Vinegar is made when fresh, naturally sweet cider is fermented into an alcoholic beverage (hard cider). Then it is fermented once again. The result is vinegar.

Nobody knows for sure when mankind first discovered this, but most likely vinegar has been around for thousands of years, when man began to ferment fruits to make wine.

What Is Vinegar?
Apple cider vinegar contains more than thirty important nutrients, a dozen minerals, over half a dozen vitamins and essential acids, and several enzymes. Plus, it has a large dose of pectin for a healthy heart.

Vinegar is fermented from sweet apple cider, and takes its honey-gold color from tannins which flow from ruptured cell walls of fresh, ripe apples. When these naturally occurring, colorless preservatives, come into contact with air they develop the rich, golden color associated with cider. This is called enzymatic browning. It contributes to the distinctive flavor of cider.

The exact composition of a particular vinegar depends on what it was made from. Even apple cider vinegar varies with the kind and condition of the apples in it. Partly because of this, medical scientists do not always know exactly how or why it promotes healing. They do know that it is both antiseptic and antibiotic.

Vinegar and Your Skin

Historically, infections on the face, around the eyes, and in the ears have been treated with a solution of vinegar and water. It works because vinegar is antiseptic (it kills germs on contact) and antibiotic (it contains bacteria which is unfriendly to infectious microorganisms).

More recently, vinegar has been used to treat chronic middle ear diseases when traditional drug-based methods fail. One treatment currently being used is irrigation of the ear canal with vinegar.

Doctors are using vinegar as a hospital disinfectant. Some hospitals clean the scrub-room sink with ordinar household vinegar. It works better than commerical products at killing microbes.

Two old-time remedies for treating mild burns were to douse it in vinegar. It is particularly useful for neutralizing alkali burns.

Relieve itchy skin, by patting on apple cider vinegar. If the itch is near the eyes or other delicate areas, dilute the vinegar, 4 parts water to 1 part vinegar. For a full body treatment, put 2 or 3 cups in the bath water. A handful of thyme can help, too.

Dampen a gauze square in apple cider vinegar and apply gently, to ease rectal itching.

Cool the burning of a sunburn by bathing in a tub of lukewarm water, to which a cup of apple cider vinegar has been added. Anytime a sprain or ache needs to be soaked in very hot water, a splash of vinegar in the water will make the water seem cooler.

One reason that vinegar is so helpful in treating skin disorders, is that it has a pH which is nearly the same as healthy skin. So, applying vinegar helps to normalize the pH of the skin's surface.

Vinegar has Fiber!

Vinegar contains complex carbohydrates, as well as dietary fiber. Both complex carbohydrates, and dietary fiber have been recommended by the U.S. Surgeon General to build resistance to cancer.

When vinegar is made from fresh, natural apples, it contains a healthy dose of pectin. Pectin is a soluble fiber. It dissolves in water, making it available for the body to use. In addition to soaking up water, it slows down the absorption of food and liquid in the intestines. Therefore, it stays in the body longer than an insoluble fiber.

As pectin works its slow, gentle way through the digestive system it binds to cholesterol. Then pectin pulls the cholesterol which is bound to it out of the body. Less cholesterol in the body makes for a reduced risk of cardiovascular problems, such as heart attacks and strokes.

Vinegar Aids Digestion!

Apple cider is similar to the chemicals found naturally in the stomach. Because of this, it has traditionally been hailed as an aid to digestion.

It is able to attack and kill harmful bacteria which has invaded the digestive tract. This may lessen the likelihood of the body developing toxemia and other blood-borne infections.

Some doctors suggest regular vinegar use to prevent food poisoning. They recommend its use when visiting questionable restaurants or foreign countries.

Vinegar has Beta Carotene!

Aging, heart disease, cancer, and cataracts are symptoms of the harm done to the human body by free radicals, the "loose cannons" of the cell world. They damage chromosomes and are probably responsible for many of the physical changes associated with aging.

Free radicals roam through plants, animals, and humans, bouncing from cell to cell, damaging each in turn. Antioxidants absorb free radicals, making them harmless. Beta carotene, a carotenoid found in vinegar, is a powerful antioxidant.

Carotenoid occurs naturally in plants such as apples. Vinegar's beta carotene is in a natural, easy to digest form. One example of how this antioxidant contributes to maintaining good health is the way it protects the eye from cataracts. Cataract development is related to oxidation of the eye's lens. This happens when free radicals alter its structure. Studies show that eating lots of antioxidant containing foods decreases the risk of forming cataracts.

A correlation between eating lots of foods containing beta carotene and a lower risk of cancer has also been documented. Researches, in more than 70 different studies, agree beta carotene lowers the risk of getting cancer.