Joyce (Joelton, Tn) on 02/14/2010

After diving into EC again and seeing so many OPing with sesame oil and their reports of different things improved with this little old oil, I went to plant database looking for sesame. Wow, now I am going to have to get myself some of this stuff and see what it does with hypertension. It has a lot more than the chemicals I am going to mention (most of the B complex vitamins, iodine, etc) but I only wrote down the ones in larger parts per million (ppm).
I am leaving the ECers to search the chemicals to see what they can do, but at least 3 of these chemicals includes anti-alopecic (anti-baldness or anti-hair loss). Chemical parts per million
alanine 5,510 - 24,802
alpha-linolenic acid 3,760 - 3,945
alpha-tocopherol 22 - 24
arachidic acid 1,312 - 6,910
arginine 15,800 - 34,930
aspartic acid 9,890 - 23,795
beta carotene ppm not given
calcium 800 - 12,638
choline 1,320
glutamic acid 24,760 - 51,927
glycine 5,890 - l9,918
guaiacol 8,000
hexadeconoic acid 2,880
histidine 3,050 - 7,112
inositol 740
isoleucine 4,430 - 22,586
linoleic acid 123,656 - 278,784
lysine 2,890 - 8,729
magnesium 3,052 - 4,082
methionine 3,120 - 9,413
myristic acid 328 - 1,728
oleic acid 114,800 - 284,544
palmitic acid 25,584 - 54,144
phenylalanine 5,710 - 9,863
phosphorus 5,000 - 8,898
proline 8,100 - 14,277
serine 6,150 - 13,751
stearic acid 11,808 - 32,832
threonine 7,360 - 12,396
tryptophan 2,010 - 4,969
tyrosine 4,220 - 11,818
valine 5,490 - 15,527
zinc 24 - 102
Wow, wonder how the witch doctors, shamen, cooks, etc. came up with using this little seed before we had chemists to tell us what was in them????
At least now we know why the pharmaceutical companys, medical field, and other scientists went out collecting home remedies from all of the above, don't we????
Lee (Ridgefield, Ct., USA) on 12/10/2009

I used to gag on sesame oil. It was the first oil I ever used (per most suggestions.) First of all, don't stress over it. If you gag, you can always just spit it out. I found that using a better tasting oil was much easier (evco)- also, evoo plus a few drops of clove oil. Now I can use just about anything without gagging. I drink a little bit of water first and then use it as a peaceful way to start my morning. Don't give up - the results are worth it.
Antares (Tamuning, GU) on 02/23/2009

When I have an irresistable swallowing reflex while oil pulling, it's because of mucous that has been drawn out. I have to spit it out and then I can start with new oil to finish.
M (St Louis, MO) on 02/09/2009

EC, Could you include with the basic instructions on oil pulling Ted's suggestion to detox for two weeks before beginning the oil pulling process? I think he recommended using 1 tablespoon ACV with 1/4 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda, stir well, add 1/2 to 1 cup of water and drink one or two times a day for two weeks; OR, take 2 tablespoons of lemon juice plus 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda in 1/2 glass of water taken two times a day. The alkalization tends to remove toxins if done for at least two weeks. Then on the second or third week they can start oil pulling. This regimen is supposed to greatly reduce the Herksheimer effect of getting worse before you get better. It seems like many people are just starting out with the oil pulling first and wanting to quit because they didn't prepare properly and are suffering from the Herksheimer effect.
Dana (PDX, OR) on 01/30/2009

Try using less oil. I could not use 1 TBLS. I use about half. If I start to gag then I stop swishing and just held it until the sensation passed.
Van (Gooseby, UT) on 07/14/2008

As an extra safety measure after oil pulling, i swish colloidal silver around for a few minutes before i drink anything. cheers.
Charlie (Portland, Oregon) on 12/09/2007

This is an addendum to my previous post. When you practice oil pulling you might want to, also, run your tongue around your mouth in a circular fashion so that it glides across and lightly touches the front of all your teeth. Five circuits of your mouth is about right. This is best done shortly after beginning a session and again right at the end, while looking down. Sometimes rotate your tongue to the right - sometimes to the left. There is no particular rule to it. Experiment. Tongue rotation is beneficial with or without oil pulling. One of my teachers pointed this technique out to me awhile back. She said this motion cleans and balances the electrical aspects of a person's mouth and, because of the connections between our mouth and the rest of our body, benefits everything else, too. For those of you who find oil pulling somewhat difficult, you might want to just let the oil sit in your mouth for a minute or so before beginning pulling, swishing and so forth. This gives your body a chance to get used to the oil, making it easier to relax into the experience. Also, I am still offering the directions for Ujjayi Pranayama breathing. See - 10/16/2007: Charlie from Portland, Oregon Charlie
Tamara (USA) on 09/19/2006

This follows the last email that I wrote. I use mostly cold pressed olive oil but I have seen people who can't stand the oil in their mouths use pure water and it turns white as well. I don't have scientific reasearch to back it up but any oil I have used works for me. One other caution is that if someone is really toxic, five min can be enough or the toxins will burn the mouth. Once I forgot and swished for about 40 min and ended up with mouth sores for about a week as the toxins burned my mouth. I now set a timer that I carry around with me as to not go over twenty min.