Natural healing: A warming apple cider vinegar recipe that helps boost your immune health

 Apple cider vinegar (ACV) is a popular superfood ingredient for beverages, salad dressings and pickled foods. It is also often used as a natural ingredient for non-toxic cleaning solutions.

This winter, you can also use apple cider vinegar to make a natural remedy that offers several health benefits, such as promoting digestive health and boosting your immune system.

Detailed below is a recipe from herbal medicine educator Erica Kuo, who shares that taking the apple cider vinegar mixture can help you boost your immune health this winter.

Warming spicy apple cider vinegar recipe

Apple cider vinegar is made by fermenting apple juice. ACV is a popular ingredient for natural health remedies.

According to Kuo, apple cider vinegar contains yeast that can help suppress appetite. Combined with a balanced diet and regular exercise, incorporating apple cider vinegar into your routine can help you achieve your weight management goals.  

During winter, use superfoods like honey, apple cider vinegar and warming spices and herbs to create an immune-boosting tonic.

In the West, this herbal tonic is often called oxymel. The ancient Greek word "oxymeli" translates to "acid and honey." Oxymel is an herbal extraction of vinegar and raw honey.

Below is Kuo's personal recipe for a spicy apple cider vinegar mixture.

Ingredients:

• 4 to 5 cups apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 cup horseradish
• 1/2 cup onion
• 1/4 cup garlic
• 1/4 cup ginger slices
• 1/4 cup ginseng
• 2 to 3 chili peppers
• 1/4 to 1/3 cup honey (To taste)

Preparation:

1. Chop all of the ingredients and place them in a half-gallon sterilized glass bottle. Pour in the apple cider vinegar to cover all the ingredients by about two inches.
2. Cover the bottle with baking paper and place the cap on the bottle to seal it.
3. Shake the bottle every day for two weeks until all the ingredients are fully submerged and mixed well with the apple cider vinegar.
4. Store the bottle in the warmest cabinet in your kitchen and let it sit for one month.
5. After one month, pour and filter the residue. Pour the spicy apple cider vinegar into a clean container. Add honey until you reach your desired sweetness and stir well.
6. Store the spicy apple cider vinegar mixture in a cool kitchen cabinet until next spring.

How to use:

• For mild cold symptoms, add one teaspoon of the spicy apple cider vinegar mixture to one cup of warm water before drinking. Take the mixture three to four times a day.
• Add the ACV mixture to salads for seasoning.
• Add the apple cider vinegar mixture to oranges, apples, blueberries and sesame leaves to make a healthy and nutritious side dish.
• Apply the spicy apple cider vinegar mixture on sore muscles and joints to relieve discomfort.

The superfood ingredients of warming apple cider vinegar

Combining raw apple cider vinegar, which offers unique health benefits, with other superfoods like honey, is a great way to enjoy the benefits of both.

You can also make ACV oxymel to extract and ingest supportive herbs, especially pungent ones that aren't always pleasant to take on their own.

Horseradish (Armoracia rusticana) promotes gastric acid secretion and appetite. When a cold or fever sets in, horseradish can help induce sweating and improve respiratory and urinary infections.

Chili pepper supports heart function, especially irregular or weak heartbeat, poor blood circulation and cold limbs. Chili peppers also help invigorate the body and can promote gastrointestinal digestion and increase gastric secretion.

Ginger warms the stomach and intestines, promotes blood circulation, improves cold hands and feet in winter, enhances immune health and strengthens the body's anti-inflammatory function.

It can also help induce sweating, reduce fever, and relieve nausea caused by certain food smells. Additionally, ginger can promote healthy bowel function.

Onions and garlic are rich in beneficial flavonoids and polyphenols, of which allicin is the most important component. Both have antiviral, antioxidant, immune health-boosting and anti-inflammatory effects.

American or Korean ginseng can help activate blood circulation and enhance the body's resilience during stressful situations.

Aside from the ingredients used in the recipe above, some herbalists may recommend adding other medicinal herbs such as rosemary, thyme or turmeric.

Rosemary can help stimulate healthy blood circulation and support optimal brain function. Because it promotes intracranial blood circulation, recent studies suggest that rosemary, like sage, can help prevent Alzheimer's disease, dementia, memory loss, loss of smell and vision loss.

Rosemary also helps boost digestive health and relieves flatulence, dizziness, headaches and fever.

Thyme can boost your immune system and has antibacterial and antimicrobial effects.

Turmeric is a natural "cleansing" ingredient that can purify the blood, aid metabolism and promote liver health. The spice can also help relieve fever, cramps and menstrual pain.

Kuo warns that if you have low blood pressure, you should reduce your consumption of garlic and onions.

If you have hypertension (high blood pressure), add cinnamon to spicy apple cider vinegar to boost its flavor and sweetness. Cinnamon and garlic can prevent blood coagulation, so skip the cinnamon and garlic if you are taking anticoagulants.

If you don't have horseradish, replace it with turmeric.

You should avoid apple cider vinegar if:

• You have frequent gastroesophageal reflux. Although herbs are added to spicy apple cider vinegar, if you have a weak gastrointestinal tract you shouldn't consume it on an empty stomach. Drink it during or after meals.
• You have high blood pressure, diabetes, or are on diuretics. Start with a small amount to gradually adapt to taking apple cider vinegar.
• You have sensitive teeth. Always rinse your mouth immediately after drinking apple cider vinegar.