Kavala - Oil Pulling Therapy for Oral hygiene

Ayurvedic medicine is not only the most ancient traditional system but it also gives various therapies, regimes for the betterment of health and longevity of life, in that treasure, there is one therapy i.e Kavala that we understand as Oil pulling therapy. 
Kavala is simple, cheap, and easy to practice therapy. 
In this blog, I aim to give a brief description of Kavala - Oil pulling therapy and how we can use and adapt this therapy as a daily regime in our life. 

What is Kavala?

It is a simple procedure of holding oil, decoction, or any liquid in the mouth followed by squishing for a certain period of time. It is mentioned as a part of Dinacharya( daily regimes) in all the classical texts of Ayurveda. It is the best-suited therapy recommended in Ayurveda for oral hygiene. With regular practice of Kavala problems related to mouth like dental hypersensitivity, bleeding from gums, tastelessness, etc are prevented. 

How Kavala actually works?

It has both local as well as systemic effects on the body. With its local effect it helps in treating and preventing oral disorders and with the systematic effect, it can help in promoting health and increases the quality of life. 

Ayurvedic principle of pharmacokinetics states that the drug used in Kavala can exhibit their local effects within the buccal cavity by coating in the mouth, mixing with saliva, and the drug having inherent qualities gets absorbed from the mouth and then gets administered throughout the body. The mucous membrane of the buccal cavity is one of the local routes of drug administration. 

What are the benefits of Kavala?

Here are some of the benefits of Kavala, It is a regular practice regime, and the effects are shown after daily practice. 

• Elimination of impurities from the mouth
• Relief in bleeding gums
• Visible whitening of teeth
• Controls salivary secretion 
• Prevents and cures dryness of mouth
• Corrects the tastelessness in the mouth
• Nourishes the mouth
• By regular practice of Kavala, lips never develop cracks
• Improves the stability of the teeth and gums 
• prevents dental carries
• Good for oral hygiene
• Reduces dental hypersensitivity 

How to practice Kavala?

It is a simple yet easy to do it yourself therapy, there is no right or wrong way of doing Kavala, 

But there are some steps and things to remember while doing Kavala. 

Kavala is summarised as 3S- 

1. Sip- Take 1 tablespoon of oil like coconut oil, sesame oil, or olive oil and sip it. 
2. Swish- Then start moving the oil slowly in the mouth as rinsing or swishing thoroughly in your mouth.
3. Spit- After considerable time spit out the oil and rinse your mouth with warm water. 

What to remember during Kavala? 

There are some points you should remember while Kavala for best results like-

• It should be practice first thing in the morning on empty stomach.
• Avoid drinking water or eating anything before Kavala. 
• Doesn't squish too vigorously.
• Relax your muscles.
• Use your tongue to help move the liquid more comfortably. 
• Should stop Kavala if feel uncomfortable.
• Should stop doing it if feel any allergic reactions because of oil. 

Kavala is a therapy good for oral health and prevents and protects the mouth with various oral disorders if practiced daily. As it can be a bit unpleasant at first but when you become used to it, it is not bothersome and become a habit just like brushing off the teeth. 

Some tips- 

For frequent ulcers- Kavala with honey should also be used. 

For regular dryness - Kavala with ghee should be used.