Fermented foods are becoming very popular, and for good reason. They are rich in probiotics and enzymes and have highly bioavailable forms of the nutrients contained within the food or beverage being fermented. In this case, the health benefits of apple cider vinegar come from the mighty apple, and the results couldn’t be much more spectacular.

Apple cider vinegar may seem to be a new fad, but it actually has been used for thousands of years. Babylonians used it as a tonic in 5000 B.C., Egyptians used it in 3000 B.C., and Samurai warriors used it 1200 B.C.. Hippocrates also recommended apple cider vinegar over 400 years ago, so this fermented beverage is certainly in good company.

Nutrients Available in Apple Cider Vinegar

Apple cider vinegar contains more than 90 different nutrients and co-factors that make this a truly remarkable beverage for your nutritional needs. Check out this following profile:

• A good source of potassium and magnesium, and also contains calcium, chlorine, copper, iron, fluorine, and sodium.
• Contains vitamin A, B1, B2, B6, C, and E
• An excellent source of enzymes and probiotics.
• A good source of acetic, malic, lactic, and various amino acids.
• A good source of pectin and fibre.
• A quality source of electrolytes.
• A source of ash (gives it its alkaline property).

Of course, the level of each of these nutrients will depend on the quality of the product.

Apple Cider Vinegar Benefits

With its rich source of vitamins, minerals, enzymes, probiotic, acids, and fibre, it is little wonder why apple cider vinegar has so many health benefits. It balances pH levels in the body and is very antiseptic, anti-viral, anti-bacterial, and anti-fungal.

With all of these things in mind, take a look at some of its incredible benefits:

• Balances the inner ecosystem, the gateway to good health.
• Prevents and relieves indigestion
• Helps remove acid reflux
• Promotes bowel regularity
• Improves blood sugar balance
• Helps relieve allergies
• Helps eliminate sinus infections, sore throats, headaches, and flu
• Clear ups skin problems like acne, eczema, and warts
• Lowers high cholesterol and high blood pressure
• Destroys Candida and fungus, and populates the gut with beneficial bacteria
• Eases inflammation associated with arthritis and gout
• Increases stomach acid, which facilitates stronger digestion and nutrient absorption
• Overall detoxifier
• Facilitates weight loss
• Cleanses lymph nodes
• Cleanses the scalp and can help grow hair
• Soothes sunburn
• Eases varicose veins
• Provides energy

With all these benefits, it makes apple cider vinegar hard to ignore as a potential remedy to most of what ails you!

Apple Cider Vinegar Remedies and Practical Uses

So, how do you use apple cider vinegar? Turns out there are plenty of ways to use it so that you can enjoy the benefits without the unpleasant taste or burn that some people may experience. For those who can’t handle apple cider vinegar straight, you can put two ounces in one cup of water. But for those treating a symptom such as a sore throat or acid reflux, the treatment is faster and more effective with straight apple cider vinegar. Here are a few of its uses:

• Acid Reflux and Heartburn – Imbalanced stomach pH is mostly to blame for this condition, along with a lack of enzymes and probiotics. Apple cider vinegar contains all of these nutrients, and simply adding 2 ounces to a cup of water and drinking it up to 15 minutes before a meal will improve acid reflux. It will also work improve the digestion of your meal. To treat existing heartburn (as opposed to prevention), take a shot of plain apple cider vinegar (2 ounces). It’ll burn for a moment going down, but it does the trick without the side effects of conventional remedies.
• Colds and Sore Throat – Due to its antibacterial effects and probiotic content, apple cider vinegar is a nice 1-2 punch on colds and sore throats. Put 2 tablespoons in one glass of water, and take up to 3 times daily to help get rid of both. Gargle before swallowing. For a more potent treatment, you can also drink it straight. And for sore throat relief for those who cannot stomach it straight, try gargling with 2 ounces of plain apple cider vinegar and then drink and swallow two ounces mixed with water.
• Remove Warts – Put directly on wart and cover with a bandage. Leave on overnight and remove in the morning. Repeat for as little as 1 week or until you see results.
• Fight Seasonal Allergies – Apple cider vinegar breaks up mucous and and supports lymphatic drainage. It can also clear your sinuses. Drink 2 tablespoons in a large glass of water, 3 times daily.
• Ease Varicose Veins – Apple cider vinegar improves circulation in vein walls and is anti-inflammatory, so it reduces bulging veins. Combine it with witch hazel and apply with a circular motion. Look for improvements in a couple weeks.
• Sunburn Relief – Add 1 cup of apple cider vinegar to a warm bath, along with some coconut oil to ease sunburnt skin.
• Deodorant – Kills bacteria and yeast which is a major cause of body odour. Simply dab some apple cider vinegar on your fingers and run it through your armpit.
• Hair Wash – Apple cider vinegar corrects the scalp’s pH, and removes residue from it. Use 1 tablespoon to 1 cup of water in an old shampoo bottle and use as a final rinse, or you can get this excellent hair formulation.
• Skin Toner – The pH of apple cider vinegar makes it a great remedy for skin issues. Just rub some on the affected area and use coconut oil to moisturize afterwards.
• Teeth Whitener – Take your finger and rub apple cider vinegar on your teeth for a minute. Rinse with clean water.
• Household Cleaner – The anti-bacterial qualities of apple cider vinegar and its balanced pH make it a great household cleaner. Simply fill spray bottle with 50% apple cider vinegar and 50% water, then use as you would any liquid cleaner.
• Flea Repellent for Pets – Prepare a 50/50 apple cider vinegar and water solution and spray on your pets in affected areas. You can also prepare a tub and soak your pet in it once a day for a couple weeks to get rid of nastier infestations.

Apple Cider Vinegar Recipes

One of the easiest ways to add apple cider vinegar to your diet is to use it wherever you would normally use white vinegar in a recipe. Some good examples of how to use it as a more integrated part of your diet include:

• Homemade salad dressing
• Homemade ketchup or mustard
• Homemade mayonnaise
• A beverage consisting of 5 parts grape juice, 3 parts apple juice, and 1 part apple cider vinegar

It can also be used to make a homemade insect repellent and part of a tonic that can help rid your body of bacterial infections.

The list of health benefits for apple cider vinegar seems endless, but it is only 1 part of a healthy lifestyle. So tell us, what are you using apple cider vinegar for that works really well?

When purchasing apple cider vinegar for internal use, be sure to purchase raw, unfiltered, organic vinegar. We love Bragg’s Apple Cider Vinegar.

You can also make your own!

Homemade Apple Cider Vinegar from Scratch

10 organic apples
Two large glass bowls
Cheesecloth to cover the bowls or large mouth jars

Wash and cut apples into quarters. Leave out and allow apples to brown, and then put them into one of the bowls (or jar). Add distilled water, enough to cover the apples. Cover the bowl with the cheesecloth and leave in a warm, dark place for 6 months. A hot water closet works well. You can also store it in an attic or well house during warm weather months. Leave the bowl/jar to stand, covered for six months, stirring once a week. Retrieve the bowl/jar at the end of the 6-month fermentation period. There will be a layer of scum on top of the liquid. This forms from normal bacteria as alcohol turns to vinegar. Filter the liquid through the cheesecloth slowly into another glass jar. This can be done by holding the cheesecloth securely onto the first jar or using a coffee filter. Then tip it to let liquid through and into the second jar. Do this until all the liquid is filtered and transferred to the second jar and then leave it for another 4-6 weeks, again, covered with the cheesecloth.

Then your apple cider vinegar is ready to consume and/or store.

Recommended Products:

• Mother Earth Organic Root Cider – Barrier Island Organics

Heartburn and acid indigestion are very common, affecting more than half of all Americans at least once a month. Most people choose to ease their suffering with various over-the-counter antacids, the worst treatment for heartburn or acid indigestion.

If the body is producing too much stomach acid, the body is having trouble digesting food. Neutralizing or decreasing the stomach acid will cause the body to pass partially digested food through the digestive system where it will rot and feed parasites and yeast, causing long-term, serious health repercussions. A study in Holland showed that people using acid suppressing drugs were four times more likely to develop pneumonia when compared to people who did not use those drugs.1

Antacids are never good for your health (and the calcium antacids are a terrible source of calcium). There are easy, natural alternative treatments that work and work fast.

Common Causes of Heartburn

Chronic heartburn is a sign of poor health, which is a result of poor diet. When coffee, soda, dairy, fried foods, or refined foods like cereal or bread cause heartburn, your body is telling you to stop eating these foods. Obesity can cause heartburn by causing the stomach and/or the esophagus to be squeezed out of its proper position, a condition called hiatal hernia. Pregnancy can also cause displacement.

Smoking and overeating are also causal factors. Symptoms increase if you lie down immediately after a meal.

If you have chronic heartburn or acid indigestion, you need to change your lifestyle. Start with a healthy diet. Lose weight. Avoid trigger foods. Stop overeating. Stop smoking. Don’t lie down right after you eat. And don’t practice yoga handstands on a full tummy either!

When you do overindulge or eat trigger foods, try a natural cure that’s good for you.

The Fast and Easy Natural Cure for Acid Reflux

Apple cider vinegar is a healthy, fast, and easy natural remedy for heartburn. Take half a shot, about one ounce. If need be, you can dilute it 50/50 with water, but it works best straight. It will burn a bit going down, but within seconds, it will relieve your symptoms. And unlike antacids, apple cider vinegar is good for you.

Why Does Apple Cider Vinegar Cure Heartburn?

Though vinegar is acidic, apple cider vinegar is alkaline-forming. It is an alkaline-ash food, which means if burned it would leave ash with an alkaline pH. Though food is not “burned” within the body, alkaline-ash foods are generally alkaline forming.

The acid in apple cider vinegar is acetic acid, a weak acid. When it meets stomach acid (which is hydrochloric acid, a strong acid), the overall acidity of the stomach is reduced but not rendered too alkaline to digest most foods. And since the apple cider vinegar is alkaline forming, it has an overall alkalizing effect on the body, which most people need due to our modern, acid-forming diets.

Other Natural Acid Reflux Treatments

While apple cider vinegar is the fastest and best natural treatment for heartburn, there are other choices as well.

Aloe Vera and Coconut Water

Aloe Vera and coconut water are both natural acid neutralizers. Depending on the severity of the heartburn, coconut water or aloe vera can bring immediate, soothing relief. Drink as much as you need.

Acupressure Heartburn Treatment

Relief from heartburn may also be found by pressing on the acupressure point CV 12, which is found in the front, center of your body, halfway between the breast bone and the navel. If this does not work, try a higher point right below the sternum and then move lower as the pain subsides. While this usually does provide immediate relief, the effects are temporary.

Reflexology for Heartburn

Reflexology uses massage techniques on the hands and feet at various acupressure points to relieve symptoms. The reflexology point on the left hand is under the thumb close to the wrist up to the middle of the palm. On the right hand, it is a much smaller point in between the thumb and the wrist (see image).

Here is an image for hand reflexology and one for foot reflexology (click to see full size).

On the right foot, the stomach area is halfway down the foot, on the inside arch. On the left foot, the area is much larger, spanning nearly the whole width of the arch (see image).

Massage the areas slowly and gently (it doesn’t matter which you start with). Each point should be firmly messaged for approximately one minute followed by one minute of massaging the entire hand or foot. If you feel a crunchy sensation (as if there is gravel under the skin), the area needs more attention.

Herbal Heartburn Treatment

Ginger tea can immediately relieve heartburn or acid indigestion. Put one teaspoon of shredded fresh ginger into one cup of boiling water. Let the ginger steep for ten minutes, strain, allow it to cool, and then drink. This works very well, but obviously, when heartburn is burning a hole in your esophagus, time is of the essence and ten minutes can feel like ten hours. For that reason, planning ahead with ginger tea while preparing a meal likely to cause heartburn is a good idea.

Fenugreek seeds can relieve heartburn and acid indigestion by coating the lining of the stomach. One to two teaspoons in your food or eaten separately is enough to provide relief for many acid reflux sufferers.

Acid Indigestion

Heartburn is commonly called acid indigestion. But indigestion is the body’s inability to properly digest food. If antacids do not help or only temporarily relieve burning, then indigestion is more likely to be your problem. Indigestion is often caused by a lack of hydrochloric acid and/or a lack of pancreatic enzymes, which can also cause a burning sensation when acidic foods are digested, as well as bloating, diarrhea, constipation, and food allergies.

We recommend Thorne Biogest for acid indigestion and for anyone who regularly consumes cooked meat. It takes a lot of stomach acid to breakdown cooked meat, and the more cooked it is, the more acid is needed. Take one capsule with a meal or as recommended by a health practitioner.

Conclusion

Chronic heartburn and any kind of indigestion is a serious health issue that should not be ignored. Suppressing the stomach’s ability to produce acid or neutralizing the stomach acid with over-the-counter antacids on a regular basis will also cause very serious health issues. As easy as antacids work (for some), chronic heartburn is not a small thing. Please do not ignore it. Take care of yourself.

Recommended Supplements:

• Abzorb Vitamin & Nutrient Optimizer – HCP Formulas
• GastroMycin – Allergy Research Group
• Shillington’s Body Balance+ (Apple Cider Vinegar and more)

Recommended Reading:

• Detox Cheap and Easy Without Fasting – Recipes Included
• Things You Should Know About Garlic – DIY, Recipes, Other Tips
• Heal Cavities, Gum Disease, Naturally with Organic Oral Care – Recipes included

Sources:

• Risk of Community-Acquired Pneumonia and the use of Gastric Acid-Suppressive Drugs Journal of the American Medical Association Journal Vol. 292, No. 16 10 /27/ 2004