I’ll bet we can all recite the first verse of this nursery rhyme:
Jack and Jill went up the hill
To fetch a pail of water,
Jack fell down and broke his crown
And Jill came tumbling after.
Now, we might want to stop here and send Jack and Jill to the ER, but the rhyme doesn’t stop here. In the second verse, we find out how Jack mended his “broken crown.”
Up Jack got and home did trot
As fast as he could caper,
To go to bed and mend his head
With vinegar and brown paper.
Vinegar to the Rescue
Vinegar has been used for many, many things as a home remedy. As suggested here, vinegar is used externally as a poultice for bruises and sore muscles. Maybe Jack kept his skin moist with the vinegar with brown paper, but you can use a vinegar-soaked cloth loosely wrapped around the affected part.
Vinegar also helps relieve minor sunburn. Reapply as needed until the heat goes out of the burn. One caution: do not apply the vinegar to broken skin.
For aches when you have overworked, add vinegar to a warm bath to soothe the muscles.
In the desert where it is so dusty and dry, and we wear sandals a lot, even the healthiest feet can get dried out. By soaking your feet in a basin of vinegar water, the alkaline dust is neutralized and the skin can soften up.
I have heard that vinegar will also take care of lice, since they prefer a more alkaline environment. After washing, rinse the lice-infested hair with apple cider vinegar, and comb out with a lice comb. Then dry with a hair dryer since the heat dehydrates and kills the nits.
Internal Uses
Apple cider vinegar can also be taken internally.
To stimulate digestion, take apple cider vinegar one-half hour before eating. Mix 1 tsp. in 6 – 8 ounces water and drink it down. Some health practitioners recommend sipping it throughout the meal. Others say you can add a little honey for taste.
To start off the day, take apple cider vinegar in water as an alternative to lemon juice to alkalize the body.
The Best Kind
For health purposes, unfiltered unpasturized organic apple cider vinegar is best.
There are a lot of products out there that have one or two of those qualifications, so look further until you find one that is organic, unpasturized, and unfiltered. The cloudiness at the bottom is the valuable part; it is called the “mother.” If the vinegar you use is clear, you are missing something.
For those who are on a diet to starve out Candida, and have been advised to avoid vinegar, there is a way around that. Add one gram of Vitamin C to a quart of vinegar, and it shouldn’t feed the Candida.
Vinegar in the Home
Vinegar can also be used for household cleaning purposes. In this case, the cheaper white vinegar will do.
Most anything can be cleaned with baking soda and vinegar to avoid harsh and toxic chemical cleaners.
Being acidic, vinegar will dissolve mineral deposits such as in teapots, steam irons, and around water faucets. It will also take off rust and polish chrome.
It is great for general cleaning and deodorizing, such as in the kitchen and even in the washing machine. Adding one-half cup of vinegar to the rinse cycle in the washer will help remove lint in clothes.
I’m sure there are many more uses of vinegar, and you probably have heard some of these tips for its use.
Next time you are bruised or achy, remember Jack and Jill, and find some vinegar to apply!
