If you are a friend of mine, you know that any time you have an ailment I’m going to suggest apple cider vinegar as a cure. A best friend and proponent of this health potion got me drinking it years ago. Now, it’s a daily habit.
I know a few of you who have listened to me and bought ACV, but I also know that it’s just sitting there, still sealed, in your cabinet. I’m here to say DON’T FEAR THE VINEGAR. Embrace it. Here’s what you need to know, and to be clear, these are my opinions. I’m not a medical expert. I’m a blogger, so if you’re going to try it, please talk to your doctor first.
1. Buy organic, unfiltered, unpasteurized ACV with little bits of fleshy substance called the Mother. I get Bragg. It has all the good stuff you’re looking for in your apple cider vinegar.
2. Drink 1 or 2 teaspoons of ACV mixed with cold water, up to 3 times a day. Bragg suggests you mix in honey, but I don’t like honey in my drinks – not even tea – so I’m sure as heck not going to mix it with vinegar. *shudder* I actually drink mine like a shot. I take 4 teaspoons, straight, with a water chaser, once a day.
3. No matter how you do it, it’s going to taste bad. It’s vinegar, people. Plug your nose and drink it.
4. I take a shot about 30 minutes before a cross-fit workout for a little energy boost. My trainer swears by it, as long as I don’t breathe on him.
5. It’s great for sore throats. Mix a couple of teaspoons in 1/4 cup of water, gargle and swallow. My daughter says it doesn’t help, but I found out that she was only saying that so I wouldn’t make her do it anymore. See #3. For the record, since I made her start gargling ACV for sore throats, she hasn’t had strep. Not in years.
6. A few months ago, I had heartburn so bad that I thought I was having a heart attack. I took over the counter antacids, then switched to prescription antacids, and it wouldn’t go away. I was in so much pain in the middle of the night and I thought I’d try ACV.Ā I have no idea what made me think of it, because it seems counter-intuitive, but within minutes of drinking, the heartburn lessened. I drank more about an hour later and the heartburn went away completely. Then I found a bunch of people on the Internet who said the same thing. (Note: If you think you’re having a heart attack, don’t drink vinegar. Go to the ER.)
7. Clear up a pimple by dabbing it with a cotton ball dipped in ACV.
8. Do the same thing to treat a sunburn.
9. Though we have never had lice (*knocks on ALL THE WOOD*), I once thought we had lice so I soaked my head in apple cider vinegar, covered it with a shower cap, then wrapped it in a towel and went to bed. The “lice” turned out to be dandruff, but my hair was super shiny the next day!
10. I can’t prove it has done these things for me, but ACV is purported to help lower cholesterol and glucose levels.
So what do you have to lose? Plug your nose and bottoms up!
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Comments
ClumberKim
It’s really good for dogs, too. I worked up to a capful in their water bowl by adding a few drops and gradually adding a little more each day.
Rachel
Yes, yes. My daughter cried from the shower the other day, “Fix the vinegar spray! It’s clogging up the sprayer again!” She sprays raw ACV on her hair during the shower for shiny, de-tangled locks.
pauline campos
FOR KNOT FREE HAIR? ZOMG!
I’m totally doing this with the coconut vinegar for my kid. Her curls are beautifully crazy and no detangler known to man can tame them.
Melisa
OMG.
It’s like you we’re talking TO ME!!!
Still sealed.
ascapecodturns
Huh, interesting! Going to have to go get some š
Mona Darling
ACV is amazing! I only use it for my tummy, but will look into your other suggestions! I actually make my own vinegar. If you make red wine vinegar, you never have to feel bad about not finishing your bottle of wine, because you can feed it to your vinegar!
But you totally can finish that wine if you want to!
Also – make shrubs to make it taste better! When you have fruit that is about to turn, i.e., over ripe, mush it in a mason jar with some sugar and top off with ACV. After a day or three you have a great refreshing drink when added to water, sparking water, or, my favorite, vodka and soda.
Also, little known fact. The symptoms to over acid and under acid stomach are exactly the same. I’ll spare you the copious details (unless you ask!) but drinking ACV helps your stomach process food, so yes, it’s often exactly what your stomach needs after dinner. Antacids can actually make it worse because they slow digestion.
(ps. If other readers go to my web site looking for more fun health tips, you will be very disappointed. I blog about sex.)
zomg I need to do my own ACV post now. Because that’s totally sexy!
Anna Hettick
I’ve been thinking about starting to drinks a few teaspoons a day…just because I’ve heard from so many different sources that it’d good for so many things.
I don’t like drinking gross things though…but I do like honey, maybe I can try that? š
Meleah Rebeccah
Oh wow. Good to know. I had NO IDEA!
pauline campos
Girlfriend? I’m already a passenger on your vinegar train. Only I’m allergic to yeast which means I can’t eat or drink anything traditionally fermented. So my alternative is coconut vinegar. It’s lacto-fermented, meaning it was probably invented by hippies and more importantly, that I can drink it.
I buy this sh*t by the caseload from a local natural foods store. They love me.
I add it to my water. Always. And although I haven’t tried it for all of the ailments you suggested I will be looking into them.
also? I don’t play a doctor on my blog either, so there.
mare
momo, I’ve seen drinking 1 T. a ACV a day since August 1. Mid-Oct I developed aching joints, I mean sore, like I can’t bend over to pick up stuff sore. Do you know if the ACV acid can cause joint issues? Irritation, or inflammation? I’ve stopped it just this week, and will test if I feel better. Email me w/ what you know. Thank you!
Momo
I have read that it helps with joint pain, but that’s not something with which I have any experience. Definitely ask your doctor before you start drinking it again!