Properties of Apple Cider Vinegar

Apple cider vinegar is made exclusively from pulverized apples in fermentation processes that retain many of the essential minerals and other nutrients present in the apples themselves. There are two fermentation processes in the production of this particular vinegar. The first stage occurs when yeast and sugar are added to turn the apple product into alcohol. A second fermentation process then allows the alcohol to mature into actual vinegar, which is composed primarily of acetic acid. Apple cider vinegar actually carries the same chemical structure as acetic acid: two carbon, four hydrogen and two oxygen atoms which may be written as CH3COOH.

Nutrition

Because of its apple base, apple cider vinegar contains a high level of potassium with lesser amounts of manganese, magnesium, phosphorus and silicon. Additionally, scientists have identified as many as 90 substances in apple cider, vinegar including 13 types of carbolic acids, four aldehydes, 20 ketones, 18 types of alcohols and eight ethyl acetates. In addition to the acetic acid, apple cider vinegar also contains important minerals and trace elements along with propionic acid, lactic acid, enzymes and amino acids. Calcium, chlorine, sodium, sulfur, copper, iron, silicon, and fluorine are also present in varying amounts as are Vitamins C, E, A, B1, B2, B6 and beta-carotene.

The "Mother"

A distinguishing characteristic of apple cider vinegar is the "Mother," which forms as a result of the second fermentation process. This cobweb-like residue is a concentration of accumulated bacteria and enzymes that many commercial producers leave in their products to supplement the many reported benefits of apple cider vinegar. The "Mother" it visible to the naked eye; it looks like sediment in the vinegar itself.

Healing

Unlike many other vinegars, apple cider vinegar is used primarily for healing rather than as a condiment. Reports of the healing properties of apple cider vinegar date as far back as 400 BC, when there is evidence that Hippocrates, the founder of modern medicine, used it as a healing tonic. There are also anecdotal reports dating back to the Revolutionary and Civil Wars that apple cider vinegar was used as both an antiseptic and as a disinfectant.

Recent literature has sought to capitalize on these anecdotal reports and to summarize some of the many varied uses of this vinegar. Probably one of the best-known resources is "Folk Medicine: A Vermont Doctor's Guide to Good Health," by Dr. D. C. Jarvis, which documented the successes of apple cider vinegar as a remedy in treating conditions including arthritis, gout, acne, colds, sinus infections, sore throats, insomnia, and bladder and kidney infections. Some alternative health websites also describe apple cider vinegar as helpful for weight loss, indigestion, as a regulator of blood glucose levels, and as a good detox agent.