By Laura Kelly, DAOM & Helen Bryman Kelly
We’ve touted the benefits of natural apple cider vinegar, and now here’s another vinegar that packs a bone health punch and helps you reap even more bone-building vitamins and minerals from greens, bone broths, and even grains.
This vinegar is brewed with calcium-rich herbs that are so common they can be found in your backyard. By looking, you may find a stash of calcium-rich herbs—and suddenly you will see these weeds in a new light!
Just one tablespoon of Bone-Building Vinegar contains 350 to 400 mg of calcium (1,000 to 1,200 mg is recommended for menopausal and postmenopausal women). To get that much calcium from food, you’d need to eat: 1 tablespoon of blackstrap molasses; 1 cup (144g) of cooked turnip greens, kale, broccoli, bok choy, or mustard greens; 2 cups (180 g) of cooked collard greens; 2 tablespoons of almond butter or tahini. This vinegar is one of bone health’s closest friends.
Organic apple cider vinegar is the base for infusing the bone-building herbs. Use ingredients that are available near you and in season. You can find fresh herbs at your local farmer’s market, or you can order from suppliers. We do not recommend foraging for yourself unless you have certified professional training in and knowledge of herbology.
Ingredients
(Makes about 2 quarts)
You will need a selection of any five of these bone-building herbs:
Dandelion leaves
Stinging nettle
Horsetail
Red clover
Hound’s-tongue
Motherwort
Mugwort
Mint
Wild arugula
Chickweed
Shepherd’s purse
Oatstraw
Alfalfa
Parsley
Comfrey
Raspberry leaves
Blackberry leaves
Thimbleberry leaves
Sage
Amaranth leaves
Lamb’s-quarter
Kale
Cabbage
Preparation
Fill a jar with fresh well-snipped herbs—you’ll need a lot. Pour in apple cider to cover the herbs. Seal and label the jar with the date. Put the jar in a dark cupboard well away from any exposure to direct sunlight. Wait 6 weeks to strain out the herbs. Aim to take at least a tablespoon of this vinegar per day. Put it on salads or in stir-fries; season beans or grains. A good preventive home remedy is drinking a teaspoon of bone-building vinegar in any amount of filtered water in the morning. Not only does it provide a substantial dose of calcium in a fully natural form, but grandmothers past have said it relieves conditions from minor arthritic pain to acid reflux.
