Respiratory problems are very common in people, especially flu and common cold. Problems like sore throat and bronchitis are also seen in most people.
Though there are chemical medicinal treatments available for flu, but many people take it as insignificant and ignore it. The medical treatments people take just suppress the symptoms rather than curing. These medications also interfere with natural immune system of the body.
Though, the cold and flu don’t last that long, home remedies can be used to lessen the impact and cure it to some extent.
Cough and cold can be very irritating, making you lose concentration and draining energy out of you. There is a simple answer to this problem – apple cider vinegar. People have been using it as a home remedy for a long time. Its effectiveness is widely known and accepted. The tangy natural healing agent, consumed in a small amount or diluted can be very beneficial.
Apple cider vinegar is apple in its fermented state. It is full of sodium, iron, magnesium, phosphorous, potassium, calcium, pectin, vitamin B1, B2, B6, biotin, vitamin C, folic acid, etc.
How does apple cider vinegar treat cough and cold?
Apple cider vinegar is among those famous home remedies for cold and flu. Its antiviral, antifungal and antibacterial properties makes it so sought after by many. It kills cold causing germs and helps reduce the effects caused by the germs.
Cough, colds and flues increase the acids in the body’s pH level. Although apple cider vinegar is a acidic compound, it balances the increase of acids by its alkaline effect. This was proved by Kreb’s Cycle Theory. Alkalized body is the worst environment for germs, so hence they perish, leaving you healthy.
Potassium present in vinegar helps the body to decrease the production of mucus and makes the mucous clear and liquid. It also helps in decreasing irritation in nose and eyes, caused by the flu germs
Taking a tablespoon or two of apple cider vinegar can not only help in treatment but protects you from further contamination.
It can also be helpful for reducing chest infections and allergies you get from cold.
How to use apple cider vinegar for cold?
Apple cider vinegar can be used with many other herbs to improve its effectiveness. You can also add honey for better taste. There are many methods you can use apple cider vinegar. Some of them are:
- Add 1 to 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar in a glass of water and drink it up twice or thrice a day.
- You can mix a spoon of honey in the glass of warm water with 1-2 spoon apple cider vinegar to make the taste better as well as gain benefits of honey. Honey is also good for your health, especially to fight with cold.
- You can also mix 1 – 2 spoons of apple cider vinegar in different kinds of juices like apple juice, orange juice, etc. instead of using water. You can even mix it in a cup of green tea.
- You can use other herbs like ginger, cinnamon, pepper, etc. and different types of oils like olive oil and essential oil to make herbs infused drink for colds.
- You can drink it throughout the day in a much diluted form by mixing one-eighth of a cup of apple cider vinegar in 16 ounces of water.
- Add it to foods like salads, sauces, marinades, etc. too and use it creatively.
You should also make sure to rinse your mouth with clear drinking water as it can erode enamel of teeth. You should also not take it with other medications as it is highly reactive.
To relieve chest congestion soak a piece of brown paper in apple cider vinegar and coat one side with black pepper and press it against your chest for some minutes. You can also put some drops of it on your pillow before sleeping to get the aroma all night long.
Gargle your throat with a glass of water with 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar to get rid of throat irritation.
Apple cider vinegar found as products are not organic and must not be used frequently. The nutritional values differ from one brand to another and ingredients sometimes do not match with what is written on the labels in non-organic ones.