There are a lot of things that can happen when you are pregnant that you don't necessarily find out until you actually have a bun in the oven. I had this experience when I was expecting my son a couple years ago. Before getting pregnant, no one ever told me that it is actually fairly common for pregnant women to get warts for the first time, because you have so many extra growth hormones in your body. I must have been producing a lot, because by the time I was 6 months pregnant I had over 30 warts on my knee (yes, I know that is disgusting- I was just as if not more mortified than you;) ). I had never had a wart before, and this was just gross! Luckily they were very small, but because there were so many I didn't think it would be cost or time effective to individually burn each one off.

But then someone told me to try apple cider vinegar- really? That nasty smelling stuff you use in cooking? I was desperate so I decided to plug my pregnant nose and get to it. I dipped a rag in a bowl of apple cider vinegar and wrapped it around my knee. I repeated this every half hour or so for a day or two (I was pregnant so any excuse to sit down was welcome;) ). I was expecting to be really stinky for a couple days- what I wasn't expecting was for it to actually work! Within those couple of days, the warts turned grey, and while a couple of the bigger ones needed some additional help from my good friend Compound W, most of them disappeared on their own! What a relief to have my knee back!

I have since discovered that apple cider vinegar has a whole list of things it has been claimed to cure. I have known that people that use it to wash their dog, disinfect cuts, and clear up their skin by using it as a facial cleanser. While I may not be willing to totally convert to apple cider vinegar, it's kind of fun and interesting to read about the things that it can supposedly do. Here is a list of some of the uses I found:

- Prevent heartburn

- Helps you sleep better

- Soothe a sunburn

- Relieve bug bites

- Whiten your teeth

- Clear up acne and wrinkles

- Get rid of foot and body odor

- Help a sore throat

- Clear up dandruff

- Add shine and body to your hair

- Help lower or regulate blood sugars (this one had many sources backing it up, which I find fascinating!)

- Detox your body

- Use as an aftershave (of course, I can't say I would love that smell… ;) ).

- Can help with gas or other digestive issues

- Some premature studies have shown that apple cider vinegar could prevent cancer and lower cholesterol!

I'm not sure I totally believe all of these, but it's kind of fun to think about, isn't it? I wouldn't mind trying a couple of these- it worked on warts, it might help some other stuff too;).

However, just a word of caution before trying any of these; I would definitely research before trying it yourself. Just because it worked on one person does not mean it will work for everyone. A lot of things I read could only be backed up by a couple testimonials. And using too much vinegar could be damaging (for example, when whitening your teeth, you could actually strip your teeth enamel if you go overboard with the vinegar). And of course, keep in mind that I am not a doctor, so it might be wise to seek medical advice before trying some of these;).

Have you ever tried apple cider vinegar for anything other than recipes? How did it turn out? I would love to hear all about it!