Apple cider vinegar (ACV) is a major multi-tasker. This powerful liquid can improve your health from the inside out, from digestive improvements to skin and hair growth.
There are numerous advantages to taking a daily small dose of ACV. What’s more, this natural remedy can work wonders on your home, pets, and cooking as well! Find out what your new “apple a day” might do for you below!
A Little Bit of History
Once exposed to air, any alcohol (whether it’s made from rice or fruits) naturally turns into vinegar. So, since the development of fermented drinks, vinegar has been in use. People have been exposed to vinegar long before recorded history.
5000 BC – the Babylonians used vinegar as a food and as a pickling agent.
3000 BC – Vinegar residues have been found in ancient Egyptian urns.
1200 BC – the date that Chinese texts first record vinegar uses
400 BC – Hippocrates prescribes apple cider vinegar mixed with honey for a variety of ailments.
What Can it Do for Your Body?
ACV truly is a multi-use substance. It’s the real-life version of the oft-used windex in the movie My Big Fat Greek Wedding. Read on to find out the wide variety of benefits it offers if you drink it:
Alkalize your body. Many ailments (including cancer) cannot survive in an alkaline environment. High acid levels lead to low energy and higher risk of infection. Balance your pH levels!
Regulate your digestion. It also encourages healthy gut flora (much like probiotics do).
Help acid reflux. A healthy, natural alternative to heartburn meds.
Detox. ACV helps detoxify your liver and boost your circulation.
Alleviate allergies and sinus conditions. ACV breaks up mucus in the body and relieves chronic sinusitis and allergy symptoms. It’s also rich in potassium, which helps get rid of runny noses.
Rid the body of excess candida. An overgrowth of candida (yeast) can lead to poor memory, low energy, and yeast infections.
Lose weight. ACV can help stave off hunger by controlling the glucose released in the body after you eat. It stabilizes your blood sugar. It also breaks down fats.
If I Don’t Drink it, What Can it Do?
Yep, there’s more. Ingesting ACV each day is a great idea, but check out how to apply it to other areas of your life, from household chores to beauty regimes:
Strengthen your hair. The acetic acid in ACV will remove build-up in your hair and strengthen the hair follicle. Dilute 1/3 cup of ACV with 4 cups of water and rinse your hair after shampooing once every month.
Tone your skin. ACV is a natural astringent. It will also draw out toxins and cleanse the skin.
Soothe sunburns. Add a cup of ACV to your bath and soak to relieve sunburn or rash pain.
Clear up warts. Soak a cotton ball and band-aid it onto the wart. Leave overnight and wa la!
Flea repellent. Mix one part ACV and one part water and spray it on Parsnip or Sparky’s fur. Rub in generously and reapply each day for a few weeks.
Clean your bathroom and windows. Pour into your toilet and let it sit overnight. Mix ½ cup ACV with 1 cup water and use to clean dishes, mirrors, windows, and counters. It will smell like apples!
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Are You Convinced? What to Get and How to Prepare it
Apple cider vinegar can come in several forms, but the best form to purchase is the organic, unpasteurized, and raw version.
Pasteurized versions are diluted and don’t have as many of the beneficial properties remaining in the mix.
You want raw ACV because it’s important the bottle contains what’s called “the mother” in it—the natural living nutrients that make ACV so beneficial. It’s the best part! The mother will naturally sink to the bottom of the bottle, so be sure you shake it up before each pour.
What are Some Simple ACV Recipes?
Hippocrates’ recommended health “elixir”: mix 2 tablespoons or ACV with some natural organic honey and dilute with 8 ounces of water. The honey will help sweeten it and the water will help dilute the strength of the vinegar.
Mix 2 tablespoons of ACV with a juice like V8 or orange juice.
Put together with flaxseed and honey to create a power salad dressing.
Enjoy! When taken consistently, ACV can help you feel your best within 1-2 weeks.
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