Interesting Uses Of Vinegar

You probably have vinegar in your pantry

You probably have vinegar in your pantry. Did you know that vinegar has been used for many different purposes for thousands of years? It's true. Back in 2000 B.C., vinegar was used for all sorts of things from seasoning, to medicine, to preservative. People even drank it, although that might not sound palatable to us today. Hannibal used vinegar when he crossed the Alps - he dissolved boulders with it!

Today we don't think of vinegar as being a drink, but this wasn't always the case. In ancient Rome, soldiers would drink vinegar on the march. The word vinegar comes from French for "sour wine." Early vinegar was produced when a cask of wine developed a crack. The wine within turned into vinegar.

Wine isn't the only thing that can be fermented into vinegar. Anything with sugar can ferment, but you wouldn't want to taste some of the vinegars that would result. Commercial vinegars are usually developed under controlled conditions using a starter called a "mother."

Most cultures figured out this trick long ago. There are many different types of "mothers," used to create a wide variety of tasty vinegars including apple cider, distilled white, rice wine, red wine, white wine, and basalmics

.Vinegar may actually be healthy for us. Hippocrates, the "Father of Medicine," extolled the healing qualities of vinegar. He used it to treat sores, ulcers, and various wounds.

Don't try that at home, though. Experts agree that, while vinegar does help reduce microbes, it's not the best thing to be putting on wounds. Instead, use it to clean your dentures. It is less damaging to tissues than bleach.

Here's an unusual use for vinegar: midwives in rural areas use it detect human papilloma virus in women. When the acids in vinegar come in contact with HPV-changed tissues, there are visible signs.

Other medical uses for vinegar may also be possible. Studies indicate that vinegar may help lower blood pressure. However, it may also effect calcium. This possible effect is recognizable back to Cleopatra's time. Once, Cleopatra bet someone that she could consume a fortune in a single meal. She won the wager by dissolving pearls in vinegar and drinking them.

Scientists have been looking into the use of vinegar for regulation of blood sugar in diabetics since the late 1980s. Studies indicate that there may be some benefit, but scientists are not ready to start recommending diabetics begin vinegar regimens as part of their care.

by: Gretchen Brown

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