Introduction: Vinegar has a bactericidal effect; it can kill Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella, Escherichia coli, Shigella dysenteriae, etc., within 30 minutes. In the hot summer, various intestinal infectious diseases are prone to become prevalent. Adding a little vinegar to cooked dishes, especially cold salads, can kill pathogenic microorganisms.
Preventing Illness in Winter
Bactericidal and preservative effects are vinegar's "specialty." Ancient Chinese records state: "When epidemics are prevalent, heat stones and pour vinegar on them; the steam熏蒸 the residence can effectively expel infectious pestilential qi." In the past, people also pickled fish, meat, and vegetables in vinegar to preserve food, which was a clever practice of the ancients. In an era without preservatives, vinegar and salt were both used as the best preservatives.
Modern medical research has confirmed that vinegar has a strong bactericidal effect; it can kill Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella, Escherichia coli, Shigella dysenteriae, etc., within 30 minutes. In the hot summer, various intestinal infectious diseases are prone to become prevalent. Adding a little vinegar to cooked dishes, especially cold salads, can kill pathogenic microorganisms. Many restaurants and food preparation places now also use vinegar for disinfection. During winter and spring, when respiratory infectious diseases are prevalent, you can add some water to vinegar, heat it on a stove, and let it slowly evaporate in the room, which has a good effect in preventing influenza.
Relieving Fatigue
In daily life, people often feel tired and lethargic, manifesting as stiff shoulders, listlessness, and lower back pain. The reason for this is the acidity of body fluids.
It turns out that when the human body consumes carbohydrates such as starch, they are digested and absorbed into glucose, which enters the liver through the blood and becomes glycogen. It is then transported through the blood to various parts of the body to be burned and converted into heat energy. In the process of burning glycogen, pyruvic acid is generated, which then breaks down into lactic acid. Apart from a small amount of lactic acid excreted through the urethra, a considerable amount remains in the body.
Especially when a person engages in intense exercise or labor, and after consuming large amounts of protein and meat, the amount of lactic acid is even greater. At this time, body fluids become significantly acidic, and the brain or spinal cord is stimulated, leading to fatigue. To change the acidic state of body fluids, you can add a little vinegar to your food when cooking. This can oxidize the accumulated lactic acid in the body, thereby achieving the goal of relieving fatigue.
Digestion and Treating Ailments
Vinegar can treat diseases, which is recorded in the famous Eastern Han physician Zhang Zhongjing's "Jin Gui Yao Lue," and in Li Shizhen's "Ben Cao Gang Mu" of the Ming Dynasty, there are also recorded formulas for treating various diseases with vinegar.
Legend has it that the Tang Dynasty Empress Wu Zetian once suffered from abdominal bloating and stagnation, with no appetite. The imperial physicians in the palace treated her for a long time without success and were very worried. Later, two attendants went out in plain clothes to visit the common people and obtained a secret recipe that vinegar could cure this disease. After Wu Zetian drank a small amount of vinegar daily, her appetite greatly improved. In less than a month, her chronic illness was completely gone.
Vinegar has such a miraculous effect because its main component is acetic acid, which can stimulate the gastric nerves, enhance gastric secretion, and prevent excessive fermentation of food in the stomach, thus acting as an appetizer and relieving stagnation.
In modern clinical applications, vinegar is also used to treat the following diseases: For patients with high blood pressure, regularly consuming vinegar can gradually lower blood pressure and prevent vascular sclerosis; For patients with biliary ascariasis, consuming vinegar can relieve pain; After suffering from atrophic gastritis, gastric acid secretion decreases, and eating a little vinegar can not only increase digestive ability but also treat the disease; For children with mumps, mix a small amount of aged vinegar with aged lime, apply it evenly to the affected area, and it can reduce swelling; For patients with tinea corporis or tinea manuum and pedis, you can apply vinegar to the affected area daily; For mild burns and scalds, washing the affected area with rice vinegar can relieve pain and prevent blisters; If a person accidentally ingests an alkaline poison, immediately drinking a large amount of diluted vinegar can have a first-aid effect.
Beauty and Skin Care
In terms of beauty and skin care, vinegar also has its unique effects, mainly moisturizing, astringent, and alleviating pigmentation of the skin and hair. For example, when eating raw vegetables like carrots, cucumbers, cabbage, and bok choy cold, adding a moderate amount of vinegar can not only prevent the loss of vitamin C in the vegetables but also reduce facial pigmentation and prevent wrinkles; Mixing vinegar and glycerin in a one-to-five ratio and applying it to the skin can make it delicate.
Take one spoonful of vinegar, add 250 grams of cold water and 10 grams of honey, take it before bedtime once a day to make the skin delicate and ruddy; Soak 250 grams of Job's tears in 500 grams of aromatic vinegar, seal and store for 10 days, then take one spoonful of the vinegar liquid daily to improve rough and dull skin; Use two eggs, one spoonful of wheat germ oil, and one spoonful of aromatic vinegar, mix them, and after washing your hair, apply it to the roots of your hair. After half an hour, rinse your hair with clean water to wash away the oil and dirt from the hair, making it black and shiny; Washing your hair with vinegar before going to bed can prevent dandruff.
Seasoning and Nutrition
Vinegar is also one of the main condiments in cooking. It has a fragrant aroma and is the main ingredient for sweet and sour flavor. It can remove fishiness and greasiness and increase umami and aroma. "West Lake Fish in Vinegar Gravy" from the "Louwailou" restaurant in Hangzhou is a famous dish made with vinegar. Vinegar can reduce the loss of vitamin C during the heating process of food, while also making the dish more delicious and stimulating the appetite.
When cooking fish, adding a little vinegar can not only remove the fishy smell but also make the calcium and iron in the food easier to dissolve, which is beneficial for human absorption and utilization; For overly salty, spicy, or greasy foods, adding a little vinegar can reduce the salty and spicy taste, decrease the greasy feeling, and make it more refreshing; When cooking meat, adding a little vinegar can not only make the meat tender faster but also enhance its aroma.