31 Amazing Uses of Apple Cider Vinegar
Among today’s promoters of good health, apple cider vinegar is often favored above all others. There are reasons. Fermented apples are rich in pectin, a type of fiber that’s excellent for digestion. Apples also contain malic acid, which combines with magnesium in your body to help fight aches and pains. As tart-tasting as an unripe apple, vinegar is the bane of bacteria, the foe of fungi, the solution to jellyfish stings, and the soother of sunburns. Used right, it can settle your stomach, stave off swimmer’s ear, make hair more lustrous and skin softer. Some people swear that vinegar mixed with honey and warm water can take the pain out of leg cramps. Others use vinegar to dry up cold sores. And should someone faint, vinegar is a handy alternative to smelling salts. How can such a sourpuss do so much good work?
Natural Treatments with Apple Cider Vinegar
- Effective Dandruff Treatment: Apple cider vinegar, which kills a variety of fungi and bacteria, is frequently recommended as a home remedy for dandruff. Dilute cider vinegar with an equal quantity of water and dab this on to the hair with cotton wool in shampooing. Cider vinegar added to the final rinsing water after shampooing also helps to disperse dandruff.
- Leucoderma: A paste made from vinegar and the seeds of the radish is valuable in treating leucoderma. About 35 grams of these seeds should be powdered in vinegar and applied on the white patches. For better results, seeds should be finely pounded, mixed with a little white arsenic and soaked in vinegar at night.
- Body Detoxification: Mix 1 teaspoon of apple cider vinegar and 1 teaspoon of honey into a glass of clean water, and drink it every day. This concoction will help alkalinize your body.
- Hydrotherapy For Vaginitis: Add several cups of organic apple cider vinegar to your bath, and soak for fifteen to thirty minutes. Allow the water to flow into your vagina.
- Cure Athlete’s Foot: Apply a paste of apple cider vinegar and crushed garlic cloves directly to area three times daily for one week.
- Treat Colds: Drink 1/4-cup apple cider vinegar. One clove crushed garlic and 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper sweetened to taste every morning for 3 days.
- Flatulence: Mix a dash of anise powder with a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar and take before each meal.
- Thwart a Sore Throat: Another old remedy calls for mixing equal amounts of honey and apple cider vinegar (try 2 teaspoons of each) in a cup of hot water. Take frequent small sips of this mixture to ease sore throat pain.
- Cold and Flues: This is another of my favorite remedies that is effective, easy to make, and tasty, but not for the weak of heart. Make a batch before the cold season starts. Combine 1 quart apple cider vinegar, 1/4 cup grated fresh horseradish, 1 onion chopped, 1 head of garlic (peeled and chopped), 2 tablespoons powdered turmeric, and a pinch or two of cayenne. Cover and let sit in a warm place for 3 – 4 weeks. Strain the mixture, add 1 cup honey, and rebottle. Refrigerate. Take 1–2 tablespoons at the first sign of a cold and continue throughout the day (approximately every 2–3 hours) until the symptoms subside.
- Sore Throat Gargle: This is one of the best gargle for sore throats and laryngitis. Combine 1 cup apple cider vinegar, 1 cup strong sage tea (triple strength), 2–3 tablespoons salt and pinch of cayenne. Shake to mix. Gargle with this mixture frequently throughout the day.
- Cough: For a tickle cough try equal parts of honey and apple cider vinegar. When it strikes, let a small amount sit and slowly melt in your mouth.
- Hiccups: Apple cider vinegar is very useful in the treatment of hiccups. Put a few drops onto a cube of sugar and slowly let it dissolve in your mouth.
- Soothe Heartburn: The next time that you have heartburn due to indigestion problems, take 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar, and follow with a glass of water and be amazed.
- Control High Cholesterol: Early in the morning, drink 1 cup of hot water into which you add 1 teaspoon of honey. This will help to “scrape” fat from your system and reduce cholesterol. Adding 10 drops of apple cider vinegar will make the drink more effective. This drink helps to reduce cholesterol, maintains vasodilation, and helps to regulate blood pressure.
- Dry Mouth: To stimulate saliva flow, squeeze in some lime or lemon juice or add one-half teaspoon apple cider vinegar.
- Indigestion: Try drinking 1 teaspoon of apple cider vinegar mixed with a half-cup of water, especially if you’d overindulged in a large meal. It will help you digest the food if you don’t have enough acid in your stomach. Add a little honey to sweeten the taste.
- Insect and Spider Bites: As soon as you have the stinger out, soak the area in apple cider vinegar for a few minutes. Dip a cotton ball in vinegar and tape it to the sting site. It will help relieve redness and swelling.
- Jock Itch Relief: Apple cider vinegar is a useful remedy for jock itch. Vinegar is acidic, and fungi cannot thrive in an acidic environment. Using a fresh cotton ball, apply vinegar to the jock itch once a day.
- Get Rid Of Acne: Pour 1/2 water and 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar into a small, clean bowl. Stir to combine. With a cotton swab or cotton ball, dab the diluted vinegar on each blemish. Use one swab or ball per blemish to keep infection from spreading. The application may briefly sting, but that should soon stop. Apply nightly for best results. Vinegar contains acetic acid, which is an antiseptic and helps regulate skin acidity.
- Swimmer’s Ear: Dilute a small amount of apple cider vinegar with an equal amount of distilled water and use 1 drop in each ear after you swim or shower. The vinegar is good for preventing bacterial and fungal infections as well as clearing them up.
- Apple Cider Vinegar Bath: This helps relieve sore muscles, itchy skin, and sunburn. Vinegar helps draw pollutants out of the body. It is an acid medium and contains alpha hydroxy acids. It is also mildly antiseptic, antifungal, and naturally deodorizing. You can even infuse therapeutic herbs – such as calendula, chamomile, lavender, lemon balm, peppermint, spearmint, rose petals, sage, and scented geraniums – into the vinegar to make an herbal vinegar. Add 1/4 cup (8 g) herbs to 1 cup (235 ml) vinegar and let steep two weeks to a month. Strain the herbs out before using and rebottle the vinegar.
- Alleviate Arthritis Pain: To make your own liniment (a tincture applied to the skin) for topical use to alleviate arthritis pain, steep 1 tablespoon (5 g) cayenne pepper in 1 pint (475 ml) of apple cider vinegar for two weeks, shaking daily. Strain. Apply gently to the skin but wash your hands afterward and avoid getting it close to your eyes, which would sting.
- Hemorrhoids: Bleeding hemorrhoids will stop if you take 2 teaspoons (10 ml) of apple cider vinegar in a glass of water at every meal.
- Fight Body Odor: Place 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar and 6 drops lavender essential oil in a small, clean spray bottle, cap, and shake. Spritz on underarms after a shower or bath. Apple cider vinegar lowers the pH level of the skin, discouraging bacteria that turn body sweat into body odor. Lavender discourages bacterial growth and adds a scentual lift. This is a refreshing spray of this underarm elixir has post shower power.
- Cools The Sunburn: After excess sun exposure, take a cool shower or soak in a tepid bath to which you have added 1 cup (235 ml) of alkalinizing apple cider vinegar.
- Bring Boils To Head: Mix red clay with enough apple cider vinegar to make a thick paste and apply directly to the affected area. Leave it on until it dries. This helps to dry the boil and draw toxins to the surface. Do this several times a day.
- Ant Bites: You can treat ant bites topically with apple cider vinegar (or a paste of baking soda and apple cider vinegar). It will help neutralize any venom and dry up the itching and stinging chemicals left by the ants.
- Mosquito Bites: Wash the bitten area and apply three to five drops essential oil of lavender or some apple cider vinegar. Apply ice. Other helpful things to apply topically include mud, plantain leaf poultice, witch hazel, lemon juice, and baking soda mixed with enough apple cider vinegar to make a paste and moistened with vitamin C powder.
- Stop Nosebleeds: When dealing with an acute situation, apply a cold water or vinegar compress of 2 teaspoons (10 ml) apple cider vinegar and 1 cup (235 ml) of cool water to the base of the neck and to the top of the nose to help constrict blood vessels. You can also drink 2 teaspoons (10 ml) apple cider vinegar mixed with 1 cup (235 ml) of water for its astringent effect. Do this daily if bothered by frequent episodes of nosebleeds.
- Calm Morning Sickness: Sip 2 teaspoons of apple cider vinegar (10 ml) and honey (13 g) in a cup (235 ml) of warm water. If you do experience vomiting, be sure to consume adequate fluids to prevent dehydration, preferably in small sips between meals which is easier to keep down.
- Lower the High Blood Pressure: Mix 2 teaspoons (10 ml) apple cider vinegar and 1 cup (235 ml) water or pomegranate juice. Drink the tonic once a day. Apple cider vinegar, an apple product, contains flavonoids. Apple cider vinegar has been used as a tonic for blood pressure and other ailments for centuries.
Warning: Check with your doctor before using apple cider vinegar. Large doses of apple cider vinegar over a long period of time can burn the mouth and throat or erode tooth enamel; it may also counteract medications for heart and kidney disease.