So you’ve heard of oil-pulling, but you probably did not know that there can be 2 distinct categories of oil pulling products, with different effects, based on the contents of your gandush mixture? Did you know that your gandush formula can be either water-soluble or lipid-soluble? What does this mean?

• Kashaya gandusha - kashaya means herbal decoction  
• Sneha gandusha  - sneha means oil

Most, if not all, oil-pulling products use primarily lipid-soluble ingredients. This means that only toxins that are absorbed in and through the fat medium are addressed and eliminated. In SVADANTA, with the expert SVA approach, we use both water-soluble and lipid-soluble ingredients in the gandush formulas, to provide a total, tridoshic and holistic approach to oral care. 

Through SVA we study that the fat tissue holds endogenous (amavisha) as well as numerous types of exogenous toxins (garvisha) entering the body through the food we eat, the air we breathe, and personal care materials applied on the skin.  Whether from heavy metals, pesticides, home cleaning chemicals, etc. these lipid-based toxins gradually accumulate and lodge in the oral cavity.  Sneha Gandush gives use a powerful way to address and handle the lipid-soluble toxins in the oral region with oils that draw them out and bind them for safe removal. 

Vaidya Mishra’ new Sneh Gandush formula (based on the ingredients and methods of Carak’s original formula) accomplishes lipid oral detox with a mixture of sesame and coconut oils into which different ingredients have been synergistically infused to address the different needs of the oral cavity.   This tridoshic gandush oil is good for all body types, even though vata dosha gets primarily pacified by it. 

When you are shopping for the best oral oil-pulling product, you must keep in mind the rancidity factor. To make a bottle of gandush oil, in general, herbs are cooked in a sesame oil base; this has many problems. Cooking the herbs thus gives the mixture a bad flavor; and 2) this will initiate the aging process such that the final product can actually go rancid in as little as ten days.  

If it so happens that your sneh gandush product is rancid, every time you rinse your mouth, you will absorb oxidized free radical molecules into your system. We all know what that does to us! 

Vaidya Mishra’s process of making gandush oil, inherited from his ancestors, uses a secret pranic preservation method that stops all oxidization and adds a slightly sweet, pleasant flavor.  In addition, Vaidya adds fractionated coconut oil, clove leaf, camphor leaf, and sweet orange to his formula.   This stops free-radical formation and makes the oil very palatable. 

Directions: 

Do this mornings upon waking up (and before or after brushing - optional), and nighttime before bed and after brushing:

1) Brush and floss teeth

2) Rinse mouth well with cool water

3) Spray Mukh Shudhi (your choice of flavors) 

4) Swish Sneha Gandusha Oil in Mouth.  Use approximately 2 TBSP.  Swish 3 – 5 minutes. Spit the oil out after 5 minutes.  You want to have mouth full – but not too full of a mouth.  Leave room to comfortably hold and swish the oil.  (Unlike plain oils, this herbal formula quickly pulls toxins).  Do not exceed 5 minutes or you may reabsorb toxins.  You can, if you want, repeat the process again but with fresh oil. Do not keep swishing for more than 5 minutes with the same oil, and definitely not for 20 minutes! 

5) In the morning, you may lightly rinse your mouth afterwards.  At night, do not rinse your mouth.  This allows the oil to bind and evacuate more toxins overnight, further nourishing and protecting the oral cavity.  

Ingredient-wise action: 

Sesame oil:  Sesame oil is used as medium to pull out lipid-soluble fractions of the herbs. Sesame oil also has the pharmacodynamic properties to absorb the prabhavas (ultimate effects) of the herbs without altering them.  It has as a high smoke point (tolerance of heat) around 400 F.  This gives higher boiling temperature to pull out lipid-soluble fraction of herbs and spices.  Finally, because sesame is agneya (more agni) it works as yogavahi (activates and carries  the properties of the herbs into the tissues). 

Fractionated coconut oil:  Sesame is agneya and lot of agneya herbs and spices are in the formula (konkol, clove, camphor leaf.)   Sesame alone may be a little heating for overall Western mucosa and for pitta or pitta/vata types, who won’t be able to handle the sesame oil unless it is mixed in with coconut oil, which balances sesame and the heating herbs. Coconut oil on its own can clog the channels because of its ‘condensing’ molecules.   Fractionated coconut oil however does not clog the channels, as it contains only the medium chain triglycerides.  

Nutmeg:  Very good to nourish gums and pull out toxins from them.   Also has shamaka (pacifying) effect on the nerves.  Calms down prana vata and the mind.  

Kutki:  Very bitter used alone.  Works very well with the combination of all the yogavahis in the formula.  The yogavahis allow kutki to quickly penetrates beyond gums (even going to jaw and roots of teeth) to pull out amavisha and garvisha from deep tissues.

Kankol:   A smoother but more powerful yogavahi, helping deliver effects of kutki faster.  Also gives nice aroma.  

Clove:  Traditionally in almost all countries in the world for toothache.  Whole clove is used for extract.  Opens the channels; burns ama in oral mucosa; gives nice fragrance. Initially warm but ultimately cool in its effect. Pacifies pitta.  

Green cardamom:  Adds wonderful fragrance.  According to Ayurveda, the seeds help burn ama of the protein molecules.  The cardamom skin binds ama of protein molecules.  

Triphala:  Supports the overall formula to keep pH of oral mucosa neutral.  Triphala is neutral (little pro alkaline).  Unique property of pulling out toxins (shodhana.)  Due to amla and bibhitaki, it also acts has a rasayana that nourishes and firms the gums.  Best rasayana for the mouth.

Clove leaf oil:  Cooler than clove and adds even more value of clove.  

Camphor leaf: Camphor itself is very aromatic and penetrating; so it may burn oral mucosa.  Camphor leaf will not do so.  Opens channels of oral mucosa and the brain, acting as a refreshing yogavahi.  

Sweet Orange:  Adds pleasant orange flavor and neutralizes bitter tastes of herbal ingredients.  Very nurturing.