method? Rao claimed that Siberian Shamas practiced oil pulling with sunflower oil for more than a century. This Ayurvedic practice has become extremely popular, and the anecdotal benefits help to establish oil pulling as a benefit to help cure bacteria in the mouth and other health ailments in the body.
Oil pulling, a vey simple method, consists of swishing around oil in your mouth, just the way you do when using mouthwash to clear the bacteria from your mouth which can cause ailments to other parts of the body. Using about a tablespoon full of sesame oil or sunflower oil, but I would recommend coconut oil because the taste of this oils much more pleasant than the others. Also, the lauric acid, one of the fatty acid in coconut oil, kills bacteria, viruses and fungi. Its best to do oil pulling on an empty stomach and upon rising in the morning. Think of it as an oil mouthwash, where the benefit is greater than using Listerine for example. You should swish around the oil for about 15-20 minutes pulling the oil thru your teeth and do not swallow the oil. Swallowing the oil will only put the bacteria back into your system, instead of removing it from your body entirely. After you have done this about three times for the day, after each oil pulling, you should brush your teeth and wash your mouth out with water. If the oil you swish around in your mouth is yellow, you have not done removing the bacteria from your system. The oil should be white to show the bacteria removed. The oil should be spat out in the garbage and not in the sink, because it will clog the drains.
The benefits of oil pulling includes:
Reducing harmful bacteria in the mouth. We have thousands of bacteria lurking around in our mouth. The bacteria sometimes create plaque on our teeth. This bacteria “streptococcus mutant” causes tooth decay. Gingivitis, inflammation of the gums happen when the immune system start to attack the bacteria in the plaque.
Bad breath, also known as halitosis, another bacteria in the mouth, yellow teeth, gum inflammation , dry mouth and cavities, all are caused by the many bacteria in the mouth. Some of these bacteria affects your overall health of the body.
Oil pulling makes the teeth whiter. It also helps when you have a loose teeth to strengthen the gums. The claim has been made that it helps to fasten the loose teeth and eliminate bleeding gums. Results of oil pulling overall is improved dental health. Gums pinker and healthier looking and an overall fresh breath. We know that inflammation can cause many other health problems in the body, therefore oil pulling helps to heal the whole body.
Give it a try and see the improvements in your overall health. A shining smile with pearly white teeth will make your day brighter.
