Apple Cider Vinegar: Useful, Effective, and Always Underrated
EducationApple Cider Vinegar: Useful, Effective, and Always Underrated
Referenced in the oldest known medicinals of ancient China, Greece, and Rome, apple cider vinegar has long been extolled for its many practical and medicinal uses.
The renown Roman physician and medical researcher Galen of Pergamum (129--200 AD) recorded more than 1,000 uses for vinegar during his studies of the heart, arteries, veins, and peripheral nervous system. And in the past few centuries, numerous American naturalists from Nicholas Culpepper to Jethro Kloss to M. Grieve have advocated apple cider vinegar as one of the most useful, effective, and underrated medicinal and curative substances known to humankind.
Yet surprisingly, although vinegar was a mainstay of most households in the United States beginning with the first settlers, it suddenly fell out of popularity in the past few decades. Pushed to the back of the shelf and forgotten.
Born at the turn of the 20th century, my grandmother used diluted apple cider vinegar to treat most any common cut or abrasion. She also added apple cider vinegar to soap and water to create a solution for general household cleaning of counter tops and other commonly used surfaces--vinegar a remarkably powerful disinfectant that’s even superior to Lysol.
And from upset stomachs to sunburn to swimmers ear, my grandmother would run for the jug of vinegar. But modern science has now proven that its uses far exceed even what Grandma knew!
Today, the Yale-New Haven Hospital uses vinegar to disinfect operating rooms before and after surgery (vinegar now a proven heavy-duty anti-bacterial).
For minor food poisoning cases, as well as ear and eye infections, an increasing number of other hospitals across the country are turning to vinegar rather an commercial disinfectants.
And in clinics across the continent, a growing number of modern doctors are suggesting apple cider vinegar for arthritis, strep and staph infections, migraine headaches, rashes, acid reflex, and much, much more. But the uses don’t stop there!
Here are some of the proven therapeutic uses for apple cider vinegar:
> calming upset stomachs
> easing leg cramps
> soothing sprained muscles
> appetite control
> cough relief
> curing nausea
> reducing the pain of arthritis
> hiccup relief
> cooling sunburn
> improving memory
> curing sore throat
> curing rashes and itchy skin
> lowering blood pressure
> lowering cholesterol
> curing bladder infection
> reduce/killing common skin infections
> warding away colds
> treating burns
> soothing sore feet and hands
> fading blemishes and age spots
> dissolving corns and calluses
And if that weren’t enough incentive to keep apple cider vinegar in the house, here’s what recent studies show apple cider vinegar can do:
> kill bacteria, mold, and germs
> control weeds
> remove stains from clothing and carpets
> kill bacteria and mold in air-conditioners
> remove scum from shower tiles and fixtures
> de-scale coffee cots and urns
> leave glass streak-free . . .
. . . And it does all this while being environmentally safe, biodegradable, non-toxic, and safe for use around children and pets! Clearly, most any of us would benefit from returning to the old methods my grandmother used--even if they are no longer popular!
References:
http://www.homeremediesweb.com/apple_cider_vinegar_health_benefits.php
http://www.apple-cider-vinegar-benefits.com/
http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art8171.asp
Yale-New Haven Hospital
Jug vinegar image via Jcrowsmarketplace.com
silvermedicine.org
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