Oil pulling - properties of oils

September 21, 2008

Hi Jane

There really is no comparison between colloidal silver and oils…

colloidal silver is an ant-microbial and oils are so much more… Here

are some attributes of different oils I hope this is helpful…

OILS

Oils are derived from nuts, seeds, beans or other oily

vegetables. There are also animal fats like butter from milk, or fats

from the animal tissue itself.

Oils are sweet or bland in taste, slightly warm in energy and

sweet in post-digestive effect. They decrease Vata but increase Pitta

and Kapha. Their heating property is increased by cooking with them,

particularly frying. They are not so much a food as an adjunct to

cooking or flavoring. They are necessary for maintaining our fat

tissue, bone marrow, nerve tissue and allow for ease of secretions

and discharges.

It has been said that if you remove all the fats and oil from

your diet, you'll decrease the risk of cardiovascular diseases but

you'll increase the risk of cancer. On the other hand if you eat a

lot of fat and oil you'll increase the risk of cardiovascular disease

and decrease the risk of cancer. The answer is to eat healthy fats

and oils and moderately exercise.

Oils are also useful for massage. They not only help soothe

and soften the skin and muscles and dissolve toxins and congestion,

they are also absorbed through the skin, and thereby serve to

lubricate the lungs and large intestine and nourish the deeper

tissues of the body. Such nourishment via the skin is needed by most

of us and is particularly important in debility and convalescence.

Oils are used in ayurveda for oleation therapy (Snehana),

which also involves taking the oils internally, as well as applying

them externally. They are helpful demulcents and laxatives. The

medical usages of these oils are included here.

Heavy oils should not be used in Ama (toxic) conditions,

congestion or toxic blood conditions. Oil massage should not be done

where there are red or oozing type skin diseases or where there is

severe pain or palpations. Generally we should not apply too heavy of

an oil to the abdomen.

MUSTARD

Mustard oil is pungent, and warm in post-digestive effect. It

decreases Kapha and Vata and increases Pitta. It is specific for

Kapha and is their best cooking oil.

It is stimulant, demulcent and anti-cough and helps loosen

mucus from the lungs, for which purpose it can be rubbed in

externally also. It is good for congestion, cold and feelings of

heaviness in the joints and can be used for arthritic pain and

abdominal pain.

OLIVE

Olive is sweet and neutral. It decreases Vata and Pitta and

increases Kapha. It works primarily on the liver and helps soften

gall stones and congested bile, and is a mild laxative. It also

nourishes the skin and hair.

It is a useful massage oil like sesame but is less heavy and

less sedative and so often better for general use or usage during the

day. It is commonly used in salads.

PEANUT

Peanut is sweet and slightly warm. It decreases Vata but

increases Pitta and Kapha. It is a commonly used inexpensive cooking

oil and often used to adulterate other oils but does not have the

nutritive quality of sesame oil. It is laxative, demulcent and

diuretic and is a little greasy.

SAFFLOWER

Safflower is sweet, pungent and warming. It decreases Kapha

and Vata but increases Pitta. It is a lighter oil and so better for

Kapha. It helps promote circulation, nourishes the heart and blood

and is a good laxative and emmenagogue for difficult or delayed

menstruation.

SESAME

Sesame oil is sweet and slightly warm. It decreases Vata and

increases Pitta and Kapha. It is tonic, rejuvenative, sedative and

laxative. It is highly nutritious and strengthens all seven tissues

and all seven layers of the skin.

It strengthens the lungs, kidneys, liver and brain. It is

excellent for debility, convalescence and rejuvenation. It calms the

nerves, relieves muscle tension and spasms and allays pain. It helps

relieve anxiety, tremors, insomnia and convulsions. It is also good

for dry cough and chronic constipation and improves voice and vision.

It aids in the growth of hair, nails, teeth and bones. It is good for

children and the elderly. It is the most deeply penetrating of all

the oils. Sesame is the best general oil for Vata and the most

nourishing of the vegetable oils. It is highly Sattvic (pure) and the

best oil for the yogic diet.

SOY

Soy is astringent, slightly cool and sweet. It is one of the

better oils for Pitta and Kapha but may aggravate Vata. It is

demulcent, diuretic and nourishes the skin.

SUNFLOWER

Sunflower is sweet, slightly cool and sweet. It is one of the

better oils for pitta and Kapha and will not aggravate Vata. It is

good for cough and heat in the lungs and nourishes the skin.

It is much like coconut oil in its external usage. It is good

for sunburn, burns, skin rashes, wound and sores.

INDIVIDUAL OILS

ALMOND

Almond oil, like the nut, is good for Vata. Usually, however,

it is more commonly used as a massage rather than cooking oil; the

same is true of its relative, apricot.

Both are good demulcent and expectorant oils for cough and

wasting diseases of the lungs and kidneys. They have a soothing

effect upon the skin and muscles, being good for muscle tension and

pain. Almond makes a good massage oil as it is absorbed well and does

not leave the skin greasy like sesame oil. Almond oil has many of the

tonic usages of the nut.

AVOCADO

Avocado oil is sweet, astringent, and slightly warm. It

decreases Vata and increases Kapha. It does not overly increase

Pitta. It strengthens the liver and nourishes the skin and is a good

massage oil. It also strengthens the muscles. It goes well with

salads. The flesh of the avocado has the same properties but is more

generally nutritive.

CANOLA OIL

Canola is a light oil that reduces Kapha and Pitta but

aggravates Vata. Its low cholesterol content makes it good for high

cholesterol and obesity but it is not good for debility or dryness

conditions.

CASTOR OIL

Castor oil is bitter, sweet, warming and pungent in post-

digestive effect. It decreases Vata but increases Pitta and Kapha. It

is an effective purgative for chronic or severe constipation and can

be used on children; Care should be given here as it can cause sever

cramping. It is a good antispasmodic and analgesic for nervous

system disorders like epilepsy and or pain conditions like arthritis.

Externally, as in castor oil packs, it promotes the healing

of sores, wounds, sprains and injuries. It also draws out toxins and

helps reduce tumors and swellings. It is good externally for

abdominal pain, including menstrual cramps. Edgar Casey was a big

advocate of castor oil packs for tumors.

A teaspoon of castor oil in a cup of warm milk with a half

teaspoon of dry ginger taken before sleep is a strong remedy for

clearing the channels (Srotas) and cleansing Ama (toxins).

CORN

Corn oil has some drying properties and hence is one of the

better oils for Kapha, though it still tends to increase it. It

increases Vata and decreases Pitta; it can be used by Pitta types

with high cholesterol who cannot use such anti-Pitta oils as coconut

or other palm oils because of their high cholesterol content. Corn

oil is demulcent and diuretic and good for difficult urination and

nourishes the skin.

COCONUT

Coconut is sweet and cool. It decreases Pitta and Vata but

increases Kapha. It is specific for Pitta. It is tonic, emollient and

refrigerant.

It nourishes and softens the skin and helps counter

inflammatory skin diseases, psoriasis, eczema, sunburn and burns,

chapped lips. It is also good for dry cough with fever or burning

sensations in the lungs. It increases the reproductive tissue and is

one of the easier oils to digest. However, it can increase high

cholesterol, particularly for Kapha types,

FLAXSEED / LINSEED

Linseed oil is pungent, sweet and warm in post-digestive

effect; it decreases Kapha and Vata but increases Pitta. It is a good

expectorant for the lungs and helps stop cough. It is also a good

lubricating laxative. It serves to loosen congestion or phlegm and

pull mucus out of the system.

MARGARINE

Margarine is made by combining various vegetable oils. It is

better for Kapha and Pitta but may aggravate Vata. It usually only

slightly increases Kapha. It depends upon the oils that compose it,

but is often of a low quality. Soy margarine is usually better and is

particularly good for Kapha.