By Dr. Hassan Shamsi Basha
The Prophet (sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) said, ‘Vinegar is a good dip (condiment, something eaten with bread).' (Muslim)
HEALTH BENEFITS
100g of vinegar has only 16 calories. It contains sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, phosphorous, iron, zinc and chlorine.
Ibn Seena wrote in Al-Qanoon fit Tibb (the Canon of Medicine), that vinegar is a powerful clotting agent. If poured on a wound, it stops the bleeding and prevents swelling. It aids digestion and is an expectorant.
Martin-Dale Encyclopaedia of Pharmaceuticals 1989 lists vinegar’s benefits:
To treat poisoning by alkaline substances.
To help reduce fever by applying a cold pad to the forehead soaked with vinegar and water.
To soothe pain of rheumatoid arthritis by applying a pad soaked with vinegar and water to painful joints.
To treat bee and jellyfish stings by applying a mixture of equal amounts of salt and vinegar to the sting.
Professor John Yudkin wrote in the 1986 edition of the Penguin Encyclopedia of Nutrition that Cider vinegar helps in treating joint pain, rhinitis (inflammation of the nose), asthma and gastric disorders and helps in losing weight.
Vinegar is beneficial for the majority of people.
Al Jumuah Vol 12 No. 3
