Let's give a warm welcome to....

!!!Apple Cider Vinegar!!!

Cheer! Cheer! Cheer!

This might not be the actual picture from my cupboard but I can honestly confess to having four of these stocked in my pantry at this moment and they won't last too long there.

Apple cider vinegar, the vinegar that cures dandruff, fights hiccups, competes with colds and overcomes, contributes to weight loss, battles acnes, kills warts, disinfects households, cleans your armor to glistening and you should see it walk on water.
It is anti-fungal, anti-bacterial and anti-viral;
It's friends call it  ACV.

I am here to sing the praises of ACV (yes I am a friend) but I am not preaching it as a miracle cure for all ailments, I am recommending you get some, use it and love it but am not saying it does all the things  listed above. Yet books have been written and dedicated to this undervalued liquid and I strongly believe that, where it might not be a miracle fix for everything, it probably has yet untapped uses of value. I am going to stick with personal experience on this and leave you to ponder the potential greatness of it at your leisure.

Before I get started let me emphasize that in order to get the benefits of ACV you need to use raw organic ACV. This contains the “mother” of the vinegar which has raw enzymes and gut-friendly bacteria that promote healing.  Clear vinegar is processed and doesn’t have any of the benefits of raw ACV. If you don't see the weird sediment floating in the bottom then it is not the real thing. I use Braggs, which I order on line, because it is super convenient, but it can easily be found in health food stores and many grocery stores.

 

I could labor over a fifty point list of ways to use ACV but you can do that after you fall in love with a few everyday, no nonsense uses that for me are tried and true.

1.  I have never used ACV to cure the hiccups but I do use it to soak my vegetables and fruit when I have been unable to procure organic specimens. Actually, even organic food can benefit from this soaking because other people touch this food before it gets to the stocked shelves and eventually to your kitchen.

1 part ACV to 10 parts water covering your fruit or veggies (only the ones you plan on eating the skin of)
Let sit for 5 or 10 minutes
scrub gentle with your "fruit and veggie only cleaning brush"
let dry on a towel and you are done

2.  I have never used ACV to whiten my teeth but I use it whenever I feel even an inkling of a sore throat. In fact, I use it if someone around me has a sore throat. 

 

Mix 1/4 cup ACV with 1/4 cup water and gargle every hour or so

I give you the light version. I usually just swig it down and chase it with a little honey but my dad had a hard time forgiving me after taking that recommendation. It is pretty intense.

 

3. I have never used ACV for head lice because frankly I have never had head lice but I do use ACV for indigestion. I never had heartburn until being pregnant with Drake, (which was soothed nightly by a wonderful drink called eggnog and probably the reason I gained fifty pounds) and have still struggled with it since birthing him.  I swig ACV for this and it makes it feel worse for a minute and then better, however, I suggest the more mild approach of:

 

1 to 2 Tablespoons ACV diluted in water half hour before eating something that you think or know might give you indigestion.

 

4.  I have never tried ACV as a hair rinse (supposed to make it shiny) but I do use it as a disinfectant around the house. The vinegary smell dissipates once it dries.

 

equal parts ACV and water in a spray bottle

spray and wipe surfaces

 

I know that naysayers will say that although ACV is a disinfectant it does not kill as many germs as store bought cleaners but for all of you who don't want your kids or yourself breathing Lysol fumes all the time you get why this is a valuable alternative.

 

A few bonus reasons to keep ACV on hand

 

It fights yeast infections:

 

 Add 1 and a half cups of ACV into a bathtub filled with warm water, and then soak in it for about 20 minutes. This should be done once a day for the first 3 days of the infection.

 

It cleans your toilet:

 

Just pour apple cider vinegar into the toilet, and allow it to sit overnight.

It fights sinus infection:

sinus tea:
tea of your choice
honey to taste
2 Tablespoons ACV

I drink this tea almost nightly even though my sinus problems are long gone.
 I put ACV in my smoothie every morning.
I give ACV to my kids in an eye dropper mixed with water and honey during allergy season.

Now you know why I keep lots of bottles around.

Here's to friendship and a further intimacy with apple cider vinegar.

Three new and exciting ways I am going to try ACV next week:

1.                  Using it as a deodorant

2.                 Using it in my dishwasher

3.                 Using it as a toner for my face