Apple Cider Vinegar Uses, Health Benefits and Side Effects

What is ACV

Apple Cider Vinegar was not so popular before a few years, but of late, the term is used more often among dieticians and people with health concerns. The benefits of vinegar are countless and adding to the list, the Apple cider vinegar is also healthy in many ways. Before going into the health benefits and uses of apple cider vinegar, let us see what an apple cider vinegar is. Fermentation is a process in which the sugar present in the food is turned to alcohol because of the presence of bacteria and yeast. When fermented further, the alcohol gets converted to vinegar. The fermentation takes place in all food items and when it takes place in pulverized apples, the resulting vinegar is called apple cider vinegar, which is popularly called as ACV. Similar to vinegar, apple cider vinegar also consists of many acids, including acetic acid, amino acid etc.

External Benefits of Apple Cider Vinegar

There are countless health benefits when ACV is taken regularly and apart from health benefits, they can be used for external applications, as well. Since the apple cider vinegar is made of apple as a result of the fermentation process, unwanted chemicals are not present in the product. This makes it a natural product and thus your body will not be the storehouse of chemicals. Apple cider vinegar is one of the best solutions for hair care problems. It is the best alternative to shampoos and even though shampoos are effective, they may have side effects or long term problems over your hair. But the ACV rinses your hair such that your hair becomes stronger in less time. All you need to do is add a half tablespoon of ACV and mix with cold water. Use this mixture for a couple of weeks to see the effect. These days there are fantastic wrinkle reducers, anti-aging products, and retinol cream; but did you know that apple cider vinegar acts as a skin care treatment also? You should dilute the apple cider vinegar with water in the ratio 1:2 and apply the mixture over your face and skin. Leave it as such for a few minutes before washing the face. You can apply ACV either early in the morning or before going to bed. It also cures age spots and acne scars present in your skin.

If you want the warts present in your skin to disappear overnight, ACV is the best solution. Take a cotton ball and soak the cotton in the ACV mixture and fasten it over the warts. Leave it overnight for the warts to fall off from the skin. Apple cider vinegar can also act on your teeth to keep them clean and white. You need to apply the ACV on your teeth and rinse it off thoroughly to get healthy, shiny teeth. Since apple cider vinegar is used for many purposes as mentioned above, you may wonder if it can be used as bath solution. Yes, you’re right, as ACV can also be added to your bath which will eliminate the ill effects of sunburn on your body. You can also use the ACV-Water solution after shave as it gives soothing effect over the skin that is irritated by the blade. Rub the mixture of apple cider vinegar and water in your hands and legs to get messaging sensation. One more benefit of Apple cider vinegar is its ability to act as a deodorant, removing stinky odors from your body. This will keep you and your body fresh and clean all day long. The other benefits of ACV include soothing bug bites, eliminating the fungus present in the fingernails, relieve yeast infections, prevent acne etc.

Internal Benefits of Apple Cider Vinegar

Apple cider vinegar not only rejuvenates external body parts, but it also has a positive impact over internal organs and functioning. If you want your body to lose weight, you can take a mixed proportion of ACV and water. The acetic acid present in the ACV acts on the unwanted fats present in the fat, which will enable weight loss in a very short time. You will also be free from side effects that may occur when other weight loss regimens are followed. As apple cider vinegar helps in reducing the acidic content in the body, the pH of the body is stabilized, which will balance the inner body system. Since the alkaline nature of the body is essential for disease free living, ACV helps achieve higher energy and happy living. It is also capable of detoxifying the entire body, thereby helping in proper circulation of blood to all organs. Research also suggests that, the apple cider vinegar is effective in cleansing the lymph nodes and reducing the ill effects of all the allergies. The enzymes present in the ACV eliminate yeast present in the body that is responsible for health problems such as fatigue etc. People with diabetes should intake apple cider vinegar regularly, as it lowers blood glucose levels. It relieves heartburn and digestion problems. Mix one tablespoon of ACV with water to feel the difference in your body. Some of the other apple cider vinegar benefits are preventing stomach illness, dissolving kidney stones, curing nausea, asthmatics, chronic acid reflux, migraines etc., lowering blood pressure and cholesterol, killing cancer cells and preventing their growth, reducing inflammation and curing arthritis etc. Almost all of the above benefits are proven in researches and hence you can feel the positive effects in your body.

Other Apple Cider Vinegar Benefits

Adding to the above health benefits, the apple cider vinegar acts tough on stains and odors, making it one of the best solutions for cleaning needs. Since the cleaning products present in the market contain harsh chemicals, they are injurious to your skin. Instead, use ACV to clean utensils, tiles, floors, etc. This can be done by adding one part of water and one part of ACV to achieve the results. The ACV can also be effective over the skin of your pets. Dilute apple cider vinegar with water and spray the solution over the skin of your pets. Rub the skin to help eliminate the fleas present in their skin. The same solution can also be used to eliminate fleas present in the furniture.

Apple Cider Vinegar Side Effects

The recommended dosage of Apple cider vinegar varies based on the requirements. If you want ACV to benefit your health, add 2 tablespoons of ACV with one cup of water and take once or twice a day. For household purposes, add one part of ACV with one part of water for better results. When applying ACV to burn in skin, dilute them properly with water so that they do not cause irritation. The taste of ACV is soaring but once you practice drinking the same, you will not feel weird. There are many brands of ACV available in the market and it is essential to buy quality vinegar. Always go for organic ACV and check out for the term mother in the labels of ACV bottles. This ensures that the ACV is organic and contains all necessary nutrients and enzymes, needed for enjoying all the benefits discussed above. You need to make sure that you dilute the ACV before intake. The basic ingredient of ACV is acetic acid and this causes certain health problems when taken without dilution. Moreover, large amount of ACV causes reduction in potassium content present in the body. Hence, use ACV in the right way to avoid any side effects.

Apple Cider Vinegar Recipes

If you hate the taste of apple cider vinegar, but want your body to be detoxified in the best possible way, try the following recipe. You will need 1 cup of hot water, 1-2 tablespoons of ACV, 1 lemon and 1 tablespoon of honey, cinnamon. Boil the water and add ACV and honey to the boiled water. Squeeze the lemon and stir thoroughly so that the solution gets mixed. Finally add some cinnamon to get our detoxifier tea ready. If you want ACV to be present as a part of a sauce for salads and greens, the following recipe will come good. The ingredients are 1 cup of organic ACV, 2 tablespoons of seeded Dijon Mustard, ½ tablespoon of curry powder and fresh chives, half lemon and ¾ cup of extra virgin olive oil. All you need to do is, mix all the ingredients together, except olive oil. Squeeze half the lemon to the solution and finally, add olive oil and whisk continuously to get the sauce ready. And yes, you can name it as Apple cider sauce.