How Does Oil Pulling Actually Work?

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How Does Oil Pulling Actually Work?
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Oral Swishing Oil - Oil Pulling Oil

Have you ever heard of Oil Pulling?

It’s an ancient Ayurvedic remedy that is a breath freshener and detoxifier in one. Oil pulling has many benefits for dental and oral health.

When I started Black Chicken Remedies back in 2000, it was a personal endeavour to reduce my toxic intake. I’d discovered that my lifestyle was literally inviting a party of toxins and nasty chemicals to come on in at free will and wreak havoc on my skin and body. I’d already cleaned up my diet and introduced organic food into my daily routine. But my allergies persisted and it wasn’t until my naturopath encouraged me to think outside the square that the penny dropped.

I began by taking a closer look at what I was putting on my skin, which led me to the creation of my first product, my Love Your Body Oil. From there I began exploring with more natural approaches to all aspects of health – including skincare, hair care, mindfulness and happiness.

What I didn’t know at the time was that I was embarking on a massive journey of self-health discovery and helping others to achieve better health and happiness too.

I’ll never stop exploring, learning and creating new (and re-creating old) remedies, and my latest discovery is testament to this. I’ve always wanted to create a healthier and more natural approach to mouth health. I’ve never trusted supermarket toothpaste and mouth wash products and I now know they are full of harmful chemicals.

Along the way, I’ve learnt why we really should put our money where our mouth is and invest in this valuable asset. Oral Swishing (or oil pulling) is a practice that naturally neutralises harmful bacteria and restores balance in the mouth. It's something I've introduced into my daily routine and my mouth has never felt so good!

Chey x

Why your mouth matters

Your mouth is home to trillions of bacteria that literally get first dibs at the food you eat. ‘Gut health’ has long been toted as the key to good health, but as I’ve discovered, mouth health can be just as important.

There’s a whole ecosystem happening in your mouth, and it’s not always happy days as some bacteria is less desirable and can cause all kinds of issues from bad breath through to tooth decay.

Your saliva contains many of these friendly and not-so-friendly mouth inmates, and each time we swallow, trillions of bacteria make their way down into your gut.

Now considering we produce between 1-2 litres of saliva each day, that’s a massive party of bacteria running around inside!

So how can we keep our mouth health in check?

As well as regular trips to the dentist and brushing our teeth at least twice a day (with natural ingredients of course) there are some ancient Ayuervedic remedies we can use to keep our mouth healthy and happy.

It's worth noting that tooth decay never existed until we introduced refined foods (which is code for processed foods and added sugar). Glancing at the history books tells us that our Western diet of refined grains and sweet treats has done nothing for living healthy, long lives.

I'm not here to provide dietary advice (well, at least not today!) but what I can tell you is that cleaning your mouth with natural ingredients which have antibacterial properties can greatly reduce the amount of nasties which reside in your mouth and end up in your gut and beyond.

Ayurveda is a holistic system of medicine, which evolved in India some 3000-5000 years ago. Ayurvedic wisdom is becoming more wide-spread and for good reason.

The Ancient Ayurvedic practice of swishing then expelling oil from the mouth has been used for thousands of years. It is known (and proven) to draw out oil-soluble toxins from your body.

Ayurveda is a holistic system of medicine, which evolved in India some 3000-5000 years ago. Ayurvedic wisdom is becoming more wide-spread and for good reason. It focuses on achieving balance in the mind and body through a holistic approach using diet, herbs, breathing and mindfulness. Anyone who is familiar with Black Chicken Remedies will know that this aligns perfectly with our philosophy.

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What’s in Oral Swishing Oil?

I wanted to come up with something that would not only clean my mouth and balance my mouth bacteria, but also something that would deliver nutrients to specifically build a healthy mouth microbiome (meaning a happy and healthy mouth). I also wanted to achieve long lasting fresh breath – well, who doesn’t want this?

The ingredients in our Oral Swishing Oil include organic oils – Coconut, Sesame, Hemp, Castor and Avocado – as well as Peppermint essential oil (for minty breath!) and Cardamom and Vitamin E for added nutrients.

The powerful combination of detoxifying ingredients in Oral Swishing Oil will stimulate the lymphatic system and immune systems, while Peppermint oil, as well as freshening breath, also helps to stimulate and soothe the digestive system.

But the hero ingredient is Myrrh!

If you are not familiar with the wonderful Myrrh, I call it a myrrh-icle oil!!!

It’s health and wellness benefits are extensive – it is used to soothe toothaches, gingivitis, and mouth ulcers, while also freshening breath.

Myrrh oil detoxes the mouth by stopping infection in its tracks and encouraging tissue repair. With the ability to expel mucus, it is also a huge help in calming the respiratory system.

Alongside this, it has relaxing affects on the mind and body, which are down to the chemical compounds that stimulate the pituitary gland. This is why it’s often used for meditative purposes.

When Myrrh is combined with other oils and natural ingredients, the result is a highly effective mouth cleanser and breath freshener – better than any mouth wash you would buy at the supermarket and much better for your health.

10 health benefits of using Oral Swishing Oil

There are so many health benefits of Oral Swishing Oil! Our formula has been specially designed to maximise health and wellness. Here are my top 10 reasons to start swishing:

1. Improves oral hygiene

Our Oral Swishing Oil is made with organic Coconut virgin oil. Coconut oil has many benefits when used for oil pulling. It is a natural antibacterial ingredient. Other ingredients we use, such as organic Sesame, are high in antioxidants which build a healthy mouth microbiome.

2. Reduces plaque and tooth decay

Organic oils such as Coconut and Castor oil can help reduce plaque build-up and avoid tooth decay.

3. Reduces the risk of cavities

Coconut oil actually helps to protect teeth, acting as a protective coating to reduce the risk of bacteria penetrating.

4. Eliminates bad breath

Perhaps this should be the number one reason since bad breath is an indicator of an unhealthy mouth. As well as having antibacterial properties, our Oral Swishing Oil contains ingredients to help neutralise bad odour, such as Peppermint oil and our hero ingredient, Myrrh, which will do your mouth wonders!

5. Improves tooth sensitivity

Your teeth can become stronger after regular oil swishing due to the improved mouth health, which allows the restoration of enamel to protect your teeth.

6. Helps with whitening teeth

Cardamom will naturally clean your teeth while organic Coconut oil and organic Castor oil will help whiten and brighten your teeth.

7. Detoxes the body, drawing toxins from the skin, blood and organs

This is mainly thanks to our hero ingredient, Myrrh, which naturally detoxes the mouth and assists the process of detoxing your body.

8. Boosts the lymphatic system, immune system and digestion

The powerful combination of detoxifying ingredients in Oral Swishing Oil will stimulate the lymphatic system and immune systems, while Peppermint oil, as well as freshening breath, also helps to stimulate and soothe the digestive system.

9. Increases energy levels and focus

Again, the addition of Myrrh helps to improve focus as it stimulates the pituitary gland which controls adrenals and thyroid. This can assist with balancing energy and finding focus.

10. Decreases inflammation and headaches

Coconut oil is a known anti-inflammatory and oil pulling helps the body to regulate chronic inflammation. Myrrh is known to reduce headaches due to its calming properties.

“There’s a whole ecosystem happaening in your mouth, and it’s not always happy days as some bacteria is less desirable and can cause all kinds of issues from bad breath through to tooth decay.

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What We Love About Oral Swishing Oil - Oil Pulling Oil:

Oral swishing (or coconut oil pulling) has been proven to draw out oil-soluble toxins from your body, acting as a natural mouthwash to neutralise harmful bacteria and restore balance in the mouth and gut, which is great news for your teeth and skin.

  • Whitens teeth
  • Our blend is formulated to have a pleasant taste and texture
  • Helps remove plaque, bacteria and freshens breath
  • Essential oils chosen for their anti viral and anti fungal properties

  • How to do oil pulling

    On an empty stomach and before brushing, place 1 tbsp of oil in the mouth, swish for up to 20 minutes then spit out into the toilet not the sink.

    Ingredients: A detoxifying blend containing essential oils of Cardamom, Peppermint and Myrrh in a blend of Coconut*, Sunflower*, Hemp*, Sesame*, Castor*, Avocado* and Vitamin E oils.

    *Certified organic ingredients

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