Oil Pulling: after brushing your teeth and scraping your tongue in the morning put about a TBS of organic sesame, coconut or veg oil in our mouth and swish around for 2-20 minutes. The longer the better. Overall, it pulls ama out of the various channels of the body via the mouth, while cleaning the teeth, breath, helping with receding gums and overall health. I use sesame oil and spit it out in the trash can when I am done because it will really clog the plumbing. You would think it makes your mouth feel slimy but it doesn't at all but sometimes I do rinse after with warm water. The other reasons it works for overall health - for ex) joint mobility is due to the fact we all dry out as we age so this is a subtle way to pull the toxins out, while lubricating the tissues that are drying out. 

Hing aka Asafoetida, Silphium, Devli's Dung to name a few; latin name Ferula assafoetida, dates back to eighth century BC. It is a hard resinous gum that is ground and used in many Indian dishes as a replacement for onions or garlic and for preventing gas. It's strong smell is likened to stinky feet but it's health promoting benefits out-way the awful smell and (thank goodness) the smell dissipates as it cooks.  Primarily it is used in dishes that cause gas, bloating and constipation so a wonderful addition to any bean, legume or cruciferous dish. Only a pinch is needed and can be added to oil, water or broth. Besides it's benefits for digestion and curtailing flatulence it  has many medicinal benefits. It is useful for bronchitis, asthma, whooping cough and respiratory ailments, as well as toothaches, colick (in India a newborn's first taste is asafoetida to prevent colick and digestive disorders), a contraceptive, flu prevention, and reduces vata. When buying Asafoetida you will usually find it is mixed with wheat and other anti-caking agents but a wheat-free reliable source, mixed with the herb fenugreek is found at www.ayurveda.com and comes in a 1 oz. glass jar with a metal lid for $3.50. What is fenugreek - that will be another blog!