Here’s some more stuff I found-it’s nothing new-
From the beginning of recorded history Apple Cider Vinegar has been utilized by all ancient civilizations, it is said that for at least 10,000 years Apple Cider Vinegar was used to treat various ailments. It is also reported to have been used as a healing elixir by Hippocrates (the father of Medicine) and has been found in Egyptian urns dating as far back as 3000 BC. The Babylonians are said to have used it as a condiment and a preservative, whilst the Greeks and the Romans used it both for flavouring and healing purposes. Parisians during the middle ages used it as a deodorant and healing tonic and a preserver of youth. Columbus had apple cider vinegar barrels on his sailing vessels to prevent scurvy. Japanese Samurai warriors apparently drank apple cider vinegar for strength and power, and it was used during the American civil war to disinfect and heal wounds. All in all very useful.
The use of Traditional Apple Cider Vinegar in treating an ever increasing variety of ailments dates all the way back to 3000-5000 BC. Some have even gone so far as to name Traditional Natural Apple Cider Vinegar ‘the Elixir of Life’.
Traditional Cider Vinegar is unpasteurized, unfiltered and comes with the ‘Mother’ intact (all the beneficial living enzymes left in) and this is why it has a cloudy look to it. Other, more commercial brands filter and then boil their vinegar to make it clear but this destroys all of the powerful properties rendering the vinegar useless. Some people refer to these as ‘dead’ vinegars.So simply it is the most natural and unadulterated form of cider vinegar available and has a huge spectrum of domestic and medicinal uses. Unfortunately the majority of the population would not recognize this product as a health boosting tonic.
The main difference between the dead vinegars that now dominate the supermarket shelves are that they have been distilled and stripped of their nutritional values. This process results in all the powerful enzymes contained within being destroyed along with the removal of essential minerals such as potassium, phosphorus, natural organic sodium, magnesium, sulphur, iron, copper, natural organic fluorine, silicon, trace minerals, essential amino acids, pectin and many other important nutrients.
What’s so special about our apple cider vinegar?
Natural apple cider vinegar contains 19 of 22 essential minerals used in growth, repair and maintenance of the body. In fact it contains 93 different components. Vitamins A, C, E, B1, B2, B6, beta-carotene, bioflavanoids, malic acid, acetic acid, pectin and vital minerals such as potassium, sodium, magnesium, calcium, boron, phosphorous, sulphur, iron, and fluorine. Tannins also found in apple skins are present in apple cider vinegar and are antioxidants. Pectin in the vinegar is a fiber which may help reduce bad cholesterol and helps in regulating blood pressure.
A 2006 study found that rats fed acetic acid (the main ingredient in vinegar) had significantly lower total cholesterol and triglyceride levels. [1](Fushimi et al). Large, human trials are needed to see if the same results occur in humans.
The need for calcium supplements once you start growing older is very well known. Apple cider vinegar helps extract calcium from fruits, vegetables and meat it is mixed with, helping in the process of maintaining strong bones. Potassium is essential for the replacement of worn-out tissues within the body. This mineral is also important to soft tissue repair, as calcium is to the bones and teeth. Chronic potassium deficiency causes a variety of ailments including hair loss, weak finger nails, brittle teeth, sinusitis, and a permanently running nose. Apple cider vinegar is loaded with potassium. Studies have shown that potassium deficiency results in stunted growth. All these ailments can be avoided with the intake of natural unpasteurized apple cider vinegar. The potassium in this vinegar also helps in eliminating toxic waste from the body.
The beta-carotene helps in countering damage caused by free radicals, helping one maintain firmer skin and a youthful appearance. It does so by destroying free radicals in the body which are involved in the aging and mutation of tissues and in destroying the immune system. This beta-carotene within apple cider vinegar is said to be in a natural and easy to digest form.
Apple cider vinegar is good for those wanting to lose weight. It helps in breaking down fat which helps in natural weight reduction. The earliest proponent of apple cider vinegar for weight loss was Jarvis, who wrote that people who consumed apple cider vinegar regularly would burn fat instead of store it.
On top of all this, raw apple cider vinegar is brimming with enzymes. Our bodies can only produce a finite amount of these enzymes, the rest must be obtained through our diet, cooked foods contain no enzyme activity whereas raw foods contain some enzyme activity. Fermented products however are the best source of enzymes and natural unpasteurised apple cider vinegar is a plentiful source of enzymes required by the body for daily functions.
Apple cider vinegar also contains malic acid which is very helpful in fighting fungal and bacterial infections. This acid dissolves uric acid deposits that form around joints, and so apple cider vinegar is used as a remedy for arthritis amongst many helping to relieve joint pains. This dissolved uric acid can then gradually be eliminated from the body in solution.
Apple cider vinegar is very effective in detoxifying various organs in the body together with the blood stream. Hence it is a purifier, as it has a means of breaking down fatty, mucous and phlegm deposits within the body. It therefore, promotes the health of the vital organs of the body e.g. kidneys, bladder, liver etc., by preventing an excessively alkaline urine.
Apple cider vinegar may also help to control blood sugar levels, which helps to ward off diabetes complications, such as nerve damage and blindness. It also might help prevent other serious health problems, such as heart disease, that often go hand-in-hand with diabetes.
A study by researchers at Arizona State University, published in the journal Diabetes Care, examined people with type 2 diabetes. Study participants took either two tablespoons of apple cider vinegar or water with one ounce of cheese at bedtime for two days. The researchers found taking two tablespoons of apple cider vinegar at bedtime had a favorable impact on blood glucose levels the next morning.
Prior to the study, the average fasting blood glucose level was 137 mg/dL. It decreased by 2% with the cheese and by 4% with the vinegar, a statistically significant difference. In people with a fasting glucose level above 130 mg/dL prior to the study, the vinegar reduced glucose levels by as much as 6%. The study was very small and the duration was short, so more research is needed. [2](White AM and Johnston CS).
Cider vinegar also helps oxygenate the blood which consequently prevents the blood from becoming too thick and gluey, which gives rise to a strained heart and blood vessels resulting in high blood pressure. There has been some suggestion that Apple Cider vinegar may help to reverse atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries). Cider vinegar also promotes digestion, assimilation and elimination and it neutralizes any toxic substance taken into the body. There have been a number of instances where people who had taken a mixture of cider vinegar and water before a meal were unaffected by diarrhoea, or digestive upsets, whilst their companions who ate the same meal were. Hence the cider vinegar seemed to neutralize the harmful substances in the food eaten.
A few teaspoons of cider vinegar taken with water each day has been known to produce amazing results. Cider vinegar can be taken alone or used in cooking. It can be used as a salad dressing, for pickling, in making mayonnaise or sprinkled on potato chips or French fries. It can be used as a hot or cold beverage sweetened with honey. The best method of using apple cider vinegar is in its natural liquid form.
[1] Fushimi T, Suruga K, Oshima Y, Fukiharu M, Tsukamoto Y, Goda T. Dietary acetic acid reduces serum cholesterol and triacylglycerols in rats fed a cholesterol-rich diet. Br J Nutr. (2006) 95.5: 916-924.
[2]White AM, Johnston CS. Vinegar ingestion at bedtime moderates waking glucose concentrations in adults with well-controlled type 2 diabetes. Diabetes Care. (2007) 30.11: 2814-2815.
Ostman E, Granfeldt Y, Persson L, Bj�¶rck I. Vinegar supplementation lowers glucose and insulin responses and increases satiety after a bread meal in healthy subjects. Eur J Clin Nutr. (2005) 59.9: 983-988.
