My wife and I recently decided to try Ayurvedic Oil Pulling with coconut oil. Devotees claim numerous benefits in areas such as gums, teeth, acne, eczema, blood pressure, cholesterol, and migraines.

We’ve now been doing oil pulling daily for the last month, and will continue doing so. If you, too, wish to oil pull, we suggest you follow the procedure we learned:

Step 01

First thing in the morning, on an empty stomach, and before drinking any liquids (including water), pour exactly one tablespoon of coconut oil into your mouth. Use one teaspoon for children old enough to be able to swish it without swallowing it – most sources suggest an age of five. If you wear dentures, oil pulling is done with the dentures out of your mouth. Some people choose to accelerate oil pulling’s effects by doing the procedure two or three times per day. It should be done before meals or several hours after a meal, on an empty stomach.

Step 02

Swish the oil around in your mouth (without swallowing it) for about twenty minutes. Move it around in your mouth and through your teeth. Sip and suck it through the teeth. Use a gentle chewing motion from time to time. Don’t tilt your head back to gargle. Keep swishing. If your cheek or jaw muscles get sore while swishing, you are putting too much effort into it. Relax your jaw muscles and use your tongue to help move the liquid around the inside of your mouth. When you do this correctly, you will feel very comfortable. Soon it will become second nature. You will find that the oil starts to get watery during the first minutes, as your saliva mixes with it.

Step 03

As the end of the oil pulling session approaches, the oil/saliva mixture in your mouth becomes thicker. This is quite normal, since it is pulling out toxins form your body. When twenty minutes are up, spit out the oil into the toilet. (It is best if you do not spit into the sink.) Do not be alarmed if it looks yellow or whitish – this also is normal.

Step 04

Rinse out your mouth twice with warm water. and spit into the toilet. One method is to rinse and spit with diluted hydrogen peroxide. Once again, do not swallow. The hydrogen peroxide is very effective in rinsing out any toxins or organisms which may be left in the mouth. Step 5 : Brush your teeth. Use a damp toothbrush with a small amount of baking soda. A small amount goes a long way, and minimizes the abrasive effect of the baking soda. The baking soda will normalize the pH of the mouth.

Hippocrates Pure Food-Grade Extra Virgin Organic Coconut Oil (undeodorised, unbleached, unhydrogenated, unrefined, cold-pressed) is available.