Apple Cider Vinegar and Honey: A simple remedy for painful arthritic swellings

Remember to try the simple things for they often work well. Folk medicine holds a rich repository of gentle and effective herbal wisdom.

I was sitting at dinner next to my dad and took his hand for a moment. I was stunned to feel red-hot heat under my fingertips. I saw him wince with pain. I asked him what was going on and he told me that his joints had started to swell all of a sudden. His hands had been hurting more and more over the past few weeks. I investigated with my fingertips and sure enough, on top and underneath of the joints in each of his fingers were hard, hot nodules. I suggested he use a mix of equal amounts of raw, unpasteurized apple cider vinegar and raw honey. He was to stir a tablespoon of each into a glass of water and drink that daily.I asked him fairly regularly how he was doing and he said he thought it might be working but wasn’t sure. The next time I was with him, about 2 weeks later, I checked his hands and the nodules were down by about half. He still wasn’t sure it was working!I see that this is a common reaction among people in the midst of their healing process. It is hard to acknowledge gradual progress for some reason. We often need other people to reflect for us what they see. (This is true of both physical and emotional healing.) I showed him that they were half the size and he noted that with some interest.Two weeks later, his hands didn’t hurt anymore and the swellings were gone! He said he likes the mix now and will continue it anyway. That’s great, because this old home remedy (a favorite of Doctor Jarvis, whose 1958 book on Vermont folk medicine sold over one million copies) is also great for digestion and re-mineralization of our bones. It is also generally immune strengthening, nourishes our nervous systems and helps with energy and increasing flexibility in our joints. Simple medicine, filled with green blessings.