Essential Supplements
Apple Cider Vinegar

Pure, organic, uncooked apple cider vinegar is an item you’ll want to have on hand. Although not really a supplement per se, it offers plenty of benefits. It's a natural antibiotic and antiseptic that attacks germs, bacteria, mold and viruses. A fresh, organically grown apple contains living enzymes, phosphorus, chlorine, potassium, sodium, magnesium, calcium, sulfur, iron, fluorine, silicon, along with vitamins and minerals, and over 10,000 micro-nutrients! It also contains oxygen, water, and many other important trace elements and compounds in the proper ratio for the body to use. The saying, “an apple a day keeps the doctor away” may well be true. There’s usually little we can do to improve on nature, but fermenting those fresh apples seems to be an exception. Apple Cider Vinegar truly seems to be of benefit in almost any condition imaginable.

Apple cider vinegar has been called one of nature’s most perfect foods. Made from fresh apples, apple cider vinegar has a long, fascinating history. From the beginning of recorded history, all ancient civilizations have utilized vinegar (often with wine). Vinegar was used as a healing elixir by Hippocrates (the “Father of Medicine”) and it has been found in Egyptian urns as far back as 3000 BCE.

The Babylonians are said to have used it as a condiment and preservative, while the Greeks and Romans used it both for flavoring and healing purposes. Columbus had vinegar barrels on his sailing vessels to prevent scurvy. Parisians used it in the Middle Ages as a deodorant and healing tonic—it was even touted as a preserver of youth! Japanese Samurai warriors drank ACV for strength and power, and it was used during the Civil War to disinfect and heal wounds.

Modern day use includes spot and stain removal as well as color preservation. Save the popular white, distilled vinegar for carpets and the laundry. Our society has come to equate clear/white products with purity and cleanliness, yet often that means toxic bleach and byproducts. In the case of distilled white vinegar, powerful enzymes, trace minerals and natural malic and tartaric acids (which fight toxins and bacteria) are destroyed by heat during the distillation process. Distilled white vinegar also contains acetic acid, which is detrimental to the health of the body. This acid is known to rapidly destroy red blood cells, interfere with digestion and contribute to liver and intestinal problems.

You want undistilled, naturally fermented and organic apple cider vinegar with a rich, brownish color. Don’t be turned off by the “cobweb-like” substance you may see—those are important strands of protein molecules and pectin. This life- giving substance is called “the mother” by Paul Bragg, N.D.—one of America’s original “health food” advocates. He and his daughter Patricia are authors of Apple Cider Vinegar.

Also beware of “sanitized” ACVs and malt vinegars that lack the health giving properties of the real thing, and avoid imitations made (here’s a designer food for you) from coal tar (the product, since it’s cheaper than distilled or malt vinegar, is the most popular vinegar in supermarkets today).

As those sophisticated Middle Age Parisians knew, apples are a rich source of potassium, which is necessary for the soft tissues of the body, just like calcium is required for our bones. Potassium is the “mineral of youthfulness,” keeping the arteries flexible and resilient. Potassium is also responsible for good skin and muscle tone. Before you turn to plastic surgery for drooping eyelids, reach for a bottle of apple cider vinegar. You may be suffering from a potassium deficiency, which can be easily and inexpensively corrected by a daily dose. Potassium helps give rigidity to plant stems and assists them to grow and blossom. When a plant suffers potassium deficiency, it yellows, withers and dies. Potassium makes the flesh of farm animals healthier and tender. The main function of potassium in people is to keep the tissues healthy, soft and pliable, and to help prevent heart attacks and strokes. Our bodies are meant to be self-cleansing, self-correcting, self-repairing and self-healing. With potassium—the master mineral—toxic poisons are literally placed “in solution” so they can be flushed out of the body (one form of detoxification).

Even the healthiest of us needs to clear the body of “acid crystal” buildup, easily done by drinking a cocktail of distilled water, apple cider vinegar and honey every day. M.D., author of Conscious Eating, says “Organic apple cider vinegar is the #1 food I recommend for maintaining the body’s vital acid/alkaline balance.” The following list illustrates some of the other benefits of apple cider vinegar.

• Relieves dandruff, itchy scalp, thinning hair and even baldness (add royal jelly and leave on overnight)
• Soothes tired, aching muscles and joints (take a warm bath containing 1 cup ACV)
• Strengthens the heart and reduces arrhythmia
• Aids blood vessels, arteries and veins
• Improves digestion
• Relieves chronic fatigue
• Zaps sore throats and laryngitis (gargle)
• Treats insect bites
• Combats gallstones
• Is an effective aid for female discomforts and can help shrink an enlarged prostate
• Helps control and normalize weight
• Helps lower blood pressure
• Eases arthritis (by flushing toxic crystals from joints)

You can also make hot and cold vinegar compresses or vaporize apple cider vinegar to help relieve headaches. Apple cider vinegar supplies the eyes with needed tissue mineral salts, and two or three drops of a solution of apple cider vinegar and water two to three times daily has been said to remove cataracts! Breathing the steamy vapors of heated apple cider vinegar can clear nasal passages for 12 to 24 hours, while gargling with it can relieve sore throats. Sipping a mixture of apple cider vinegar and water can relieve a tickling cough as well as relieve laryngitis and asthma. Sipping apple cider vinegar with water every five minutes will help alleviate nausea, food poisoning and diarrhea, while a teaspoonful can eliminate hiccups. Swishing a mixture of apple cider vinegar and water can eliminate “morning breath.” As a mouthwash, it helps prevent tartar deposits. Brushing your teeth with the same solution will whiten them as well as protect them from decay. Applied to the skin it soothes sunburn and can relieve eczema and shingles.

Whew! What a bang for your buck. I prefer Braggs Apple Cider Vinegar, found at all natural food stores. If drinking the liquid mixture doesn’t appeal to you, most health food stores have apple cider vinegar tablets. Each tablet is usually equivalent to one teaspoon (±) of apple cider vinegar.