The best oils to use for oil pulling for optimal benefits to oral health by eliminating toxins and pathogens from the gateway microbiome.
I first learned about oil pulling two decades ago while studying Ayurvedic cooking.
“Pulling” is an ancient detoxification therapy mentioned in ancient Ayurvedic texts and is recommended as an easy, daily practice.
Over time, “oil gargling” or “swishing” can drastically improve oral health and help resolve many chronic conditions such as periodontal (gum) disease and cavities. (1)
It can also be helpful for acute illness.
For example, oil pulling therapy has been touted as a strep throat remedy and helps resolve persistent sore throat issues.
Oil Pulling Health Benefits
The modern resurgence of this ancestral practice started in 1992 and was initiated by Dr. F. Karach, MD, who used it with great success in his medical practice.
Dr. Karach claimed that oil pulling would resolve a variety of illnesses including hormonal problems, cardiovascular disease, and digestive ailments. (2)
Dr. Bruce Fife, author of Coconut Cures and Oil Pulling Therapy: Detoxifying and Healing the Body Through Oral Cleansing, suggests that oil pulling therapy can effectively be used to clear and heal sinus problems. (3)
In fact, this is one of the first detox symptoms that are experienced is an increased flow/clearing of mucus from the throat and sinuses.
Mucous drainage is one of the body’s best methods of removing toxins.
How Does “Pulling” Work?
The practice of oil pulling is extremely simple.
Simply swish one tablespoon of raw, cold-pressed oil in the mouth for 15-20 minutes.
The swishing process involves gently pushing and pulling the oil around and through the teeth.
Try to oil pull at least once and up to three times per day on an empty stomach.
If you only do it once per day, the best time is first thing in the morning before breakfast or drinking anything. However, if you forget, any time of day before eating will do if necessary.
Dr. Fife advises the following while oil pulling:
While you are pulling, mucous may build in the back of your throat. You may even have to expel the oil and clear the mucous from your throat before reaching a full 20 minutes. That’s okay, take another spoonful of oil and continue until you’ve pulled for a total of 15-20 minutes. (4)
After swishing with the oil for the allotted amount of time, the oil is completely spat out and the teeth, gums, tongue, and palate are gently cleaned by rinsing the mouth with saltwater and brushing as usual.
Feel free to use a bit of sole water for this purpose if you have some on hand.
This next point may seem obvious, but it bears mentioning. It is important to never swallow or otherwise reuse the oil.
I think it is best to spit it out into the toilet rather than the sink because it contains toxins and bacteria and possibly even pus and mucous if an infection is present.
Which Oil is Best?
A variety of oils work very well for oil pulling.
Traditionally, unrefined sesame oil, coconut oil, or butter oil (ghee) were used.
The modern-day practice of this ancient therapy includes extra virgin olive oil or unrefined sunflower oil as alternatives as well.
While any one of these oils is likely effective, is any particular choice better than the others?
According to research performed by Irish scientists from the Athlone Institute of Technology who tested the effects of coconut oil, vegetable oil, and olive oil on dental health, the answer is yes.
Of the three types of oil tested, only coconut oil prevented tooth enamel damage by the pathogen Streptococcus mutans.
This acid-producing bacterium is a common inhabitant of the mouth and a major cause of tooth decay. (5)
This latest finding lends serious credibility to anecdotal claims that oil pulling works best with coconut oil.
Lead researcher Dr. Damien Brady stated that coconut oil could prove to be an attractive alternative to chemicals in maintaining oral health. (6)
He noted that not only does coconut oil work at relatively low concentrations but with the worrisome problem of increasing antibiotic resistance, it is important to consider coconut oil as a potentially novel new way to control microbial infections.
Dr. Fife also recommends making medicated coconut oil to enhance the effects and healing properties of oil pulling. (7)
Refined vs Unrefined
Virgin coconut oil (VCO) is the best choice for oil pulling therapy as it is truly “raw”.
This type of coconut oil is completely unheated with micronutrients and co-factors not present in refined versions. It is ideal for medicinal use.
Remember too, that coconut oil solidifies at 76 °F/24 °C, so if your virgin coconut oil is solid in the pantry, you may need to gently liquefy it in a pan of warm water first.
However, this step is not necessary if you are comfortable letting it melt in your mouth before you start swishing.
If you wish to supercharge the process, you can use ozonated coconut oil, which further enhances the anti-bacterial and anti-plaque benefits of oil pulling.
This therapeutic form of coconut oil is great for holistic dental flossing too and a practice recommended by biological dentists.
Bonus! Virgin coconut oil is an excellent oral antifungal as well.
Is Oil Pulling Right for You?
Oil pulling is probably the cheapest and easiest oral detoxification regimen you could ever try.
It simply involves swishing your mouth with unrefined oil one to three times a day on an empty stomach and then spitting it out.
No dieting, fasting, herbs, or pills are required to get started.
No matter what your age or level of health, oil pulling is harmless and nearly anyone can do it.
Sometimes powerful answers come in a brown paper bag.
Give oil pulling with virgin coconut oil a try!
(1) A review of holistic approaches to oral health
(2) Oil Pulling Therapy by Dr. Karach: Russian Folk Remedy
(3, 4, 7) Oil Pulling Therapy: Detoxifying and Healing the Body Through Oral Cleansing
(5, 6) Coconut oil can combat tooth decay, study suggests
Hi there,
I just stated using virgin coconut oil both on my face and I drink 1 tablespoon of Coconut with 1/2 a teaspoon of honey at night before going to bed. Is that OK or oil pulling is better then drinking the Virgin Coconut oi with honey. I have not done this oil pulling but wish to tried if ti’s better than drinking it. Please advise as I need to know. Thanks.
Oil pulling is different than consuming coconut oil. When you oil pull, you swish it around in your mouth to remove toxins from teeth and gums and then spit it out. Each has different benefits.
I’ve heard that adding an essential oil such as peppermint oil enhances the process. It also promotes fresher breath.
Why would anyone even think of reusing nasty oil ? It says do not swallow any of the oil it is full of bacteria ,you could get sick.Just the stench off used oil would gag a maggot.You can get a very large jar of coconut oil at Costco here in Canada for less than 25.00 that will last a very long time.
This is absolutely nasty and disgusting, to say the least! Why would you want to recycle poisons removed from your body? Believe me, if you went to the dentist you would absolutely pay more than buying oil. OMG! This is making me sick. This is the grossest thing that I have every heard in my life.
So interesting… I’ve actually had better results with canola oil than coconut oil, especially for whitening. And I’ve been dying to try avocado oil based on the taste which I have heard makes the process muuuuch easier.
By the way, Sarah, your kitchen counters and appliances always sparkle so. Have you ever done a video, or would you do one, on how you do your cleaning without chemicals? I try to use things like white vinegar but I never seem to get that really clean looking shine.
I just wipe with white vinegar on a damp cloth normally. Nothing fancy 🙂
So, is coconut the only one that protects against Step Mutans?
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18408265
This says sesame works too.
And this study:
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4158583/
says:
All the oils used in this study [olive, sesame, coconut] showed significant reduction in values of S. mutans count, Lactobacillus count, plaque scores, and gingival scores, and this reduction was comparable among all the oil groups. In addition, the reduction in oil groups was also comparable to the “gold standard” chlorhexidine group. So, it can be concluded that these oils can be used as valuable preventive agents in maintaining and improving oral health in low socioeconomic status population. However, it is recommended that further research should be conducted in other populations with a larger sample and longer duration of follow-up period.
Also adding:
In the present study, sesame oil, olive oil, and coconut oil were used for assessing their antimicrobial activity against the oral pathogens responsible for causing dental caries. “Sesame oil” also known as “gingelly oil or til oil” has antifungal, antioxidant, and health promoting activities,[19,20] “Olive oil” has been used medicinally in various times for its health benefits,[21] and “Coconut oil” is a common commodity found in Indian homes, which has anti-microbial effect against a wide range of micro-organisms found within the body.
I have been oil pulling for a while now resulting in better oral health. The only shortcoming of it in my opinion is all the oil going to waste… Recently I started to collect the used oil in a jar where it accumulates very fast and all I can think is whether I can cleanse it somehow – does boiling kill the bacteria maybe and the remains suitable for frying? Or some other useful utilisation of the oil???
I have naturally yellow teeth just like my dentist told me. If I do this OP, will my teeth whiten? And how many days should we do this for a week?
Sesame oil is actually the original and still the best for oil pulling. Coconut oil is probably second but sesame oil is the most effective. Notice they weren’t compared in the test mentioned here. Look it up!