Is Mother Of Vinegar Healthy?

The perception of whether mother of vinegar has any health value depends on who you ask. Advocates of apple cider vinegar believe that the "mother" a slimy, stringy blob that forms in unpasteurized apple cider vinegar from the actions of bacteria during slow fermentation, has numerous health benefits. Registered dietitian Carol Johnston, Ph.D., of the University of Arizona points out that the claims for mother of vinegar are purely anecdotal and have no proven clinical data to back them up in an article published in the May 2006 "Medscape General Medicine."

Components

Mother of vinegar consists of cellulose, a type of fiber, and bacteria needed to ferment apple cider into vinegar, including acetobacter, which produces acetic acid. These components are considered harmless, according to The Vinegar Institute. Pasteurization prevents formation of mother of vinegar, so you won't find it in commercially produced pasteurized products. Producers of unpasteurized apple cider vinegar such as Bragg state that the acidity of the product kills potentially harmful bacteria such as E. coli.

Uses

Some alternative medicine practitioners believe mother of vinegar has antibacterial and antifungal properties. They advocate use of mother of vinegar for flushing toxins, weight loss, stomach problems and treating sore throat. Some claim anti-cancer benefits from the mixture. Mother of vinegar used externally to prevent dandruff or itchy scalp or to treat sunburn. In the Philippines, people use sweetened mother of vinegar to make traditional desserts.

Clinical Proof

Clinical studies have neither proven nor disproven claims that mother of vinegar has health benefits. Without clinical studies, claims of positive benefits remain anecdotal. Anecdotal evidence, by definition non-scientific, may still contain some truth as yet unproven.

Considerations

The best that can currently be said about mother of vinegar is that it won't hurt you. You can save the mother of vinegar from one batch to use a starter for a new batch, according to the University of Georgia Cooperative Extension Service.