The Benefits of Oil Pulling with Coconut Oil

For several weeks now i have been oil pulling in the evening with a teaspoonful of organic coconut oil followed with a tooth brushing of sea salt and baking soda. Immediately, my teeth were several shades lighter, and my tongue is now pink instead of white - and much hairier than it used to be. As a result, I found that my taste sensation is heightened: sweets now taste *really* sweet to me, and any kind of processed food tastes even worse than before - canned soups, boxed mixes, and especially awful are artificial sweeteners. I have lost 7 or 8 pounds over the last month or so as a result of refining my eating habits.

OP might help with inner ear infection and imbalance problems

I have a question on oil pulling. I have been suffering from an inner ear infection (or at least that's what I was told) for about 7 months now. I think I've tried everything! Tried the meds the docs/ENTs gave me but they didn't work - my condition is now beyond the acute phase and is chronic. I have two major symptoms: a rocking/imbalanced sensation....and a tightness and suffocated pain in my right ear (the affected ear). I have other mild to moderate symptoms - like tingling and nerve pain but I generally try to ignore them. I had many tests done and all came back normal. However, my upper cervical and lower back are slightly misaligned so this may be causing some compression in terms of healthy nerve flow. I don't feel at a loss - thank God for maintaining faith and hope - but I would like to restore my balance and eliminate the pain in the ear. I feel like the ear is not getting enough blood flow and because the ear houses the balance organs in the body - I surmise this is why I am still dealing with the imbalanced sensation (ie. not enough nutrients and oxygen getting into the area). I've recently seen a nutritionist/ND who is helping me fix my diet and treat other issues but I wanted to know if anyone has experienced a similar issue to mine and saw good results with oil pulling. I actually tried it today for 10 mins w/ coconut oil and it did decrease the pain in the ear - in addition to helping my sinuses drain out (this part really amazed me!) - also important to note - the ND told me he believes the infection may have stemmed from some blockage in my sinuses and that by clearing out this area, I would be in a better position to attack the virus. Well, I did want to say that after immediately doing the OP - and coughing up whatever mucus that came out - I walked around for a bit and did notice that my balance felt a bit more stabilized. Just an observation but definitely worth taking note of. Your thoughts are appreciated. :0)

I am an aromatherapist, and if you were having just a regular earache I would recommend using a few drops of undiluted tea tree essential oil in each ear and the apply a warm watter compress to each ear. But this sounds more serious so I would bring our the big guns, and this means being very respectful of the power of this essential oil. The essential oil I am referring to is Clove oil. It contains a chemical composition called eugenol and this is a powerful anti-bacterial agent, as well as an analgesic (pain killer). Put a few drops of the clove or clove bud oil on a Q-tip and insert into the ear as far as it will comfortably go, do not get any oil on your hands or near your eyes, if you do get it on your hands avoid touching any mucous membranes and wash your hands repeatedly. This application is also good for toothaches and on cystic acne. When the ear is feeling better, or even when using the eugenol you can do the OP. I sincerely hope this information will help you. Personally if I were deserted on an island I would have to have the BIG THREE essential oils Lavender, Tee Tree, and Clove Oil

I have just now tried the OP. I to have very bad sinus, I am using olive oil as I I have it on hand its virgin oil. I could not do it for even 2 minutes as my sinuses was draining so much in the back of my throat and the nose. I had drainage for a good 10 minutes as I stood over the sink. I cough and spit and knew to hold my head over the sink and just let it flow out and cough it out. I have spent many hours over a sink coughing, but this drainage was a clearing process.

At the first I had globs of yellow then green stuff, then clear.

Today when I did the OP I had a lot less drainage, and I noticed I could already breathe some more deeply I was able to do it for about 4min.

With sinus problems I would not do OP in the Evening or before bed, the sinus needs time to drain. I can see problem with drainage getting into inner ear at night, plus drainage back of throat into the lungs. I have the Netti pot and other nasal rinse, these will not stop the flow of drainage for me, I use it after I quit draining so much after OP to rinse the sinus some.

I have suffered much these past few years with allergy and sinus, with little help from Doctors, they tell me they can not help me, that I have allergy to everything...

The sinus pain has been so bad the past 2 years, that I Have tried several things, the latest thing I was trying for sinus pain in my face, nose. Was to use Epson Salt soak, this is not a lie, the pain was stronger than pain meds. I was getting my meds at Pharmacy and I happen to see the Epson Salt and I thought Hey that is good for pain in foot, I might try and soak my face.

Well I worked out a way, I put 1 cup of Epson in Plastic container and fill almost full with warm water and add a couple drops of liquid soap to make the water wetter so it will soak me better. I purchased a small plastic Snorkel and use it when I put my face in the Epson water to soak my sinus. I do this for about 10 minutes and raise up my head out of the soak maybe 2 or 3 times, my first soak was maybe 2 or 3 minutes.

If I want to slow down or try and stop my sinus from draining I splash cold or cool water on my face for awhile, cool water kinda seals the sinus some, where warm water for me seems to increase the drainage, But with OP I want the drainage as I feel my sinus opening up some..

I will watch and see your outcome with coconut oil as I have many friends in the Philippines and Coconut Oil is abundance there.

Greetings from Alaska !
Have been reading your post on O.P., and decided to give it a try. Last night I used approx. 1 tbsp of organic C.O. I followed the basic directions, but was only able to 'swish' for 11 minutes. The oil became extremely runny, as if a ton of saliva had mixed with it. My throat felt heavy with phlegm and I had to hold back gagging. I rinsed very well & went to sleep. I woke up 3 times in the night, needing a drink of water (unusual for me). This morning when I woke up, I had severe angio edema around both eyes bilaterally. The edema had even weeped into lower pockets on my cheeks below, looking like little water balloons. Under my right eye, my skin felt crusty, as if something had leaked around the area. When I looked closer, the edema under my right eye appeared to have little pin head size pebbles in it and when I attempted to wash it, it was extremely painful. I had my partner look for some kind of puncture wound (unlikely a spider bite up here). As the day wares on, the puffiness is decreasing. Ironically, my skin tone was aglow, my teeth much whiter and I coughed up copious amounts of phlegm. I have searched this web site for a similar reaction, without luck. Any thoughts or advice; I am remain hopeful that OP is a healthy move for me. Thanks for creating such a wonderful space for "collective healing" !

Coconut Oil is an anti-fungal oil. The detox effect from using this oil can be pretty strong. I did oil pulling two years ago, then I let life get in the way. Lets just say I am back to where I started (so, tip . . . keep it up. Anyway, I used coconut oil after swishing with Olive Oil for a few months. Within a few hours I was coughing up lots of mucous. I remember searching all over my purse while waiting for a train to blow my nose. the Needless to say, I started oiling pulling again this morning. My oil of choice is Coconut Oil (1TB). I will post the detox effects if I have any.

If the detox effects of Coconut Oil is too strong switch oils.

Answer for JD from Anchorage, Alaska: I too got face bumps or redness from coconut oil, I am a blood type A and found out that type A's often have a sensitivity to coconut oil. Try another oil, Sesame works for me. If my teeth get sensitive from its astringency I'll add a little bit of another type, like canola or olive oil. Like someone else suggested switch around every so often to keep the OP working well. It is also good to research individual oils for their benefits, EFA's, anti-biotic or anti-viral capabilities etc.

For JD and others new to OP--more specifically coconut oil. It sounds like you had a detox and possible candida die-off reaction. To avoid potentially embarrasing detox effects, I don't recommend starting out with the coconut oils. Some people have an array of reactions and some don't.

I did a test first with VCO to see how I would react. I made 2 eggs for breakfast one day before work (big mistake). I used about half a teaspoon. Hour 1 I was fine. Hour 2-3 my tummy rumbled and cramped quite painfully but bearable. Hour 4 was a loose bowel movement. After that I was fine. This experiment told me I had some detoxing to do from what was most likely a candida reaction.

From there I took it slow and just used externally, almost daily. I use as all over lotion/moisturizer(even rubbing around eyes--though not at first). I laid off the VCO a day or so if I had symptoms appear such as sinus or acne detox problems. It was around the end of month 1 before I started eating and OP with it. I believe I did another egg test before I tried OP again. My face did get worse before it got better. I also have been using turmeric capsules for acne this whole time--i still broke out--can't imagine how bad it might have been if I wasn't taking turmeric multiple times a day but no more than a teaspoon a day. I am now about 2 months into this routine and acne is gone less one here and there. I hope this helps those new to CO. Take it slow and enjoy its wonderful benefits!

Oil pulling got rid of my tooth pain in just 3 days. I had a very painful toothache, my whole jaw and ear hurt from the pain. I could not get into see a dentist for two weeks. For several nights I could not sleep due to the pain. I tried several things first like splitting raw garlic and applying to both sides of tooth and gum area, it relieved it somewhat. I also tried rubbing with oregano oil I had in the medicine chest. I then found info on oil pulling on earth clinic. I was disparate, and tried it. I'm not sure if the garlic kicked in or the oregano....but soon I drifted off to sleep in much less pain. I used organic pure extra virgin coconut oil, unrefined, unbleached. I remember reading that this oil has antibacterial properties somewhere. I woke up the next morning and did it again. I also rubbed raw honey on he area, as I have read that has antibacterial properties as well. It was still hard to chew food for two days...but the pain was subsiding dramatically. By the fourth day I stopped oil pulling. And the pain continued to diminish and go away. I can chew good now and absolutely no pain. I am amazed! I'm curious as to what the dentist will find when I go to see him next week. Now today I did oil pulling again...going to do everyday to see if it whitens my teeth. Will keep you posted!

UPDATE: After doing the oil pulling for several days again, I noticed increased energy and decreased hunger which did not dawn on me "why" until I read another post here today... and thought, yeah, I'm experiencing that, and wondered why previous, but realize now that is related to the oil pulling with coconut oil.

From Coconut Oil Cures page, under 'Side Effect Myths':

04/16/2008: Peter writes: "Coconut oil side effects:
1.In the first few days of using coconut oil as a massage oil, it is often the case that the body develops a "sand type overlay " noticeable around the abdomen.
2.When this first happened the reaction was, "how did that sand get into the clothes?".
3. But when it happened to another person, we wised up and realised that it was a salt extrusion from the body and not sand even if it felt like sand.
4. So its a cleansing side effect that occurs in the first few days. After that period it is not longer noticeable.
5. If somebody is experiencing an itching side effect, I would say that that is a side effect of salt extrusion which will disappear as the amount of the salt extruded becomes less."

I've been oil pulling with Coconut Oil for about 10 days now & was recommended this by an instructor in a holistic health class I'm taking. I didn't do a lot of research before I began, which could be a mistake. I was told it was a general detox, which I've done before so I'm familiar with feeling slightly under the weather, tired, etc.

However, about a week into the oil pulling I woke to find my top left gum tissue around the molar really swollen and painful. It was so painful it woke me out of sleep. Also, my lymph node on the the same side is very swollen and painful to light touch. My cheek on the same side is tender to the touch...I assume sinus. My gum in the area I described is still swollen and painful and so is the lymph node...it's been four days!! and am generally feeling under the weather.

I was told that my body is just getting worse before it gets better, but I'm tempted to stop due to the discomfort level. I do have amalgam fillings in the area that is swollen...could this be the problem? Should I stop the oil pulling? Or is there a modified way to continue?

On one good note, my skin has never looked better! It's the dead of winter in Wisconsin which usually causes severe dry skin for me, but my skin is softer than it's ever been and I barely have to put on moisturizers!

Looking forward to hearding your feedback,
Genia

Genia from Madison and anyone else experiencing painful facial side effects!!

I have been oil pulling for a little over a month now. I have had the SAME reaction as you. My top left gum behind my back molar was under excruciating pain and my top right gum was also under pain (although not as much). I think that the oil pulling for some reason or another caused "trigger points" in the back of my top molars. I went to the bookstore and read everything I could about pressure points and inflammation and came across a book called the "Trigger point therapy workbook" by Clair Davies. The book is based off the studies of Dr. Travell and Dr. Simmons. It has proven to be extremely beneficial in relieving the facial pain. You basically massage the trigger points out. I'm not sure if the trigger points are what caused the pain in your mouth or not... but they definitely were in mine. Check out the book if you get the chance.

http://www.amazon.com/Trigger-Point-Therapy-Workbook-Self-Treatment/dp/1572243759/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1234021519&sr=8-1

Also, I think I am going to switch from Coconut Oil (although it is improving my skin dramatically).. to Sesame or Sunflower

That was not a trigger point.

If you are experiencing uncomfortable detox symptoms put 1 cup sea salt and 1 cup baking soda into a bathtub of warm water and soak for at least 30 minutes. This helps to pull out the toxins and alleviates major healing crisis symptoms.

I started Oil Pulling with extra virgin coconut oil and saw results the first time. I have had a sensitive tooth for years that has not responded to any other treatment. One OP and it was gone. About an hour after the first pulling my eyeballs started to ache. It got worse until I had to blow my nose and got a lot of egg yolk colored snot. The eye ache went away. My nose stops up every night when I lay down but not after oil pulling. I have also tried cold pressed sunflower and will try cold pressed sesame tomorrow.

Thanks for that graphic description!

Please advise when to use coconut oil for hair conditioner. Before shampooing, after while still wet, after dry? BTW, best moisturizer (face and body) ever used.
Also great for oil pulling (added 2-3 drops peppermint, tea tree or Idaho Balsam Fir essential oil) and taking internally. Day 3 and so far fantastic results.

LT from NC : Use two tablespoons of coconut oil on dry hair. Work the oil from the top to the bottom. If you have thin hair you may only need one tablespoon. My daughter has very thick hair so she wraps her hair in plastic wrap or a shower cap for an hour. Then you wash and condition as usual.

I use coconut oil about every other week for conditioning my hair. I put it on before shampooing until it's nice and greasy :) then I leave it on for at least 20 minutes though I prefer an hour. Then I wash and style normally. But for everyday use you can use just a small amount in your hands and kind of work it in but be careful not to use too much or you'll have a nice greaser look :)

Recently purchased Cold-Pressed Organic Virgin Coconut Oil after reading the wonderful things it might do for me on this website. I put a tblsp. in my oatmeal first a.m. and got down fine, but soon thereafter I could feel that it was making me jittery. I ate w/ cup of coffee. I think I need to try smaller amt. of CO and work my way up. But, in meantime I decided to give the Oil Pulling a go with the CO. I figured I could handle it better because of pleasant taste. Well, two days into the OP I am coughing up yellow phlegm and my sinuses are opening. I have had chronic sinus for years. I also felt the first day my arthritis worse in hands and knees, but I vow to keep doing OP with hopes of getting rid of the arthritis. My teeth already look and feel cleaner and shiny. I agree that ailments are first getting worse, but have faith that in sticking with the OP they will go away completely. I can't believe how fast OP started to loosen phlegm (for which I previously had to take Mucinex). I hate taking antibiotics and haven't for a long time--just self treated and suffered w/ sinus problems. Thanks for this site. Learning alot and plan to share info w/ friends & family. Also, love the way the Coconut Oil absorbs so quickly into skin and feels so soft. God bless all.

VERY thorough water rinsing permanently ended my terrible worse-before-better flare ups. Once I realized OP pulled years of concentrated toxins from ALL my health issues, if ANY of that was re-absorbed, recovery was stalled with a bad flare up. To stop the cycle of taking 2 steps backward to take 3 forward with OP, I rinsed more carefully. Cautiously, I also weaned into OP, for a week or 2 only toothbrushed with a dab of oil, rinsing well. Immediate whiter teeth, better health, no flare ups. Terrific health results encouraged my focus to work up to full OP process (not as disgusting as I thought it would be). All-over health gained, energy like a 20 year old, cleaner internal feeling and body function, more mobility and agility, vigour - all are from OP. My dental amalgam pain was horrible. Now being fixed. Read, http://www.holisticmed.com/dental/amalgam/.

Wow! I just read this cure [oil pulling] for the first time and decided to try it with my organic coconut oil. I still can't believe it but the chronic sensitivity I had in two of my teeth is gone! It's hard to tell which teeth were hurting! And my teeth feel different.

Many thanks to Lucille from Jersey City. I had sensitive gums and nerves for several months after having two dental procedures - removal of an impacted and decayed wisdom tooth -lower left,and placement of a crown on a molar above. I was very sensitive to cold especially but hot as well. Oil pulling with coconut oil just three times cured it 95%. It was hard to believe after it was so sensitive it virtually went away. I rarely feel anything anymore except with extreme temperatures and I see even that declining as the days go by.

Wow! I just read this cure for the first time and decided to try it with my organic coconut oil. I still can't believe it but the chronic sensitivity I had in two of my teeth is gone! It's hard to tell which teeth were hurting! And my teeth feel different.

I just wrote something but I didn't say which cure it was. So, the OP is fantastic, as I said. Cured my teeth pain immediately. I want to see how it handles my chronic, horrible candida.

I bought my C.O. at ___. However, go to the vitamin section, not the cooking section. It comes in a ___ plastic jar, and after you open it you can smell the coconut oil. Do not use the cooking oil type. It should look solid and be a true white color. It will melt upon touching to your skin. It is far cheaper at _____ then going to the natural health food store or buying it on line.

Why can't I use the kind from the cooking section? If it's extra virgin, unrefined, etc is that okay? What's the difference between the kind in the vitamin section and the cooking? L

Hi everyone, have been meaning to try oil pulling and finally started today. I have periodontal disease and broke a tooth recently about which I am terrified of going to the dentist - profit driven like medical - so I decided to try some self help. I am using coconut oil which I already use for cooking, face moisturiser etc. and I found it easy to do but accidentally spat it out in the shower about 10 minutes in. Even with this short time, I have noticed a difference in my mouth! Teeth feel cleaner, smoother, and my mouth is fresher. I heard its also good for chronic sinusitis which I have so we will see.

After doing the oil pulling, I brushed my teeth with borax and baking soda, and then rinsed with sea salt in water.

I plan to do it each day and get up to the required 20 minutes. What do I have to lose - this is a natural product.

Will post again in a couple of weeks to report on results.

Jenny

BETTER BUT WITH SIDE EFFECTS

Hello! I'm 24 years old female. I started coconut oil pulling about 4 days ago. At the beginning only 10 min in the morning whilst taking shower and didn't notice any particular changes. Last two days I have been doing it 20 min in the morning before breakfast and 20 min before bedtime. I had root canal done on two of my molar teeth 4 years ago. To start with I had infections and I couldn't get rid of them but than it just stopped and I was getting jaw pains every now and than.... yesterday my gums swell around the two teeth, my jaw pains are constant, I had sore throat. This morning I woke up with less swelling. Still feeling horrible. Also noticed that I stink of sweat and it was so intense I had to run to shower straight away. I feel so unwell. I smoke about 6 cigarettes a day. Today I could barely handle one. Feel like I have no carvings at all. Smoke makes me cringe. I am convinced that all toxins and bacteria is leaving my body and I feel very unwell. But happy at the same time and wont stop. I cannot believe I haven't fond this cure before.

Billie,

Great to hear of your success! I am interested in what you were taking for menstrual issues. Could you please be specific about the amounts of chasteberry (and any other herbs), serrapeptase, and ACV that you used? Thank you very much. Elsa

Elsa, I take two capsules of serrapeptase a day, as well as one capsule of blackstrap molasses for iron and two capsules of chasteberry. I only drink ACV and water throughout the day. I avoid soy, and I also try to avoid dairy unless it is organic. My periods have been consistent and now because of the oil pulling, light. I am very happy with the results.

My daughter and I started oil pulling about a week and a half ago. I have various health issues. Interstitial cystitis (aka painful bladder), heart disease, high BP and high cholesterol, allergies and arthritis, migraines. We use coconut oil to pull and I was hoping to feel better... Instead I have been really sick with the worst migraine ever and we both have this itchy rash. My daughter said she is stopping the oil pulling and I am wondering if I should do the same? My sinus did seem better, but now I have even more medicine to take (benedryl) because of the itching. Can you tell me what to do?

With as many health problems as you seem to have, you need to be careful about how to correct them. A therapy such as oil-pulling may be too much for you to start off with, causing multiple reactions in your body that your system just cannot handle at one time. I would suggest you segregate your health problems & try some therapies that are specific to each health problem, for now. For instance, for bladder problems, try remedies such as parsley(tincture, extract, herb), cranberry, cornsilk tea & nettles. For high blood pressure, take aged garlic extract or garlic capsules to regulate, beet extract to lower bp, arginine & niacin, etc. For cholesterol, take flax seed (& oil caps), lecithin capsules, fenugreek extract, a weeklong juice diet, etc. For allergies, try Quercetin, local honey & bee pollen, alfalfa tablets, etc. For arthritis, try eating cherries, no white sugar or flour products, cat's claw herb, topical DMSO, etc. Migraines are often one of the ways your body is telling you that it needs cleansing, but they can also be caused by cleansing too fast. As you correct each of your health problems, you may have reactions to the cleansings or healings in the form of migraines, skin rashes, intestinal problems, etc. Two things that can help remove toxins from the body are Chorella & EDTA. Chlorella is a green algae. Spirulina is another algae that is similar to Chlorella. EDTA is much stronger & requires some studying to use properly for detoxifying the body. So, don't rush into anything. EDTA will also help with heart disease.

Two weeeks ago I commenced using coconut oil for 'oil pulling' and I'm just wondering if the bodily symptoms experienced since are related. After the first two days I contracted gastro-enteritis for a week (so did my 7yr old daugter who is not 'oil pulling'), so I'm thinking that was just bad luck.

On recovery I noticed a sore gland on left side of throat, so I reccommenced Oil Pulling.

Next day I woke with a dull bruised feeling on my left side above the hip and below the bottom rib. As the day wore on it got worse (never sharp). Sore gland still aching. Had two panadol mid afternoon and late that night couldnt sleep or lay on my side because of the discomfort. Wondered about likely hernia. So I got up in the middle of the night and opened up 'Earthclinic' for some self diagnosis. The pain in my side seemed to be in the Gallbladder/ kidney vicinity so after taking 2 more panadol I blended up some apples and mixed a glass with 2 tblspoons of ACV..... Slept very well and woke without pain. Have had same tonic once more today as well as baking soda H20 drinks (2).

Tonight gland still sore and dull side discomfort still present.

What do you think?

Will get GP to check me out tomorrow. Plan to keep going with alkalizing.

P.S 44 yrold overweight cofee/chocolate/cheese/toast/meat eating male.

You may be allergic to coconut oil. Try with sunflower oil.