If your family is anything like mine, 'tis the season for coughs and colds, indoor gatherings and germs.

 No matter how hard we try to stay well, there's always a good chance some 'bug' will find its way into our systems. 

In many cases the youngest members of the family carry them home, deposit them on every surface anyone could possibly touch and share the misery with the entire family, often include a few friends.

The natural tendency is to declare war on germs as soon as we pack away the summer clothes and as Americans it is encouraged by the marketer's forces around us to seek chemically intensive aids to accomplish the task.

Not only are many of the commercial products made with substances that may have negative health effects, most can be rather expensive.

One of my favorite alternatives for a whole spectrum of remedies and germ killing efforts is the simple bottle of  vinegar most of us have on a shelf right now.

In fact vinegar has a history of medicinal uses that goes back over 4,000 years.  Its a comfort to me in these times of uncertainty about what product safety measures are associated with treatments to know this one is from a product that is safe to swallow and has been used for that many centuries. 

One little taste will tell you that vinegars are acids.  They are made from the fermentation of liquids; most popularly fruits and grains.  Most of us are familiar with the rice, cider and white vinegars that have been staples in everything from making salad dressings to putting up preserves. 

There are a whole spectrum of specialized varieties but since my talents are in the science and functions of food products the uses of exotics from balsamic to malt can be left for one with culinary talents.  My focus are on the ones that come in the gallon jug and for which no kitchen skills at all are required.  Cross my heart, not a one.

Starting with wellness the first choice is an apple cider vinegar.  While an organic is preferable for reasons from supporting sustainable, chemically free products in the market to a purer form to swallow there is no reason the generic can't do every bit as well if that is what is on the shelf at home.

In our house the apple cider vinegar is the ultimate cough and sore throat remedy.  What we make is a bit like a hot, tart cider with a tablespoon of vinegar along with a tablespoon of honey, some boiling water as if you're going to make tea and a good stir to dissolve the whole blend to a drinkable form,. 

When it cools to a comfortable temperature just drink it and you're as good as if you'd taken an over the counter cough remedy or throat numbing concoction, maybe even better but I'm thinking there are probably rules about saying that it is better for anyone but me. 

It is better for me and if we're going to make this personal I'll tell you there are times when a bit of Irish whiskey has been added to mine as well.  It's my variation for the Nyquil effect and it has never failed to give me a wonderful night sleep.

Truthfully I had to go to Wikipedia to find out why exactly it works and was delighted to find some very sound science supporting the old family recipes for many of the uses of cider vinegar.  Some families have food traditions that inspire the taste buds.  My shanty Irish heritage gave me traditions that help economical means to aid survival.

The wonders of my cider vinegar uses go far beyond the simple cough and cold remedy.  It is also the best treatment that we have found for burns.  The kitchen being a place that is a battle ground for me it has been tested thousands of times over the years and it is as close to a miracle as any kitchen aid ever given to me. 

A piece of cloth soaked in cider vinegar applied to a burn will immediately take the heat and pain away. It will nearly undo the burn if left on long enough, generally a bump against an oven rack or grease splatter will take about 20 minutes to feel perfectly comfortable when the cloth is removed.   When it feels good it's done, that's my kind of kitchen tip, there's no way to be wrong.

The list of medicinal uses documented include ailments as serious as pneumonia and practical applications as weed killer and disinfectant.  Though the corn based, white vinegar is the variety more often used for the household chores, the acid element will make any suitable for a good wipe in place of a chemical cleaner. 

It would be easy to go on about the versatility and virtues but cheap and proven effective and environmentally friendly is a good start and the possibilities are endless.  It's nice to see that a sour taste can have a sweet upside by every measure.  If only more of life's choices were so easy to benefit from!


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vinegar  - don't know if its helpful for me to embed or leave it so your option on the wiki link..pd

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