When something troubles me, I tend to seek the most natural solution. So, when my allergies started getting the better of me this summer it was Apple Cider Vinegar that I found most commonly listed as the best natural remedy.

I’d been hearing it praised for a long time as a kind of cure-all miracle tonic. Finally reaching my wit’s end with these pesky allergies, I decided it was time to try it out.

I was drawn to the old timey label of the Bragg brand Apple Cider Vinegar; a beautiful yellow sticker that looked similar to the “Farmer’s Almanac.” I plucked the bottle from the shelf and hurried home to end these allergies once and for all.

There were no instructions. I consulted the Internet to figure out just what to do with this magical, amber liquid with its off-putting sediment at the bottom.

My search offered up a thousand uses for Apple Cider Vinegar; everything from removing warts to washing windows. The Bragg website itself even suggests that it can strengthen an immune system, control your weight and “remove body sludge toxins.”

Perusing trustworthy instructions, I noticed that for almost every use the directions were the same; two tablespoons vinegar diluted in 8oz. of water. Easy enough.

I prepared a glass and drank proudly. Then I sputtered and coughed and felt my face contort horrifically in disagreement with this foul taste.

Its description on the company website Bragg.com touts that it’s made from “delicious organic apples” but the deliciousness doesn’t seem to have translated well to its new state. The taste of it is not entirely awful but you definitely know you’re drinking vinegar.

I’ve since ventured outside of the box, being so bold as to consume Apple Cider Vinegar with an all new, genius method; one tablespoon in one glass of water, then another tablespoon in a second glass of water. This has indeed rendered it a bit more palatable.

Most astoundingly however, within an hour, my allergy symptoms had subsided. I believe that Bragg Apple Cider Vinegar works. It may be psychosomatic, sure.

Perhaps the punishment upon my tongue has just distracted my mind from my allergies but I haven’t noticed any body sludge toxins or spotty windows lately either.

Rating: A