Apple Cider Vinegar & All Its Wonders

An apple a day keeps the doctor away, right? Well, according to what I keep reading, it certainly does, even in the form of vinegar! So, I was delighted a few weeks ago when the nice UPS man delivered a heavy box to my front door containing Bragg’s Organic Raw Apple Cider Vinegar. It is quite a bit more expensive to get the raw, undistilled, organic kind, containing brown cob-web like substances, or the “mother” as it’s called, but it’s worth it. I’ve been using it as a conditioner on my hair, along with baking soda shampoo, with fantastic results – my hair is healthy and shiny and I can’t keep my hands off it!

I was excited to research all of it’s health benefits and share them with you, as I found a multitude of them and can’t wait to try them for myself.

So, what exactly is Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV)?

According to WebMD, vinegar is the “product of fermentation…in which sugars in a food are broken down into bacteria and yeast” and ACV comes from pulverized apples.

The Health Benefits of ACV (proven in medical research)

You can find claims all over the internet of people saying ACV can kill head lice, remove warts, cure cancer, lower cholesterol, increase energy and lots lots more. According to WebMD, it does have several benefits that are proven by scientific evidence and they are:

• Diabetes – ACV helps to lower glucose levels (2 tbs. a day)
• High Cholesterol – in a study done with rats, it did lower cholesterol. This has not been proven in people yet.
• Blood Pressure – in another study done with rats, it lowered blood pressure. Other studies found that people who ate consumed salad dressing containing ACV five times a week or more had lower risk of heart disease.
• Cancer – some lab studies have shown that ACV can slow the growth of cancer cells.
• Weight Loss – apparently, ACV has been used as a weight loss agent for thousands of years! Recent studies help prove this theory, but aren’t conclusive.

The Health Benefits (not proven in medical research, but claimed by many)

I used to put little stock in natural remedies, thinking medical science was way more advanced than the old-fashioned stuff. But, I’ve recently changed my tune and subscribe to both schools of thought – medical science is still very valuable and in many cases, has helped us tremendously in living longer, healthier lives. However, good old-fashioned remedies that have been used for thousands of years should also be respected and considered. I guess I take both with a grain of salt and try them for myself to see what works and what doesn’t! So, here are some claims of others – click here to see a complete list. (These are just a few of the claims – the list on the site is really long!)

• Can reduce acne and dry out blemishes
• Helps to lessen arthritis
• Relief from mild asthma
• Cure athlete’s foot
• Lower blood pressure
• Helps fight osteoporosis
• Heal sunburns & other skin burns more quickly
• Help prevent cancer with powerful antioxidants
• Lower cholesterol
• Shorten cold duration by making the balancing the body’s acid levels
• Reduce constipation
• Heal diaper rash
• Cure dandruff
• Control blood glucose levels and help with diabetes
• Heal ear infections
• Help heal eczema
• Flush out gallstones
• Get rid of a headache
• Aid in weight loss
• Relieve itching & swelling due to poison ivy and poison oak
• Relieve occasional heartburn

How to Use ACV

ACV is highly acidic (containing acetic acid), so it must be used with caution, even though it is highly beneficial for us. My mom recently told me that she read ACV is a natural way to treat constipation, so she tried it straight up, just drinking it out of a teaspoon. She told me she was immediately coughing and had trouble breathing from the acidic gases! It really irritated her mouth and throat as well, so she learned that it MUST be diluted with water before ingesting.

To use it, dilute 2-3 teaspoons of ACV in 8 ounces of water and drink, and rinse your mouth out afterwards to protect your teeth from enamel erosion from the vinegar. I add honey or sugar to mine, and it’s quite tasty, really! The Bragg’s ACV bottle suggests adding sugar, honey or molasses to make it tasty and to drink it up to three times a day to increase energy, alertness and treat health

WebMD warns that supplements are not regulated by the FDA so unless the ingredients of the ACV pill is listed on the bottle, you can’t be sure you’re even getting mostly ACV. I will stick with my Bragg’s vinegar since it is organic and very well-known and for sure, just ACV and nothing else.

More info on ACV: http://bragg.com/books/acv_excerpt.html - The Bragg website is FULL of information on health and how ACV can help.

Here’s How I Use It – Hair Conditioner & Itch Relief

In my no-poo post, I explain how I use diluted apple cider vinegar as a very effective conditioner for my hair. I’ve been doing this for well over a year with great results! I also use baking soda as my shampoo(the no poo method), which is explained in detail in the same post.

I also use it on the whole family when we get bug bites and poison ivy, and wrote about it here. I’ve found it’s really effective on mosquito bites, but it can sting a little.