Sunday Health Hack No. 9 – Every morning in the bathroom, put a large spoon of Coconut oil (large spoonful because most likely the Coconut oil is solidified) into your mouth, or take a proper gulp of Sesame oil out of the bottle. Then swish it around in your mouth for 3-5min. After that, spit the oil in the toilet.
In my last Sunday Health Hack I talked about the importance of a clean nasal sinus system for your health, for fighting off viruses in particular.
The other “main entrance” for many “undesired” aerosols is the mouth cavity. So let’s take care of that as well concurrently because a healthy oral cavity offers much more benefits than just eradicating incoming viruses.
Oil pulling dates back 3,000 to 5,000 years and finds its origins again in ancient Ayurvedic medicinal texts.
Throughout the centuries, in the center of all “ancient” doctor’s attention was our “tongue”, not only in Ayurvedic but also in TCM (traditional Chinese medicine). And the father of modern Western medicine Hippocrates von Kos considered the tongue to be the most important indicator or barometer of health and disease too, and so did Hildegard von Bingen in medieval times. And there are some doctors out there today who still follow this ancient tradition.
Tongue diagnosis is based on the “outer reflects the inner” principle. External structures reflect the conditions of the internal structures and can give important indications of disharmony. And the tongue provides (the most) important clues reflecting the conditions of the internal organs.
Most organ’s prime function is to process and assimilate waste and toxins. And especially in these modern times, much more so than a hundred or a thousand years ago, we are bombarded with a multitude of environmental or “food” toxins on a daily basis – whether it be car emissions when walking down the street, mercury in our fish (especially tuna!), or glyphosate in our wheat and corn, etc..
In traditional Chinese medicine, the tongue is THE connection to our organs through meridians in our body, which are energy pathways. And if one of your organs doesn’t work properly or is even severely “poisoned”, it will show on your tongue first.
So now we come back to the importance of oil pulling. Oil pulling activates salivary enzymes which absorb toxins such as heavy metals or other chemical, bacterial and environmental toxins from the blood and remove them from the body (organs) – through the tongue.
But the oral cavity is generally been regarded as one of the most important gateways between the body and the environment. So, maintaining the health of this connection is critical for your overall well-being too, not just for “detoxification”.
Accordingly, oil pulling has been used in “ancient” medicine to support, address, or prevent many other health issues as well. For example, it strengthens the gums and prevents gum bleeding. It cleans your teeth and gets rid of stains. It’s very effective against “bad breath”. Or, if you do have a sore throat, oil pulling helps too. And the oil is beneficial for the lips of course, especially against cracked lips during wintertime.
In addition, when “cleaning” the tongue (by oil pulling), it increases your taste reception. Not only do you then eat less (because the “signal” function of the tongue works properly) but you also eliminate the need to add excessive sugar, salt, or spices to the food for making it more “tasty”.
So, my Sunday Health Hack for today is – Every morning in the bathroom, after you’ve done your “Neti”, put a large spoon of Coconut oil (large spoonful because most likely the coconut oil is solidified) into your mouth, or take a proper gulp of Sesame oil out of the bottle. Then swish it around in your mouth for 3-5min. After that, spit the oil (“toxic” salvia) in the toilet.
Don’t spit it into the washbasin as the oil might solidify and could clog the pipes.
You may have read or heard that you do have to do at least 20min of oil pulling to get all the toxins out. First, hardly anyone has got an extra 20min in the morning. Second, it’s again more about “consistency”. Doing it every day for a couple of minutes will be much more beneficial than doing it for 20min once in a while.
Still, eg. on the weekend, when I prepare my fresh-pressed lemon juice for the week (prep time ~15min), I put some Coconut oil into my mouth and swish it around for much longer. You can be as creative about it as you like, doing some extra (lengthier) oil pulling whenever it fits in your day / week routine. Because you certainly can’t “overdose” in oil pulling :-).
Some asked what one can do during these 3-5min while oil pulling. Well, the easiest thing to do is that you are getting dressed during that time. I myself use this extra time window for dedicated breath and “spiritual” work in the morning to prime myself for the day. But that’s a topic for a different Sunday Hack in the future.
Sesame oil is used in Ayurvedic medicine because it’s high in antioxidants, has strong anti-inflammatory properties, its powerful anti-bacterial effect is the main reason for the boost in dental / gum health, and because of its strong (skin) healing properties of wounds (which you do have in your oral cavity more often than you might think, mostly on a micro-level though).
As Sesame oil is not everyone’s favourite taste you can also use Coconut oil which offers the same health benefits as Sesame oil. Additionally, the lauric acid in coconut oil reacts with saliva, forming a soap-like substance that prevents dental cavities and helps reduce plaque build-up and gum inflammation.
I myself always switch between the two.
And by the way – studies have proven that both oils significantly reduce the count of harmful bacteria in the mouth, “outperforming” regular (chemical) industry mouthwashes by far!
Important note – Oil pulling doesn’t “replace” proper tooth brushing! Yes, it adds to your dental health, but primarily it’s about getting rid of the toxins in your body.
Extra-Hack: Speaking of taste – let me touch “Essential oils” here the first time (to which I will come back to many times in the future). Get some (organic) “Peppermint” as well as “Clove” essential oil from your local health store. Put 2-3 drops of each on a tablespoon and put it in your mouth in addition to the oil. This will not only take away any “oil taste” but will add another layer of (oral) benefits to your oil pulling.
Peppermint oil is known for its cooling and numbing elements which can effectively soothe tooth and muscle aches. Research has found that peppermint oil is exceptionally powerful for fighting oral pathogens and killing particular the kind of bacteria which lead to cavities and gum disease.
Clove oil has been used in ancient medicine against tooth pain and gum diseases. It’s great against bad breath due to its natural ability to inhibit the development of certain bacteria, fighting off other mouth and throat infections too along the way.
Sage and cinnamon oil are also on my list but I don’t want to make it too complicated. Peppermint and Clove are the two most important “extra ingredients” for a good and now even tasty oil pulling.
Pull & pray, Yours Andreas
Sunday Hack Quote
The tongue that brings healing is a tree of life. Literally and figuratively.
Sunday Hack Music
Giving you a powerful Opus today for when getting dressed, breathe, or pray while oil pulling –