KachiGhaani.com
The best oil for oil pulling: what the tradition actually says
The short version. The classical Ayurvedic texts describe oil pulling — gandusha and kavala — with sesame oil, and among the sesame varieties they place krishna tila, black sesame, highest. Coconut oil is a modern substitution that became the global default in the last fifteen years or so. Both are used. Only one of them is the traditional answer. We describe the practice as tradition, and we make no claims about what it does.
Which oil is best for oil pulling?
By the tradition the practice comes from, black sesame oil. Classical Ayurvedic texts set out gandusha and kavala using tila taila, sesame oil, and rank krishna tila — the black seed — above the white and the brown. If you want to do the practice as it was actually described, cold pressed black sesame oil is the oil it was described with.
If you cannot get black sesame, white sesame is the same species and the same oil family, and remains far closer to the tradition than coconut. Choose an unrefined, cold pressed oil in every case: a deodorised oil has had its aroma processed out, and aroma is much of what makes ten minutes of swishing bearable.
Isn't coconut oil the oil for oil pulling?
It is the popular one, but it is not the traditional one. Coconut oil pulling spread through Western wellness writing from roughly the 2010s, largely because coconut oil was already the fashionable oil of that moment and its taste is easier for a newcomer. The classical texts that describe the practice name sesame. Neither fact is in dispute; they simply belong to different centuries.
There is nothing wrong with using coconut oil if you prefer the taste. It has one genuine practical drawback in an Indian winter or an air-conditioned room: it sets solid below about 24°C, so you will be waiting for a spoonful to melt in your mouth before you can begin. Sesame oil stays liquid at ordinary Indian room temperatures all year.
What is the difference between gandusha and kavala?
They are two related practices from the same section of the classical texts. In gandusha the mouth is filled completely with oil and held still, without moving it, until it is spat out. In kavala a smaller quantity is taken — roughly a comfortable mouthful — and moved around the mouth and between the teeth before spitting. Modern "oil pulling" corresponds to kavala.
Both appear in the dinacharya, the daily routine, described in works such as the Charaka Samhita, the Sushruta Samhita and the Ashtanga Hridayam, alongside tongue scraping and abhyanga self-massage. We share all of that as classical tradition, not as medical advice, and we make no claims about outcomes.
Can you use white sesame oil instead of black?
Yes. Both are tila taila, both are cold pressed from the same species, and both sit at about the same 177°C smoke point and 4–6 month shelf life. The classical preference for krishna tila is a preference within sesame, not a rule excluding white. In practice the difference you will notice is flavour: black sesame is darker, deeper and more assertively nutty; white is milder and toastier. The same two oils come up again the moment you start oiling hair rather than swishing — we have set sesame against the other champi favourite in coconut oil vs sesame oil for hair.
How do you do oil pulling with sesame oil?
Take about one tablespoon — roughly 10 to 15 ml — of cold pressed sesame oil in the morning, before eating or drinking anything and before brushing. Swish it gently around the mouth and between the teeth for 10 to 15 minutes. Spit it into a bin, rinse the mouth with warm water, then brush as normal.
- Start shorter. Five minutes on the first few mornings is plenty while your jaw gets used to it. Build up to ten or fifteen.
- Gently. Vigorous swishing tires the jaw within a minute or two and there is no reason for it.
- Do not swallow. The oil is spat out at the end, every time.
- Not into the sink. Oil sets in drains, and coconut oil sets solid. Use a bin.
- Then brush. Oil pulling sits alongside brushing and your dentist, not in place of either.
Is there anyone who should not do it?
Young children who cannot reliably spit rather than swallow should not be given oil to hold in the mouth. If you have a sesame allergy, do not use sesame oil. If swishing is uncomfortable, or anything in your mouth feels wrong during or after, stop and speak to your dentist. This is a traditional practice, not a substitute for dental care or for medical advice.
Black sesame vs white sesame vs coconut for oil pulling
| Black sesame (krishna tila) | White sesame (tila) | Coconut | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Named in the classical texts for gandusha and kavala | Yes — ranked highest | Yes | No |
| Origin of its popularity | Classical Ayurvedic practice | Classical Ayurvedic practice | Western wellness writing, roughly 2010s |
| State at 20°C | Liquid | Liquid | Solid below about 24°C |
| Flavour | Deep, dark, strongly nutty | Warm, toasted, milder | Sweet, coconut |
| Ease for a first-timer | Strong — takes a few days | Moderate | Easiest |
| Typical quantity | 10–15 ml | 10–15 ml | 10–15 ml |
| Typical duration | 10–15 minutes | 10–15 minutes | 10–15 minutes |
| Smoke point if you also cook with it | About 177°C | About 177°C | About 177°C |
| Shelf life | 4–6 months | 4–6 months | 4–6 months |
| Also traditionally used for | Abhyanga massage, cooking, tadka | Abhyanga massage, tadka, pickling | Champi, coastal cooking |
The verdict
If you want to do oil pulling as the tradition describes it, use cold pressed black sesame oil. White sesame is the close second and the same oil family. Coconut is the modern default and perfectly usable if you prefer the taste — just be ready for it to be solid on a cold morning. Whichever you choose, use an unrefined oil, spit it into a bin, and brush afterwards.
- Most traditional: black sesame — krishna tila.
- Milder and still traditional: white sesame.
- Easiest to start with: coconut, weather permitting.
- Avoid: refined and deodorised oils, and toasted Chinese-style sesame oil, which is a roasted cooking condiment rather than a cold pressed oil.
Ours is pressed on a wooden ghaani, settled for two to three days and bottled unfiltered, unrefined and undeodorised at our USFDA-registered press house in Ahmedabad, under FSSAI licence 10724999001232.
Start with Truly Cold Pressed Black Sesame Oil — the traditional choice. If you would rather begin milder, Truly Cold Pressed White Sesame Oil; and if you prefer the coconut route, Truly Cold Pressed Coconut Oil.