Daily Uses of Apple Cider Vinegar

There are all sorts of products out there recommended for use as a miscellaneous daily tonic, said to contribute to overall general health, but few natural health tonics come with a pedigree as strong as apple cider vinegar. The earliest recorded use of apple cider vinegar for health is no less than Hippocrates (of the Hippocratic Oath) prescribing apple cider vinegar mixed with honey for a range of ailments, including coughs and colds, and is said to have taken it himself as a daily energizing tonic.

However, apple cider vinegar has many more uses than even Hippocrates probably realised, and a quick scan of its uses historically reveals a wide and varied patchwork of applications. Among other uses, it was used for wounds in various wars ranging from the American Civil War to the First World War, and it became popular in the 1970s as a weight loss aid. It is still touted nowadays as a remedy for various conditions, both inner and outer.

There are many reasons given for apple cider vinegar’s use as a weight loss aid, many of them spurious. The most interesting research showed that taking a spoonful or two of organic apple cider vinegar with a meal increased feelings of satiation, meaning that participants in the study felt fuller after eating, thereby discouraging future over-eating.

Further recent studies have shown its effectiveness in managing glucose levels, a property particularly useful for diabetics who often experience problems from a post-meal glucose spike, something that apple cider vinegar can help reduce. Similarly, a spoonful or two of organic apple cider vinegar before bed has been shown to lower morning glucose levels.

Organic apple cider vinegar is also recommended by some for external uses. As mentioned previously, it has been used in warzones as an antiseptic on wounds, although this has obviously been superseded, but some still claim apple cider vinegar’s effectiveness against acne, dermatitis and dandruff. Before using apple cider vinegar on skin however, one should be aware that if not diluted sufficiently it can damage the skin rather than help it, due to its potency. The typical dilution ration is one part apple cider vinegar, three parts water. Similarly, if ingesting apple cider vinegar, one should dilute it to prevent damage to the oesophagus.

Many of the health properties attribute to organic apple cider vinegar are baseless, however, with a long history as a folk remedy, and recent scientific evidence for some of its uses, apple cider vinegar may still be useful as a daily part of one’s health routine.