If the latest craze, swishing cooking in your mouth regularly to whiten your teeth sounds nuts, you'd be right: It's coconuts.

Consumers all across the fruited plane and beyond are rediscovering an ancient practice the employs coconut and other types of organic oils in a method dubbed oil pulling, or oil swishing, which has been reported to sweeten breath, help treat gum disease, prevent tooth decay -- and even improve arthritis and asthma.

Oil pulling can be traced back at least 2,500 years to traditional type of Eastern Indian medicine, Ayurveda, in which practitioners "oil all the tissues of the body, from head to toe, every day. Studies have shown there can be an antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory action," Marc Halpern, a chiropractor and president of the California College of Ayurveda in Nevada City, Calif., explains to HealthDay.

"I try to do everything within the realm of Ayurveda to see if it's of value," Halpern said, although he admits oil pulling may not produce the broad range of benefits some boast.

"People have reported all kinds of wonderful results from doing it," he said. "but you can't attribute every result to the practice."

Hard evidence backing up the benefits, or risks, for that matter, is hard to find. And is there anything that supports the assertion oil pulling actually works to whiten teeth? "It hasn't been studied," said Halpern.

Other the other hand, or, incisor, as it were, Halpern tells HealthDay some people feel a little nauseous after they swish. For that, however, he recommends using the oil for just five minutes, not the 20 minutes some recommend, and perhaps using less oil.

"Between a teaspoon and a tablespoon is fine. There is no exact amount of oil that must be put in your mouth," he said.

While Halpern is confident swishing oil is safe, he nevertheless suggests people work with a trained and experienced Ayurveda specialist who can determine the type best type of oil that fits a person's needs and physical profile and then prescribe a specific use plan.

Lydia Hall, a spokeswoman for the American Dental Association, told HealthDay the association can't comment on oil pulling, as additional research is needed before any conclusions can made.

Meanwhile, the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research said it's not doing any research on oil pulling, said aspokesman.