by Pam Uher

Created on: February 18, 2010   Last Updated: February 19, 2010

Vinegar is perhaps one of nature’s most valuable gifts to humanity!  It is a “Green” cleaning agent and has many alternative health remedy treatment uses. Besides being inexpensive cooking and food preservative and flavor enhancer, pet care resource and healthy alternative personal care elixir.

Many of the ‘old ways’ people used vinegar are still economical, organic and natural; not chemically tainted or invasive to humans or pets. The “vin aigre” (sour wine), as the French call vinegar, is usually made from sweet fruits, vegetables and grains: grapes, apples, raspberries, peaches and starchy grains like rice and barley (malt vinegar). You can literally make vinegar from any organic product that has sugar in it.

Vinegar is a very ancient distilled product that has been used by various cultures for centuries. Ancient Egyptian and Roman records indicate they used it as a flavoring, medicine, and preservative for various foods. The Christian Bible records health uses for the bitter liquid. Diaries from the American Civil War tell how field doctors used vinegar when treating battle wounds. Pickling food in vinegar was a very important way to keep vegetables from spoiling, long before refrigeration existed.

Why did my mother always use vinegar? Sometimes she grabbed the white stringent smelling liquid kept in the pantry and other times she pulled out the brown apple cider vinegar crock jug that Grandpa kept in the shed. She knew hundred’s of uses for the versatile stinky and all natural liquid.

What our grandparents knew was Vinegar will kill most bacteria and fungus when applied directly (at various strength levels) to afflicted areas. But, here are some diverse and specific benefits vinegar offers today in the modern world.

Health Benefits Include:

Use as a mouthwash, indigestion aid, poison ivy remedy, sunburn relief, wart removal, foot corn removal, remedy for bacterial and fungus afflictions (like athlete's foot), helps with control of diabetes, reduces inflammation, combats gout attacks, relieves fatigue and muscle cramps and seems to enhance weight loss.

Benefits for Your Pets Include:

Use as a pet rinse when washing the dog, ear cleaning agent, de-skunking a pet solution, insect spray to keep flies off horses, also a great horse hoof care agent, for Thrush and other foot fungus infections, keeps cats from eating plants,deodorizer and sanitation of pet toys

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