Apple cider vinegar may be one of the most useful yet most underestimated home remedies in your kitchen. We’ve found a pretty long list of apple cider vinegar home remedies to help you stay on top of what ails you. Perhaps a dose of apple cider vinegar a day can keep the doctor away.
How is Apple Cider Vinegar Made?
Apple Cider Vinegar Home Remedies: Apple cider vinegar is made from a double fermentation of apple juice from alcohol into acetic acid. Finished apple cider vinegar contains trace amounts of calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, and iron. It also contains vitamins A, C, E, B1, B2 and B6. It has potent antiviral, antiseptic, antibacterial and antifungal properties that can help and heal a bushelful of common health conditions.
Blood Sugar Control
Apple Cider Vinegar Home Remedies: Apple cider vinegar is excellent for helping control your blood sugar levels. A study published by the American Diabetes Association had one group of participants take two tablespoons of apple cider vinegar with a snack before bed. Another group had a snack but no apple cider vinegar. The group that consumed the apple cider vinegar, along with their snack at bedtime, had improved blood sugar levels in the morning.
Other studies have shown similar results with apple cider vinegar successfully lowering blood sugar in patients with type 2 diabetes. One particular study found that apple cider vinegar could improve insulin sensitivity as well.
Cholesterol-lowering Properties
The pectin in apple cider vinegar works to lower bad or LDL cholesterol. The good cholesterol (HDL) is not affected or lowered from the pectin.
One 56-year-old patient was struggling with high cholesterol. Her doctor wanted to prescribe statin medications. Rather than take the statin, she decided to try taking two tablespoons of apple cider vinegar each day. She began in September and, by December, her LDL cholesterol had dropped 21 points. Her doctor was so impressed that she advised the patient to continue with the apple cider vinegar treatment and forget about the statin drugs.
Acne Eliminator
Apple cider vinegar is a natural astringent, so it absorbs your skin’s excess oil, removes dirt and tightens the pores on your face. It’s also an antifungal, antimicrobial and antiseptic substance. So, it can help prevent the formation of bacterial strains that cause acne.
Use one part organic, unfiltered apple cider vinegar to one part filtered water. Dab it onto clean skin with a cotton ball and allow it to dry. Don’t rinse it off. This can be done at night after you’ve washed your face and in the morning.
Eczema Relief
The astringent properties of apple cider vinegar can balance the body’s pH levels to prevent and heal eczema. The alkalization from apple cider vinegar prevents the growth of the yeast that causes eczema. Apple cider vinegar can also help soothe the body after an eczema flare-up.
Pour two cups of organic, unfiltered apple cider vinegar into a warm (not hot) bath and soak for at least 20 minutes to help relieve eczema symptoms. The apple cider vinegar can also be taken orally to help treat eczema.
Hiccup Cure
Of course, we aren’t quite sure why it works. However, many swear by apple cider vinegar to get rid of their hiccups. Some swallow a teaspoon straight. Others dilute it with water. One company even makes apple cider vinegar and honey lollipops to suck on when you have the hiccups. It seems to work in any form to eradicate the hiccups.
Acid Reflux Treatment
If you have acid reflux and are not treating it with prescription medication, apple cider vinegar may help. Many times, acid reflux occurs when there’s not enough acid in your digestive tract. The acetic acid from apple cider vinegar can help to soothe pain from acid reflux and prevent further flare-ups.
A teaspoon in a glass of water might do the trick. Increase the dosage to a tablespoon in water for heartburn that seems persistent.
Effective for Lowering Blood Pressure
One study published in the journal Bioscience, Biotechnology, and Biochemistry, showed that the acetic acid in apple cider vinegar lowered blood pressure levels in animal test subjects with hypertension. The study indicated that apple cider vinegar might lower the renin, which is a protein secreted by the kidneys. The reduction of renin seems to be the reason that apple cider vinegar lowers blood pressure in individuals with hypertension.
Most people will see results if they take in two tablespoons of apple cider vinegar (diluted) each day with a meal. Consistency is the key with this home remedy. Just as you would take a prescription blood pressure medication each day, you’ll have to stick with apple cider vinegar daily if you want to reap the benefit.
Soothes Sunburn
Apple cider vinegar can be an excellent sunburn remedy. Just mix one part water and one part vinegar in a spray bottle and apply it to your sunburn once or twice a day. You can also take a bath with two cups of apple cider vinegar in your bathwater for sunburn relief.
Natural Shingles Treatment
Shingles is a painful, viral infection caused by the same virus that causes chicken pox, which is the varicella-zoster virus. Once a person has had chicken pox, the varicella-zoster virus lays dormant in the body, waiting for a time of high stress or low immunity to flare up. If you head to the doctor with a shingles outbreak, you’ll likely come home with a prescription for a powerful (and costly) antiviral medication.
Fortunately, nature has its own effective pharmacy. Apple cider vinegar, when applied topically to a shingles rash, can ease the pain, reduce the spreading and fight the virus on your skin. In addition to applying the apple cider vinegar topically — undiluted — you should take two tablespoons orally in water each day during the outbreak. Increase your B and C vitamins at the same time, and you may be able to bypass the antiviral prescription medication.
Eliminate Foot Odor
Foot odor isn’t usually the result of uncleanliness or poor hygiene. Instead, it’s often due to a fungus that has been multiplying in the shoes, under the toenails and in between the toes on your feet.
Apple cider vinegar is a natural antifungal. Soak your feet in a bucket of two cups apple cider vinegar and eight cups of warm water for about 15 minutes. Add in a cup of baking soda for serious odor issues. Wash your shoes and spray the insides with apple cider vinegar to make the environment less friendly for fungus.
Wart Remover
Warts are caused by a strain of the human papillomavirus, also known as HPV. Apple cider vinegar, applied topically, attacks warts and the virus causing it. After consistent use, warts turn black and you can peel them off.
Use one part apple cider vinegar to one part water and apply the solution to warts daily. Cover the wart with a bandage after the apple cider vinegar application. This treatment may take several days to a couple of weeks.
Poison Ivy Relief and Healing
If you’ve ever come in contact with poison ivy and suffered a persistent, irritating rash, you know you’ll do just about anything to ease the itch. Apple cider vinegar works even better than the traditional calamine lotion often recommended for poison ivy.
Just apply the apple cider vinegar at full strength with a cotton ball to the poison ivy rash. Take care to dab it on the skin rather than rub it, and allow it to dry. The apple cider vinegar may burn just a bit for a minute or two. However, once it dries, you’ll have itch relief. Apply the vinegar several times a day to speed up the healing process.
Deodorant
Because we know that sweating is natural and good for our bodies, antiperspirants are out of the question. While there are plenty of natural deodorant sticks available these days, there’s another solution that is cheap and effective. You guessed it — apple cider vinegar.
Bacteria and yeast that like to hide out in the underarm areas are the main culprits for body odor. The antifungal and antibacterial apple cider vinegar can banish that bacteria and yeast — along with the resulting funk.
Use a cotton ball soaked in apple cider vinegar and dab it under the arms. If your skin is sensitive under the arms and straight apple cider vinegar stings, try using it in a one-to-one dilution of water and apple cider vinegar. Don’t worry as the vinegar smell wears off quickly, so, you won’t be walking around all day smelling like salad dressing.
What Kind of Apple Cider Vinegar Is Best?
There are many options in the vinegar aisle. Look for raw, unfiltered apple cider vinegar with ‘The Mother’ On the label According to Paul Bragg, producer of Bragg organic, raw and unfiltered apple cider vinegar and other live food products, “the mother” in apple cider vinegar is a naturally occurring strand-like enzyme of connected protein molecules. The mother increases the potency and the health benefits of the vinegar.
Consider Vinegar First
If you’ve got a skin condition, high blood pressure, diabetes or another ailment we’ve mentioned here, try the simple remedy of apple cider vinegar first instead of expensive medications that may have harsh side effects. You may have everything you need to heal yourself — right in your kitchen cupboard.
For your guide to the best foods to heal your body, check out The Best Foods that Rapidly Slim & Heal in 7 Days, here!
