Apple Malus domestica


Malus domestica
  • Common Names
  • Apple , Apple cider vinegar, wine vinegar
  • Botanical Name
  • Malus domestica
  • Syn. M.sylvestris
  • Family
  • ROSACEAE
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Medicinal Uses & Benefits of Apple

remedyHow to Use| Side Effects | Plant & Garden| Folklore

How to Use: Apple


“The man in the moon drinks claret
But he is a dull Jack a dandy
Would he know a sheeps head from a Carrot
He should learn to drink cider and brandy.”
Song of Mad Tom in Midsummer Night's Dream

The old folks really knew a good thing when they saw it. "An apple a day keeps the doctor away"; this humble fruit can help prevent two of the major lifestyle diseases of modern life, diabetes and heart disease. Apples contain malic and tartaric acids, and salts of potassium, sodium, magnesium, and iron. They also contain soluble fiber, which can lower cholesterol, help prevent plaque buildup in your arteries, and slow the uptake of glucose, helping you maintain healthy blood sugar levels. 3,4,5

Herbalists consider apples to be cleansing and tonic to the liver and kidneys. The best of the medicinal compounds are contained in the apple peel, so buy organic whenever possible and always wash thoroughly.5

Apple cider vinegar is such a useful and versatile substance, truly no household should be without it. You can't go wrong with something that is good to eat, prevents hair loss, softens skin, and cleans and disinfects the bathroom to boot. When it is made from whole, crushed apples vinegar contains all the nutrition of apples, with some added enzymes and amino acids formed by fermentation. 125 The mother of all home remedies for arthritis is 2 to 3 tablespoons of ACV mixed with honey every day. This simple remedy has so much anecdotal evidence of its benefit that I can think of no reason for anyone with arthritis not to try it. If nothing else cut down on calories by substituting a fresh vinaigrette salad dressing with herbs for the calorie laden, bottled kind to help increase weight loss. Vinegar is often touted for its alkalizing, effect as a balance to the many acid producing foods we tend to overeat, like meats and grains. There is some disagreement over whether vinegar, which is an acidic substance, makes the body more acidic, which acts to prevent food poisoning by killing harmful bacteria, 1 or whether it indeed has alkalizing, effect on the body. In any case, there is wide agreement that two or three tablespoons of vinegar as a daily tonic works to decrease inflammation, increase metabolism, and may help to alleviate the crippling pain of arthritis.3

The entire apple tree is useful in home and herbal medicine. In addition to the fruit of the apple tree, its bark, flowers, and leaves all have healthy properties. Herbalists use the apple tree much like its cousin the rose, for its astringent properties. The inner bark of the apple tree as well as blossoms are an astringent tonic, and can be used as an infusion for sore throats. The wild crab apple tree is considered better than modern cultivars for use in herbal medicine. 2

Preparation Methods & Dosage :Eat organic apples! To help bulk up watery stools, bake an apple pie with the peel on, or make some homemade apple sauce. Vinegar is used to preserve herbs, and herbs add healthy properties and taste to the vinegar. Strive for two tablespoons of vinegar a day in your diet. Add vinegar to baths and hair rinses. You can use vinegar for most everyday cleaning tasks. It is naturally anti-fungal and leaves the bathroom, windows, and glass ware clean and shiny. The best way to clean fresh produce is a solution of one part vinegar to three parts cold water, which removes 98 percent of the bacteria. Combine vinegar with baking soda, add a few drops of antibacterial essential oils and you can clean just about anything.

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Apple Remedies

In the Kitchen:

fruit vinegarYou can also buy vinegars infused with herbs and spices, but you can easily make your own infused vinegars at home using herbs, spices and fruits. It is a great way to preserve the best of the autumn harvest of herbs from your garden, and you end up with a much fresher, better product. Here are some easy and tasty recipes.

Apple Side Effects: Apple seeds are toxic - try not to eat them with your apple, and never consume more than one apples worth of seeds.

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Plant Description


  • Flowers: Spring blossoms are white with a pink tinge that gradually fades, five petaled
  • Plant Class: deciduous tree
  • Leaves: Alternate,simple green ovals
  • Fruit: Large, round edible fruits which ripen from green to red or yellow. The center of the fruit apple contains five carpels arranged in a five-point star, each carpel containing one to three seeds
  • Preferred Habitat:
  • Flowering Season:Spring, fruit matures in autumn
  • Distribution: The many varieties of apples that exist today are descended from the wild crab apple believed to be a native of central asia. Apples were imported to North America with the colonists in the 1600s.


History and Traditions & Folklore

Vinegar was considered a medicine by the Egyptians, Romans and prescribed by Hippocrates (Greece) for internal and external protection against many diseases. Caesar's armies used vinegar as a beverage, Helen of Troy bathed in it to relax. During the First World War medics used vinegar to treat soldiers' wounds.

The word vinegar comes from the French word "vinaigre" which means "sour wine." When the wine was first made, natural sugars were fermented into alcohol. Over time, bacteria in the air transformed the alcohol into acetic acid, also known as ethanoic acid, which is the organic chemical compound best recognized for giving vinegar its sour taste and pungent smell.


Fruit trees came almost with the first Pilgrims and each small farm had its orchard. A Mr. Willaim Blaxton had an orchard at the foot of Beacon Hill in Boston as early as 1625. Apples were most popular for the making of cider, and apple cider is still an iconic beverage of Thanksgiving celebrations
The apple is featured in many love spells

tartaric
Nicholas Culpeper, 1653

References:
books citedWorks Cited
  1. Adele Dawson. "Herbs: Partners in Life" Healing Arts Press, (2000) Apple cider vinegar can turn the alkaline-acid balance in our bodies in favor of acid, which is a preventative against food poisoning. 2 teaspoons in a glass of water daily. Drinking a glass of wine with a meal has the same effect.
  2. Crellin, John K., Jane Philpott. "Herbal Medicine Past and Present" Duke University Press, (1990) Herbalists use the apple tree much like its cousin the rose, for its astringent properties. The inner bark of the apple tree as well as blossoms are an astringent tonic, and can be used as an infusion for sore throats.
  3. Orly, Cal. "The Healing Powers of Vinegar" Kinsington Books, (January 1,) Potassium in apple cider vinegar promotes cell, tissue, and organism growth.
  4. Weiss, Gaea and Shandor. "Healing Herbs, The" Rodale, (1985) Apples contain malic and tartic acids, and salts of potassium, sodium, magnesium, and iron. They are slightly laxative, calming, and purging. In herbal medicine, apples are regarded as having a cleansing influence on the liver, colon, spleen, and kidneys.
  5. Dr. Arthur Agatston . Cholesterol-Lowering Snacks , TheSouthBeachDietTMNewsletter_20100303, (March 2010): Research shows that the antioxidants in apple peels can slow down the oxidation of LDL cholesterol and help prevent plaque buildup. Since it is important to eat the peels, buy organic if possible and always wash fruit throughly.,
  6. Ericksen, Marlene. "Healing with Aromatherapy" McGraw-Hill, (2000) The best way to clean fresh produce is a solution of one part vinegar to three parts cold water, which removes 98 percent of the bacteria. Combine vinegar with baking soda, add a few drops of antibacterial essential oils and you can clean just about anything.