Can oil pulling improve vitiligo?

Last Updated on 21st January 2020 by Caroline Haye

Old wives’ tale or valuable autoimmune therapy?

Can oil pulling improve vitiligo? Or anything else for that matter? Or is this just a fad? These are questions I have been pondering for the past few weeks and, frankly, I still don’t have the answers. But I’d like to share my thoughts so far with you. And I would love to hear from anyone with their own stories to tell on the subject.

First (in case you have somehow managed to miss the buzz created in the media by “#oil-pulling”) I should start by explaining that it is a very old folk remedy. One that often crops up in Ayurvedic medicine for a variety of ailments and latterly popularised by Hollywood stars… Notably Gwyneth Paltrow, for its teeth-whitening action. In short, it is both a modern health fad and a natural therapy with centuries of anecdotal success behind it.

But what is it exactly? It is the simple, if rather bizarre-sounding, practice of swishing a spoonful of good quality plant oil around the mouth for about 20 minutes. (Usually cold-pressed, organic sesame, sunflower or coconut oils) Apparently, you must do this on an empty stomach and without swallowing. Then you spit out the residue before rinsing with salted water.

The cleansing properties of the oil and the action of swilling and “pulling” it around the mouth and between the teeth are said to draw out germs and toxins. This leaves the mouth, breath and teeth so clean that even some dentists are beginning to recommend the process… if not as a substitute for, then at least as part of a good oral hygiene routine.

Additional claims are that regular oil pulling benefits the whole internal system too… Improving digestion, elimination, immune function and glandular health, to name a few. It is these claims that particularly interested me in my ongoing search to find and make available any and all therapies that might possibly help support recovery from vitiligo. But that is not to say that the promise of smoother, whiter teeth and healthier gums wouldn’t be a welcome bonus too 🙂

So, in line with my “tried and tested by The Vit Pro” philosophy, I have been trying coconut oil pulling for myself over the past few weeks. I wanted to see what difference, if any, it would make to my general (and oral) health. I chose #coconut-oil for two reasons. The first is that coconut oil is rich in lauric acid, which has antiviral, antibacterial and anti-fungal properties. So it is likely to be better than other oils at combating candida, which can be a persistent problem for anyone with a malfunctioning digestive system. The second reason is that I am already a fan of the many and varied uses and health benefits of good quality coconut oil. Added to which, I am always happy if I can make one product work hard for me instead of having to buy umpteen different ones.

What I found

​In a moment I will come onto whether or not there is a sound scientific basis for oil pulling. (A question that, for some reason, seems to have prompted more than a few grumpy, if not downright vitriolic, exchanges on various health forums.) But first, I will share what I have noticed, so far… After about 3 weeks of oil pulling (skipping the odd day here and there for good behaviour):

• My teeth are definitely smoother and a shade whiter
• My mouth feels exceptionally clean and fresh after each session
• I have less plaque on my teeth

​So, I would have to put a tick in the “improved oral hygiene” box. But what about any wider health benefits?
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• My sinuses (a chronic problem for me) are definitely clearer.
• I have had a significant reduction of mucous and allergic rhinitis symptoms. (Despite this being the worst time of year for me, due to the damp weather and abundant leaf mould.)
• There has been a reduction in dry lips (again, despite this being a prime time for this).
• My perception is that I have also been a bit more energetic and alert. (Although this is very subjective and quite hard to measure.)

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​Did I notice any side effects?

• For the first few days I did find the sensation of putting solid coconut oil into my mouth and biting through it until it melted mildly unpleasant. But I soon became accustomed to it.
• After about a week I had several days of furry tongue and some spots on face and itchiness on body. Rightly or wrongly, I took these symptoms to be a sign of toxins clearing. In any case, they passed quickly and did not return.

I have not noticed any other adverse reactions. My only slight concern is that some advocates of oil pulling warn against it if you have amalgam fillings. This is due to the supposed risk of mercury leeching into your body. I do have several of these fillings myself (replacing them with non-amalgam alternatives is on my wish list). But I have certainly not suffered any symptoms of mercury poisoning since starting my oil pulling experiment but data on just how real a risk this poses is thin on the ground…Which brings me to the next point…

​Is oil pulling just an Old Wives’ Tale?

I am tending to think not. (And, by the way, you have to ask yourself how come those Old Wives got to be that old. I suspect the folk remedies themselves just might have something to do with it!)  

Feelings on the scientific credibility of oil pulling seem to run exceptionally high. One website I came across absolutely hammers the concept and labels it “leg pulling” rather than oil pulling… Citing the fact that research results supporting the therapy are few in number and don’t match up to standard drug company protocols. But, for every scathing opinion like that one there are scores of positive testimonials. And these come from people who, in most cases, probably don’t care who has the strongest argument for or against: they just want to feel better or look better… And, after oil pulling, they do.

I am not recommending jumping onto every passing health fad band wagon – especially not without asking some common sense questions first. But I think it makes sense to question, just as carefully, the opinions of those who seek to debunk every claim made by the natural therapy community. Such critics sometimes hide their true motives behind an uber-rational and unnecessarily judgemental attitude… And behind “if-it-hasn’t-been-double-blind-tested-it-can’t-be-effective” arguments that seek to dismiss everything that isn’t controlled by the drug companies or marketed at great expense to the patient.

It occurs to me that if I had relied on the kind of testing and research that the anti-holistic medicine critics would have us demand from every natural remedy ever discovered I would never have recovered my skin colour. I would never even have tried the supplements that enabled me to reverse my vitiligo. So my default stance is to be open-minded about folk remedies. Personally, I prefer not to dismiss thousands of anecdotal successes over hundreds of years as worthless simply because they did not take place in a modern-day laboratory.
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My verdict

So, does oil pulling definitely do what its devotees say it does? And is there a sound scientific basis for it? I don’t know for sure. There is certainly a lot of anecdotal evidence. (Which, after all, is to medicine what eyewitness testimony is to the legal process.) And there is also some published research to back it up.

The lack of thorough clinical research does not really concern me because this has less to do with the efficacy of the therapy than with the fact that there is no profit motive for any drug company to pay for clinical trials on substances that everyone has in their kitchen cabinet.

My own experience so far has put me firmly in the supporters camp as regards the benefits to oral and sinus health. Whether better digestion and further improvements to my pigmentation will follow remains to be seen. Because these would, I am sure, take longer than just three weeks.

With the exception of anyone who might be worried about their amalgam fillings, my opinion is that oil pulling is an easy, inexpensive and safe way of cleansing the mouth. And possibly a way of detoxing the body on an ongoing basis.

If you suspect that, like mine, your vitiligo is linked to poor digestion and leaky gut (which can lead to a build-up of toxins in the body, triggering a host of chronic conditions) then you will be as interested as I am in anything that could help as part of a wider vitiligo protocol.

​Finally, I would love to hear from anyone who has been oil pulling for an extended period of time. Especially if you have any results or observations you would be happy to share. As ever, you can contact me via the contact form on this site or via my social media channels.