Vinegar is a common condiment on our dining tables. In addition to its delicious taste, it also has many health and medicinal benefits. It is sour and sweet in taste, and neutral in nature. It can promote digestion, whet the appetite, dispel stasis, stop diarrhea with its astringent properties, and detoxify. It is used for greasy food accumulation, indigestion, a preference for sour foods, or diarrhea; epistaxis, hematemesis, hematochezia; sore throat; gastrointestinal discomfort caused by eating fish, meat, vegetables, or mushrooms; and viral hepatitis. In what aspects can we usually use vinegar in our daily lives?
1. For those with constipation, drinking an appropriate amount of white water with vinegar daily can moisten the intestines and promote bowel movements. Additionally, vinegar can regulate the body's acid-base balance and help maintain the relative stability of the body's internal environment.
2. Adding vinegar to food can aid digestion and help absorb nutrients from the food. It has antibacterial properties and can kill bacteria in the intestines such as Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, and Shigella dysenteriae.
3. Vinegar can whet the appetite, promote the secretion of saliva and gastric juice, aid digestion and absorption, increase appetite, and resolve food stagnation.
4. For the elderly, drinking a moderate amount of vinegar can dilate blood vessels and lower cholesterol, making it a good remedy for patients with hypertension and other cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases.
5. For those who love beauty, vinegar can help the body convert excess fat into energy for consumption and promote the metabolism of sugars and proteins, which can prevent and treat obesity.
6. Washing your face with vinegar water can increase moisture and nutrients in skin cells, restore the skin's luster and elasticity, soften the stratum corneum, whiten the skin, and kill bacteria to make the skin delicate and smooth. Furthermore, applying a mixture of vinegar and glycerin to the skin yields even better results.
7. Vinegar can relieve fatigue, promote sleep, and alleviate symptoms such as motion sickness and seasickness.
8. Vinegar can also soften chicken bones and shark fins and promote calcium absorption.
It should be noted that no matter how strong your stomach is, it is not advisable to drink vinegar on an empty stomach, as this can stimulate excessive gastric acid secretion and damage the stomach lining. Drinking vinegar between meals or one hour after a meal is less irritating to the stomach and can also aid digestion. Many women like to use the popular fruit vinegar for weight loss, but they are unaware that fruit vinegar is actually a sugary drink, and its calorie content is not to be underestimated. Consuming too much of it not only fails to aid in weight loss but may even lead to weight gain!