The comments below reflect the personal experiences and opinions of readers and do not represent medical advice or the views of this website. The information shared has not been evaluated by the FDA and is not intended to diagnose, treat, or prevent any disease or health condition. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional for medical concerns.
Broad Benefits
Posted by Diane (Philadelphia, PA) on 01/02/2007
★★★★★
I have been oil pulling two times a day for about a month now and notice a vast improvement in my gums. I have had 2 root canals and at my last dental visit, they wanted to do a 3rd root canal to correct the previous two. Needless to say, I had severe gum pain and an abscess that caused me excrutiating pain. My jaw would swell up to the size of chipmuck's. I was in constant pain. I started oil pulling with sunflower oil and notice that my pain had decreased in intensity by day 3. Within 7 days, I had no pain and my abscess was completely gone. I ran out of sunflower oil and am now using extra virgin coconut oil. My gums are a healthy pink--they are no longer receding. I had a loosened tooth that really needed to be pulled but the gums have tightened around the tooth and it is no longer loose. My skin feels softer and I'm no longer plagued with earaches. I tried oil pulling with Olive Oil but could not stand the taste. Once I finish up my coconut oil, I will go back to sunflower (it is a better tasting oil).
Dental Issues
Posted by John (Daly City, CA) on 12/12/2006
★★★★★
Today is Tuesday. Last Friday night and Saturday morning I had increasing pain at the root of tooth #12, upper behind canine tooth. It was getting worse. I found your web page and read about oil pulling with sesame or sunflower seed oil. Saturday morning I bought 8 ounces of sesame oil and started pulling 1 table spoon in the morning and 1 tablespoon at night. Same on Sunday, and Monday. The result was immediate. The first result cut the pain in half, the in half again, and now I can feel only a little discomfort at the root of the tooth. I do not know how this works, but am grateful that it does!
Dental Issues
Posted by Jackie (Sioux Falls, SD) on 11/27/2006
★★★★★
I have been oil pulling for about a month now. I was noticing signs that my gums were receeding. My gums have actually stopped receeding and my dentist told me that my gums have never looked healthier. I no longer have any bleeding of my gums when I brush my teeth. My teeth are noticabley whiter
Broad Benefits
Posted by Bev (USA) on 10/13/2006
★★★★★
I learned of Oil Pulling several months ago. Immediately my teeth became whiter. My mouth and teeth feel amazingly clean. My receding gums have started growing back and my teeth feel tighter or more secure. I have found switching back and fourth between different oils keeps my teeth their whitest. Sesame oil is my favorite. Olive oil gives the most dramatic results. I have also used Coconut oil. This is so easy and inexpensive! I plan to OP for life.
Eczema
Posted by Tricia (Astoria, NY) on 09/29/2006
★★★★★
I have been pulling since july 06 with sesame and safflower oils. I just love the sesame because it tastes like halvah to me. My skin on the top of my right foot was covered with eczema and it was itchy and inflamed constantly. It is still discoloured from all the abuse it received from me. The wonderful result though is the inflamation has subsided. I am noticing new skin growing back slowly. It is thrilling to know that this harmless protocol is helping this painful debilitating disease that orthodox meds cannot heal. Peace and Health to all.
Broad Benefits
Posted by Sue (New Zealand) on 09/25/2006
★★★★★
Wow! Have only done this twice so far. I only did it to help support my husband who has been suffering from recurring boil
s in his ears. I said I would do this if he would. I didn't actually have a major problem with my nose. An annoying drip at times and as there is a lot of pollen around at present it has been a little clogged but nothing serious or even annoying. This morning I had to spit the oil out & start again as there was so much mucus draining down the back of my throat from my nose I was almost sick from the tickling & not swallowing. After using the salt/soda water up the nostrils, my nose is much clearer. The mucus from one side was quite yellow. I can breathe easily and have no drip. My husband's boil burst of its own accord with less pain than previous boils. The worst experience he had was with one in his finger and one underchis arm at the same time. He had antibiotics. It took a long time to clear and he has had several in his ears since then so we have decided to give this a go & see if it clears the toxins out faster and with less pain. He also took turmeric in warm water and this relieved the pain almost immediately. I'll let you know if the boils disappear completely.
Insights and Theories
Posted by 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.
Broad Benefits
Posted by Patricia (Astoria, NY) on 08/02/2006
★★★★★
Oil pulling has stabilized my overeating, reduced the itching due to eczema. I have also released 5 pounds in 10 days. I started pulling in mid July during a power failure that lasted 9 days. I started with roasted sesame oil which I loved but switched to cold pressed after reading a lot of testimonials on curezone. I pulled in the morning on an empty stomach and my mouth would fill with saliva after 15 minutes. I have since started pulling after 2 pm and after 5minutes the saliva is flowing. I then spit it out and do the pulling for another 15 minutes. I feel energetic. I haven't noticed my teeth getting any whiter. My face has lost its puffiness. There are some pimples that broke out since I began but their time on my face is short lived. I will write an update when new healings come to light. Peace, Patricia
Dental Issues
Posted by Kitty (Clatskanie, OR) on 07/11/2006
★★★★★
We have a group of people doing this procedure on curezone.com
http://curezone.com/forums/f.asp?f=738
also www.oilpulling.com has info
There isn't a lot of information on it, in english anyway. It's excellent for dental health with results within days if not hours. It's truly amazing!!! One lady had 3 #9 pockets plus numerous 8, 7, 6 and 5s. After Oil Pulling for 5 minutes a day for two months, she went to the dentist with 2 #7 pockets at worst.
I've been doing it for a few months now. I had gone to the dentist because of problems with a couple deep pockets. He was going to send me to a periodontist for possle surgery. Then I found out about oil pulling. I had posted on the dental forum at curezone and someone mentioned the oil pulling. After a couple days of doing it my gums felt much better. Now after about 3 months my gums are so much better, my teeth are markedly whiter, my mouth feels clean and gums healthy. My cracked heels are almost cured as well (go figure that). I have less aches and pains. It used to be difficult climbing the stairs and getting up my feet would hurt, but I feel much better all around. It's a crazy thing to do but it's fantastic. It's so simple and inexpensive. I use refined expeller pressed (Hain brand) sunflower oil. I also started adding a few drops of oil of oregano, which has anti bacterial properties. Check us out at curezone! Kitty
Dental Issues
Posted by Lisa (Port of Spain, Trinidad)
★★★★★
I began oil pulling 3 weeks after I suddenly developed very horrible bad breath. I have no cavities, am not a smoker, dont drink alcohol, coffee and carbonated beverages and I'm a vegetarian. I used EVOO as i couldnt get Sesame or Sunflower oil. The oil pulling has done wonders for my gums and teeth, my gums are more pink and my teeth are now a lot whiter. A gap i had between 2 teeth has closed up and there is no 'gap' anymore. However the bad breath remains and it is driving me crazy as i have to interact with lots of people. I keep wondering if i should continue with the oil pulling: will the bad breath go away eventually or do i need to use other 'remedies' as well, am I suffering from the herx effect or is my body too acidic? Any suggestions are welcomed. Thanks.
Insights and Theories
Posted by Bess (Calgary, Alberta, Canada) on 06/13/2012
To Jack from Northport - What a lovely and true sentiment about the oneness of our world and how we all can help one another. You have a wonderful "gratitude attitude"! Cheers, Bess.
Insights and Theories
Posted by Oscar (Syracuse, New York) on 06/13/2012
Dear Bess, I surely do share your feelings of gratitude for this life saving and enhancing forum. Thank you EARTH CLINIC for all that you do for all of us....Oscar
Insights and Theories
Posted by Rosie Q (Santa Cruz Ca) on 12/30/2013
Jim from Syracuse- I have read somewhere that taking zinc helps with tinnitus although I have not had much experience using that personally. There is a great ear drop formula you can find in health food stores- grapeseed oil with a tiny bit of tea tree oil, it helped me a lot.
Side Effects
Posted by Stellams (Kuwait) on 01/03/2018
I have been oil pulling for a couple of years now but not sure it has made any significance to my overall health. However, I was just about to open a new bottle of sesame oil and decided it was time to research, ie to see if it was still worth while doing it!
It was then I not only discovered I was doing the wrong process - using the oil like a mouth wash, ie rinsing and spitting out straight away - but also read that one of the side effects was stomach pains and diarrhoea, something I have been suffering intermittently from for the last two years.
I have tried to put the stomach pain and uncontrollable diarrhoea down to a particular food, to no avail. Then I read the research on oil pulling, but if I wasn't doing it properly then would I have this digestion problem?
My question is this, if I give the oil pulling a rest, of say a week or two, then try doing the proper 15/20min version, would it work, ie would I feel the real benefits of oil pulling or wouldn't it make a difference, ie would I still suffer from digestive problems?
I would appreciate any opinions on this.
Stellams
Broad Benefits
Posted by Cherry (Fort Worth, US) on 03/18/2015
★★★★★BETTER BUT WITH SIDE EFFECTS
I have been oil pulling about 3 weeks. But, recently I had been itching none stop for the past 2 days. I was wondering is this part of the process because I do not want to stop oil pulling because the way my teeth now feel. Plague stopped building up on my teeth and they absolutely feel wonderful. They feel as if they have had cleaning and a polish. I hope that the itching will stop just as the sensitivity in my teeth and headaches subsided. If anybody can clear this up for me I would be grateful. I have recommended oil pulling to my family and they can see a difference in the color of my teeth.
Broad Benefits
Posted by Jamie (Singapore) on 07/14/2015
Did you mentioned what oil you were using and whether you have any allergy problem prior to the itching problem.
Broad Benefits
Posted by Lynde G (SA) on 05/23/2026
I do think the reaction you have is an allergy, probably due to the oil you are using.
I am sensitive to coconut oil ( very rare, but it happens) so use Castor oil.
Switch oils and see if it helps. Please let us know the result.
Insights and Theories
Posted by Suchitra (New York, US) on 12/01/2014
★★★★★
Oil Pulling is best if made into an everyday morning routine just as brushing. Start it with little oil for less duration to get used to it .. then gradually increase the oil amount to a full table spoon and duration to every morning. You may even want to do more often in a day, let's say 3 X 7 minutes each if you can't do for the full 20 minutes .. as this will help your body to start working the toxins.
Teeth and Gum Health
Posted by Bee (New York, US) on 09/14/2014
★★★★★
Hi Yuko... oil pulling
I have been oil pulling for almost a month now and have seen a significant difference in my teeth and gums... I can actually see the plague that came off of my teeth..My gums look better and I do believe toxins are coming out of my body as some days I have flu like symptoms and a rash... I love it because yes again I can see the plague off of my teeth.....and they are whiter..
I am using organic safflower oil
Oil Pulling During Pregnancy
Posted by Mama To Many (Tennessee, Usa) on 02/03/2014
Dear Alexa,
My understanding has been that you should avoid doing things during pregnancy that cause detox, as toxins released could get to the baby. Unfortunately, the same recommendation holds during breastfeeding, so you end up having a long time where it is not best to do things that detox the body. Of course, in some ways the body is always detoxing...elimination channels are taking out toxins and waste regularly; the idea is just that you don't want to do extra detoxing while you are pregnant or breastfeeding.
Now, midwives do sometimes recommend epsom salt baths (to stop pre-term contractions) and that can be detoxing. Perhaps it is milder. Though you wouldn't want to take a super-hot bath as it can raise the temperature of the baby.
If you are looking to do general detoxing, it would be best to wait. If you have a specific issue in your mouth you are dealing with, there may be some other things that would be better to try while pregnant.
~Mama to Many~
Loose Teeth
Posted by Billie (Washington State, Usa) on 09/16/2013
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.
Detoxification
Posted by Elle (America) on 04/01/2021 73 posts
★★★★★
As stated by Steve in Vegas, "sounds like you both are experiencing some detox symptoms"... In this case it's best to dial back and approach this gently. I would trial (*EVOO) pulling for 4 minutes and see how your body tolerates that for one week. When well tolerated proceed incrementally, adding 4 minutes each week g.e.n.t.l.y. Slowly increasing to 15-20 minutes. Additionally, I would also recommend adding 1-2 Activated Charcoal capsules with a full glass of clean water while you're body is detoxing. Charcoal is an excellent aid in assisting our bodies eliminate toxins and reduce the detoxing symptoms. It can cause constipation so be sure to drink extra water. The combo of reducing the pulling time while including the activated charcoal maybe necessary & supporting approach.
*EVOO - Many olive oils have been found to be badly adulterated now, mixed with other cheap, garbage, even rotten olives and non-olive oils. Problems plaguing the olive oil market has become a huge issue. I highly recommend knowing that your oil is pure. One that has been tested clean is found at Costco. Kirkland Signature organic extra-virgin olive oil is a very secure & reliable as pure.
Detoxification
Posted by Mmsg (Somewhere, Europe) on 08/14/2013
Val and TinyDancer: When starting oil-pulling you are using muscles that haven't been used in this way maybe ever. Altho we use our mouth muscles for eating and talking, oil-pulling is a whole new area. The tiredness and heart racing might possibly be the overuse of powerful muscles that haven't been conditioned to such movements. Jaw muscles are very powerful: witness people who can balance a heavy bench on their lower teeth!
For this reason I did not start the full 20 minutes as recommended. I barely made it to 3 minutes at first. Working up slowly, the muscles get stronger and can do more.
Oil Pulling Side Effects
Posted by Debra (Macon, Ga) on 08/06/2013
Thank you so much, I just discovered this site and oil pulling. I have used plain EVOO not organic is this okay?I have been doing OP for 2days. Yesterday before I started to do yoga I had a coughing fit and kept coughing up phelgm and it lasted for 15min. I kept spitting out lots of phelgm. I did my yoga at about 9pm.
That has never happened before, is it from the OP and by the way I stopped smoking on Friday. I thought about the connection... I drank half a shot glass in the morning, after I read about OP. This was mid-morning and today about noon. I thought about the coughing maybe it does have to do with the smoking.
Coconut Oil
Posted by Diverguy1979 (Lebanon, Indiana) on 01/12/2014
★★★★★
I'm 34 y/o male and have been using this site for seven years, it is truly my go to for all my ailments. I feel what you may be experiencing is a sick like condition from the oil pushing out toxins. I read about this affect on the hydrogen peroxide treatment page. I urge you to read up on this and then decided for yourself to push through or discontinue. I wish you luck in your research!
Broad Benefits
Posted by Mark (Newton Abbot, Devon Uk) on 05/14/2013
Hi Tbs from London, This most definitely sounds like your body is processing old accumulated waste and bacteria, fungus etc., stick with it. My wife (a long term health junkie! ) recently discovered (like you are now) that she was not quite as healthy as she hoped,
She recently started on an oxygen based product (oxy -----, Raise up! , not allowed to advertise here so search), after reaching the higher dose in around 2 weeks her symptoms of detoxing really kicked in.
My wife has not been ill or had a cold /flue or anything really for well over 10 years (hence she thought she was healthy) but after 2 weeks on the oxy product she came out in a red spotty rash on her face, sore chest/ throat , runny nose, sinus pressure/ draining, headache and odd aches and pains in various joints, anyhow these are all reported detox signs so to control the situation she reduces the dose by half and in 48 hours her symptoms have all faded to a manageable level, I am trying to get her to start oil pulling soon as well as we have a unopened bottle of sesame oil to use up soon,
I was thinking if you really want to give your body all you can to heal detox and repair itself you might want to search for and look into an oxygen/mineral type of product as well, If you want to look into it search Ed Mc cabe to read up on this aspect of health, this is the same reason so many people turn to and use hydrogen peroxide (oxygen) as written about all over this site, fortunately there are now far better alternatives available and without the gacky taste!
Side Effects
Posted by Cat (Austin, Tx) on 03/02/2013
I had this once when I used sunflower oil and when I switched to virgin coconut oil, I have not had this problem again. I will say, when I eat sunflower seeds, I get a rash around my mouth. I think perhaps that I may be allergic to sunflower seed and oil. If I were you, once my mouth healed, I would go with testing one oil at a time until I found one that did not cause blisters. Many recommend starting with sesame.
