If your 2021 new year’s resolution was to look after your health and wellbeing a little more, this is a simple way to care for your mouth, digestive tract, and essentially your entire body! Especially for those who identify as ‘Pitta’ types, these oil pulling pops are a daily self-care tool that can help you feel cooler and more balanced. To find out your Dosha type, click HERE.
Oil pulling is an ancient technique that remains highly relevant and effective today. Before the invention of plastic toothbrushes, cleaning the mouth was a longer (and possibly more effective) process of using oils, herbal sticks, and medicated mouth washes. Today, oil pulling has become a popular practice amongst those studying holistic health practices, with the most commonly used oil being coconut. Oil pulling can be effective for preventing tooth decay, cleansing the digestive tract and sinuses, more deeply cleaning the mouth, strengthening the gums and teeth and providing a gentle daily detox. Although swishing coconut oil around the mouth is indeed beneficial, there are actually many different oils and techniques that can be utilised depending upon each person’s unique needs, the season, their age, and any imbalances they may currently be experiencing.
The classical Ayurvedic text Charaka Samhita describes the benefits of oil pulling:
“It is beneficial for strength of jaws, depth of voice, flabbiness of face, improving gustatory sensation and good taste for food. One used to this practice never gets dryness of throat, nor do his lips ever get cracked; his teeth will never be carious and will be deep rooted; he will not have any toothache nor will his teeth set on edge by sour intake; his teeth can chew even the hardest eatables.”
– Charaka Samhita Ch V. 78 to 80.
To help more people benefit from ancient Ayurvedic wisdom, I love coming up with ways to make these practices more accessible and easier to do. This recipe creates small pieces of coconut oil you can simply ‘pop’ into your mouth, making the practice very convenient and something that slips seamlessly into your morning routine when you have time. Coconut oil is considered the most appropriate oil to use for Pitta types, any Pitta imbalances (such as mouth ulcers, acid reflux, or excessive heat in the body, and during Summer). To practice, simply pop one of the coconut oil pieces into your mouth, and ‘swish’ it around. The coconut oil will melt, so you can continue swishing for anything from 5 to 20 minutes. Spit the used oil into the bin, and clean your teeth afterwards.
INGREDIENTS
(makes roughly 10 tbsp size pieces, depending upon the size of your moulds or ice cube tray)
- 1⁄4 cup melted coconut oil
- OPTIONAL: 2 drops edible, therapeutic-grade peppermint essential oil
METHOD
- Gently melt the coconut oil, and pour into your moulds (you could use an ice cube tray, or mouldsyou may use for making small chocolates with)
- Add the essential oils if using. These must be edible, high-grade oils if you’re going to put them inyour mouth, otherwise the oil is more than beneficial enough without them.
- Place in the fridge and leave to set for 2 hours or overnight
- Once set, transfer the coconut oil pieces to a jar and keep in the bathroom. Store in the fridgeduring hot months, as the oil will melt as temperatures rise.
Enjoy! Use daily or when you notice an increase of physical or emotional ‘heat’ or irritability.
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