Vinegar is made whem fresh, naturally sweet cider is fermented into an alcoholic beverage ( hard cider ). Then it is fermented once again. The result is vinegar.
Apple cider vinegar contains more than thirty important nutrients, a dozen minerals, over half a dozen vitamins and essential acids, and several enzymes. Plus, it has a large dose of pectin for a healthy heart.
When apple cider vinegar is exposed to heat and air, it gives off some hints of its character. Take a healthy sniff and what you inhale is the " Volatile " part of vinegar. The portion which will evaporate easily. Scientists recently analyzed the small part of what vinegar is. They found 93 different volatile componensts they were to reconnize, plus others as yet to be classified , Vinegar has :
* 7 Hydrocarbons
*18 Alcohols
*4 Acids
*33 Carbonyls ( 4 aldehydes and 29 ketones )
* 7 Bases
* 3 Furans
*13 Phenols
* 8 Esters ( plus 11 lactones esters )
The exact composition of a particular vinegar depends on what it was made from. Even apple cider vinegar varies with the kind and condition of the apples in it. Partly because of this, medical scientists do no always know exactly how or why ti promotoes healind. They do know it is both antiseptic and antibiotic.
VINEGAR'S EARLIEST MEDICAL USES
An early Assyrian medical text described the treatment for ear pain as being the application of vinegar.
In 400 BC, Hippocrates ( considered the Father of Medicine ) used vinegar to theat his patients. This naturally occurring germ killer was one of the very first " Medicines "
Vinegar was used as a healing dressing on wounds and infectious sores in Biblical times.
" Thieves Vinegar " got its name during the time of the great plague of Europe. Some enterprising thieves are said to have used vinegar to protect them from contamination while they robbed the homes of plague victims.
Vinegar is credited with saving the lives of thousand of soldiers during the U.S. Civil War. It was routinely used as a disinfectant on wounds.
VINEGAR AND THE SKIN
Historically, infections on the face, around the eyes, and in the ears have been treated with a solucion of vinegar and water. It works because vinegar is antiseptic ( it kill germs on contact ) and antibiotic ( it contains bacteria which is unfriendly to infectious microorganisms)
More recently, vinegar has been used to treat chronic middle ear diseases when traditional drug-based methods fail. One treatment currently being prescribed for ear infections at Ohio State University's hospital is irrigation with vinegar.
Doctor are currently considering the possibility of treating some eye infections with diluted vinegar. Right now, they are using it as a hospital desinfectand. One example of this use is at Yale-New Haven Hospital.
When afther-surgery eye infections became a problem, their Department of Bacteriology solved the problem with common vinegar. The hospital began routinely cleaning the scrub-room sink with a 1/2% solution of ordinary household vinegar. It worked better at eliminating the offending bacteria than the commercial product it replaced !
Two old-time remedies for treating mild burns were to douse the hurt with apple cider vinegar or to let snail crawl over it. If you don't have a friendly snail around, you may want to try dabbing a bit of apple cider vinegar onto the painful area. Vinegar is particularly useful for neutralizing alkali burns.
Relieve itchy skin, too, by patting on apple cider vinegar, If the itch is near the eyes or other delicate areas dilute the vinegar, 4 parts water to 1 part vinegar. For a full body treatment, put 2 o 3 cups in the bath water. A handfull of thyme can help, too.
Dampen a gauze square in apple to clean armpits. Do not rinse it off and it will eliminate offensive odors for several hours.
Cool the burning of a sumburn by bathing in a tub of lukewarm water, to which a cup of apple cider vinegar has been added. Anytime a sprain, or ache needs to be soaked in very hoy water, a splash o vinegar in the water will make the water seem cooler.
One reason vinegar is so very helpful in treating skin disorders is that it has a pH which in nearly the same as healthy skin. Do, applying vinegar helps to normalize the pH of the skin's surface.
VINEGAR, FIBER AND CHOLESTEROL
Vinegar contains a treasure trove of complex carbohydrates, as well as a good dose of that mysterious stuff called " Dietary Fiber ". Both complex carbohydrates and dietary fiber have been recommended by the U.S. Surgeon General to help build resistance to cancer.
About fibers ... yes, there are different kinds of fibers. Some are water soluble and some are not. A water soluble fiber soaks up water ( adding bulk ) but do not interact with the body in the same complex way soluble fiber do.
When vinegar is made from a fresh, natural apples it contains a healthy dose of pectin. Pectin is a soluble fiber. It dissolves in water, making it very available for the body to use. In addition to soaking up water. It slows down the absorption of food and liquid in the intestines. Therefore, it stays in the body longer than an insoluble fiber.
An insoluble fiber, such as wheat bran, rushes through the system. Particularly . it rushes throug the intestines. This gives it laxative properties. Wheat bran may also produce large amount of gas.
As pectin ( apple cider vinegar fiber ) works its slow, gentle way through the digestive system it binds to cholesterol. Then pectin pull the cholesterol which is bound to it out of the body. Less cholesterol in the body makes for a reduced risk of cardiovascular problems, such as heart attacks and strokes.
* Emily Thacker *
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