The practice of rinsing the mouth with cold-pressed coconut oil (oil pulling), an Ayurvedic tradition often recommended in holistic dentistry, is based on a very clear “Lipid Scientific Theory.” The outer cell membranes of bacteria, fungi, and the toxins they secrete, which cause cavities and gum disease in the mouth, are entirely composed of fats (lipids). According to the chemical principle of “like dissolves like,” when coconut oil is taken into the mouth on an empty stomach in the morning and continuously swirled between the teeth for 15-20 minutes, the fat-based membranes of all these microorganisms in the mouth are attracted like a magnet to the lipid molecules of the coconut oil and trapped within the oil. When the oil is spat out, billions of toxic substances are mechanically removed from the mouth. Furthermore, the “lauric acid” in coconut oil nourishes the gums as a natural antimicrobial agent.
