Vinegar Mother (Mother of Vinegar)

Wikipedia describes vinegar mother as “A substance composed of a form of cellulose and acetic acid bacteria that develops on fermenting alcoholic liquids, which turns alcohol into acetic acid with the help of oxygen from the air.”

Think of it as a vinegar starter which can be added to wine or other alcoholic liquids in order to produce vinegar.

If you see some in store bought vinegar do not be alarmed as it is totally harmless. The vinegar is still useable but if you wish to remove the mother it can be done using a coffee filter.

Why Would You Want to Keep Mother of Vinegar?

Established thinking among “vinegar home remedy” users is that mother of vinegar is necessary for effective treatment. Unfortunately the nice clear bottles of vinegar you buy in grocery stores are that way because of filtering and pasteurization. This process not only kills the mother, but also kills all the nutrients and health promoting ingredients of the vinegar. I buy Bragg Apple Cider Vinegar and have been very happy with the results I get from it. I have provided a link here for you if you would like to try some yourself.

 

Vinegar that includes the mother should give you the following health benefits:

• antibacterial and antifungal properties
• treatment of sunburn (this is a good one)
• prevent dandruff or an itchy scalp
• maintain youthful skin
• weight loss
• improved digestion
• soothing of sore throats
• an elixir to fight germs

My recommendation therefore is to purchase only vinegar that still has the mother of vinegar intact.

Does it Really Add to the Potential Benefits?

I recently received an email from one of my readers who said, "The so-called 'mother' in apple cider vinegar is simply processed inactive bacteria, and has no additional, beneficial, or magical properties. Bragg uses it as a marketing tool."

Well this is debatable. Perhaps "the mother" does not add to the benefits you already obtain from drinking the vinegar itself but that doesn't really matter.

As I said to my reader (read the full version here) the important thing is that its presence in the bottle is proof to you that the product has not been filtered or pasteurized. When vinegar is pasteurized all the inherent goodness is killed. The acidic properties of the product will still provide some benefits but the healthy nutrients it contained are no longer vibrant and full of health. The product is basically dead.

If the presence of vinegar mother is upsetting to you feel free to use a coffee filter to remove it. It doesn't have to be there in order for you to obtain all the benefits of drinking the vinegar but it should be in the bottle when you make your purchase.

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