Oil Pulling

Lauric acid in coconut oil is the most effective saturated fatty acid at killing oral pathogens

Coconut oil is the richest known source of lauric acid, which makes up nearly 50% of its composition. Both lauric acid and its metabolite monolaurin kill harmful bacteria, fungi, and viruses. It is particularly effective against Streptococcus mutans, a leading cause of tooth decay.

"Lauric acid is a medium-chain fatty acid that makes up almost 50% of coconut oil. In fact, this oil is the richest source of lauric acid known to human beings. Your body breaks lauric acid down into a compound called monolaurin. Both lauric acid and monolaurin can kill harmful bacteria, fungi, and viruses in the body."

Coconut oil pulling reduced plaque by 68% and gingivitis by 56% in 30 days

A study of 60 participants with plaque-induced gum disease found that coconut oil pulling significantly decreased both plaque and gingivitis. Plaque reduction was noticeable after just 7 days, and by day 30, plaque scores dropped 68% and gingivitis scores dropped 56%.

"After 30 days, the average plaque score decreased by 68% and the average gingivitis score decreased by 56%. This is a major decrease in both plaque and gum inflammation."

How to oil pull — tablespoon of coconut oil, swish 15-20 minutes, spit and brush

The episode walks through the oil pulling protocol step by step: put a tablespoon of coconut oil in your mouth, swish for 15-20 minutes pushing it between teeth, spit into trash to avoid clogging pipes, then brush teeth. Best done first thing in the morning before eating or drinking.

"The fatty acids in the oil attract and trap bacteria, so each time you oil pull, you're potentially removing harmful bacteria and plaque from your mouth. Oh, and it's best to do this right away in the morning before you or drink anything."

Oil pulling originates from the Charaka Samhita — but the ancient version used ghee, not coconut oil

Sydney McElroy reads from the original Ayurvedic text, which describes oil gargling with ghee to strengthen jaws and voice, prevent dryness of throat and tooth cavities, and make teeth firm-rooted. The practice was part of a broader daily hygiene routine including tooth brushing and tongue scraping.

"Oil gargle. It provides strength in jaws and voice, development of face, maximum taste and relish in food. One does not suffer from dryness of throat, lip cracking, tooth cavities, pain in teeth, oversensitivity of teeth on taking sour taste."

Studies show oil pulling reduces bacteria, but research quality is poor — small samples and biased authors

Sydney reviews the scientific literature and finds some studies showing reduced bacterial colony counts after oil pulling, but notes major limitations including very small sample sizes of 10-20 people, studies only on adolescents with poor baseline hygiene, and strong researcher bias in favor of oil pulling.

"A lot of the studies that I looked at are very small, have an end of like 10 or 20, so 10 or 20 people that were checking. So 10 people used oil pulling, 10 people use mouthwash, what's the difference. That's tough to be statistically significant and really see differences at that level, that's really hard."

Bottom line — probably a decent mouthwash alternative if you already brush and floss

Sydney's takeaway is that oil pulling is probably better than nothing and could serve as a natural mouthwash alternative, but adding it to an already good brushing and flossing routine likely adds nothing. She finds no evidence for systemic health claims and notes a small risk of lipoid pneumonia from aspirating oil during long swishing sessions.

"And they're written that way. I mean, you can there's a lot of subjective, you know, information in them. There's a lot of we don't write flowery in science. We don't say things like now this is proven to be a viable alternative to chemicals and things like that i mean we don't use that kind of that's the kind of thing you see in commercials so if you're reading that in a study i'd raise an eyebrow it does sound like though that like if you maybe were somebody who are who's already brushing and flossing and didn't like like the super stringent or astringent uh mouthwashes that are that are that do feel very chemically uh that this is a pretty decent natural alternative i think that that's a fair thing to say. A lot of people have have made the point at the end of all of you know kind of their synthesis of the data that I have done I would arrive at the same conclusion which is that it's probably better than nothing and if you're already blush brushing and flossing it probably can't hurt. You know if you want to add it to your routine or replace your mouth washing routine. I don't know a lot of people who are that good that they brush floss and use mouthwash every day. So if you're already at that level, I don't think replacing it with oil is going to hurt you. No, your game is already elevated. Don't let us sit here and tell you how to clean your mouth because you are a professional. Exactly. But I will say this. all those other claims, you know, HIV and PMS and heart disease and all that crap that they say that it's going to fix. I didn't find anything to support that. There's a lot of theorizing in these studies that, hey, if we reduce the bacteria in your mouth, it restores your oral health and that this is part of your whole healthy balance. And so holistically, it's going to affect the rest of your body. So everything else gets better."

Oil pulling with castor oil 3 times per week — more effective than toothpaste at removing bacteria

Chalene Johnson describes her oil pulling practice using castor oil about three times per week, swishing for one to five minutes. She notes the research shows oil pulling is more effective than toothpaste at removing bacteria and helps with gingivitis, though she still brushes afterward for the minty clean feeling.

"Oil pulling is basically you're just putting castor oil in your mouth and swishing it back and forth for anywhere from one to five minutes."

Oil pulling breaks down plaque and bacteria that enter your bloodstream through the gums

Dr. Cabral explains that while oil pulling may not pull toxins from the bloodstream as commonly claimed, it does break down plaque and bacteria in the mouth. These substances can enter the bloodstream through gum capillaries and contribute to heart disease.

"Your bloodstream, your capillaries are right there in all of your gums, in your teeth. And any bacteria, any plaque can actually be absorbed right into your bloodstream. And that's why it said flossing every day, removing plaque, making sure there's no buildup of tartar and plaque in the mouth, on the teeth, has led to less issues of heart disease."

Why sesame oil beats coconut oil — the Ayurvedic tradition chose it for a reason

Cabral explains that traditional Ayurvedic medicine uses sesame oil rather than coconut oil for oil pulling, despite coconut being abundant in southern India where Ayurveda originated. Sesame oil contains copper and has strong antimicrobial properties as a polyunsaturated fatty acid.

"They don't use coconut oil. And coconut oil is what's talked about so much today in modern day oil pulling. They use sesame oil. And that's because sesame oil is incredibly antimicrobial. It works fantastically well as a polyunsaturated fatty acid. It does not clog the pores. It is not a saturated fat. It contains copper, which again is antimicrobial. Sesame oil is what I recommend."

Simple protocol — swish sesame oil for 10-20 minutes and spit into the trash

Cabral summarizes the oil pulling protocol: use a couple teaspoons of sesame oil, swish vigorously for 10 to 20 minutes, spit into the trash, rinse with water, and then brush teeth if desired. He emphasizes it is a simple, safe practice with no downsides.

"Simple, use a couple teaspoons of oil, ideally sesame oil to start with. Swish it around vigorously in your mouth. After about 10 minutes to 20 minutes, do spit it out into the trash barrel, swish other water around in your mouth, and then you can be on your way."

Oral bacteria enter bloodstream and raise interleukin-12, driving heart disease and dementia

Dr. Jockers explains how Streptococcus mutans multiplies in the mouth and secretes toxins into the bloodstream, elevating inflammatory cytokine interleukin-12 that damages blood vessel linings and is correlated with heart disease, stroke, and dementia.

"One of the major oral bacteria is Streptococcus mutans, which when left unchecked will multiply in the mouth and secrete toxins into the body's bloodstream. These toxins increase the inflammatory associated cytokine innerleukin-12, which is a strong contributor to the development of chronic disease."

Oil pulling reaches deep pockets and root canals that brushing and flossing cannot

Oil pulling binds and traps microorganisms in areas around root canals and deep tooth pockets that are inaccessible to brushing and flossing. Jockers recommends half a teaspoon of coconut oil with one optional drop of antimicrobial essential oil, swished gently for 10-15 minutes.

"Root canals are a constant breeding ground for bacteria as they're essentially dead tissue that bacteria consistently feed upon. You can't brush or floss enough to get the infections out of the root canal, but 10 minutes of oil pulling, one or two times a day, can be extremely effective at minimizing infectious bacteria and their toxins in the root canal."