Why Cider Vinegar Should Be In Your Medicine/Kitchen Cabinet

If you only ever use vinegar on your chips, or open the balsamic bottle to make a salad dressing, then you are missing a trick. Diabetes, bad breath, constipation or weight loss are all on the list of conditions that have been helped by using this simple kitchen. As economy is the watchword for all of us at the moment it makes sense to go back to tried and trusted – and well established- folk remedies and this one goes as far back as Hippocrates, Father of Medicine, in ancient Greece. He was the first to discover and record that natural apple cider vinegar is a powerful cleansing and healing substance that can promote health, vigour and a longer life.

He used it to treat coughs and colds as well as a variety of illnesses as did the Babylonians, the Egyptians and the Chinese for its ability to eliminate germs and as a medicinal and cleaning agent. Students of the Bible will probably remember that it was used to flavour foods, and as medicine and, like tea tree oil, it has been much favoured by armies including that of Julius Caesar and soldiers in the American Civil War.

The very best kind to use is natural, organic, raw vinegar which is made from fresh, crushed apples which are then allowed to mature naturally in wooden barrels as wood seems to boost the natural fermentation. This type of organic, apple cider vinegar contains 30 important nutrients, 12 minerals (including potassium), over six vitamins, essential acids, and enzymes. As a folk remedy it has been used for insect bites, sunburn, digestion and bowel functions, headaches, arthritic pain, weight loss, urinary tract infections, itching and other skin conditions.

Certainly it has been extremely popular as a weight loss aid, being mentioned even in Georgette Heyer novels as remedy for obesity. If you want to try it, then dilute 2 spoons of apple cider and 1 spoon honey in a big glass of warm water and drink it after breakfast. That might seem odd, but skipping breakfast is never a good idea and an empty stomach is not best equipped to handle the acidity of the vinegar.

If you have been buying expensive, chemical, mouthwashes to combat bad breath then try adding 1/2 tablespoon vinegar to a cup of water and gargle the mixture in your mouth for 10 seconds at a time until the cup is empty.

For diabetics, cider vinegar is said to help control the rise in blood sugar levels that occur when you eat a meal. To counteract this, mix 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar with a pinch of salt in it and mix it in a glass of water and drink it before you have a meal.

Constipation is a regular feature in many people’s lives and the cause can often be found in our Western diet. Apple cider vinegar contains significant amounts of pectin, which is a water soluble fiber that helps to improve digestion by normalizing the acid levels in the stomach and so helps restore natural bowel movements. A simple remedy is add 2 tablespoons of Apple Cider Vinegar to a glass of water, and drink three times a day. If you don’t like the taste, though I find this particular type of vinegar quite palatable, you can add it to Apple or grape juice and some additional sweetness.