RECIPES

11/17/2009: Michele from Brisbane, Qld, Australia writes: "Hi, firstly thank-you for everyone's input it's been very interesting to read differing comments and feedback. My question is this: What do you think about mixing Aloe Vera juice in with the Apple Cider Vinegar remedy? I spoke to the local Health Store owner and she thinks that mixing 50mls of Aloe juice, 40mls of ACV, 10mls of Manuka honey, 250mls of water and 1/4 teaspoon of Bicarb is the way to go... Please advise?

I am interested in trying Apple Cider Vinegar for many benefits, but mostly to help with my asthma. I am wondering if there is any reason that I can't just add it to my morning smoothie. Most of the recipes I see combine it with something sour (lemon, tomato juice, etc) so I wonder if the natural sugar in fruit reacts with it. I make my smoothies with a cup of light vanilla soy milk, 2 tbls. fat free greek yogurt, 6-8 frozen strawberries, 1/3 cup frozen blueberries, about half a frozen banana and flax seeds. I tried adding a little ACV this morning and I even kind of like the sour taste it creates.

Just wondering if anyone had any info. Thanks!"

[YEA]  11/13/2009: Tams from Chicago, Illinois writes: "I have been taking the acv drink off and on for a couple of years. I am bad about taking multiple doses in a day so I usually end up with just a morning dose. I also do not do a "full" dose. My recipe has been 1 tsp of organic, raw acv, 1 tsp of honey, 8oz of water. With this recipe first thing in the morning before any other food and a waiting time of 30-60 minutes before eating I notice I always have a great bowel movement soon after. Also, while there are small, almost unnoticable benefits, like having a cold for two days instead of ten, I mostly notice the benefits when I stop drinking it for several days. I suddenly feel sicker, more unhealthy and have less energy. After reading all these posts, I plan on increasing my daily dose to the two tablespoon dosage to get the full effects of acv. ACV is also known for balancing your pH levels, too.

On another note, I'm not sure why honey is frowned upon in the recipe. If it is because of the sugar aspect then I have a suggestion. For the last year I have used raw agave nectar in my drink instead of honey. Agave nectar has no glycemic index, making it safe for diabetes. It also does not spoil, like honey, has a similar although lighter taste and texture, but mixes a lot quicker and fully compared to honey, even in cold water. I put in just a little more than a tsp in my concoction. With agave I can add more if I need to without worrying about glucose levels. (I am not diabetic, but more hypoglycemic so I need to be careful.) Hope this is helpful to those who need some sweet to their drink!"

[YEA]  11/03/2009: Anita from St. Petersburg , Florida, Usa writes: "My brother and son came up with a similar recipe, 2 teaspoons each of apple cider vinegar and pure honey in glass of cold water, and found that a dash of Lemon extract added made it taste just like lemonade! You don't taste the vinegar or honey, just the lemon flavor. Further, in hot weather, put the glass in the freezer for a few minutes and it becomes like a 'slushy'! I have used the honey & cider vinegar since 2003 and found it knocks a sore throat or cold right out."

10/21/2009: Sunny from Milwaukee, Wi writes: "Two Cautions about how to take ACV: I noticed that there is a SUGGESTION to NOT combining ACV and baking soda. NEVER NEVER do this! Vinegar and baking soda combined is used as a natural DRAIN CLEANER and also to make pretend volcanos to amuse children...it creates a chemical reaction that is VERY dangerous to ingest. It foams and emits a gas..and is powerful enough to clean blocked drains. YOu don't want this in your body! Please post this info for your readers. I was alarmed that anyone would do this!

Secondly, someone asked about taking ACV straight. It is not recommended by health professionals, because there is the possibility of acid burns in the throat. It depends on the person, but it's happened. It's very acidic, and not a good idea to take straight, just to be safe. Mix it up with something! That's all..thanks!"

10/18/2009: Mary F. from Jacksonville, Fl writes: "Hello all ACV fans! Well I have been in the kitchen trying all kinds of recipes & I have used my 3 children as guinea pigs! Here's their votes:

Getting an (A ) grade = Warm apple cider with a shot of ACV (YOU can not taste the ACV)!!!!!! This is my personal favorite! I am wondering why I haven't heard anyone use this one??? Please let me know if there is some kind of problem with this way for health benefits.

Getting a (B ) grade = Orange Juice & Lemon Juice ACV

Getting a (B-) grade = Cranberry Juice ACV

Hope that helps!

Mary (From Jacksonville Fl) :0)"

09/25/2009: Rick Suddes from Ojai, Ca, Usa writes: "I made up some strong Thai Oolong Tea using purified water. On the Bragg Health Drink it says 1-2 tablespoons of vinegar, 8 oz of purified water and honey to taste. To use as a heath drink. I replaced the purified water with purified Thai Oolong Tea. Does anyone know that this is safe to drink. Say,three 8oz glass's a day????"

I have had a hard time getting started with the thought of the taste of ACV yet I realize I need to get on the bandwagon because I've been dealing with this horrid sinus, postnasal drip, Bronchi, etc.and feel for all you others who have so graciously put all your private experiences for everyone to peruse. I say a prayer you all will be soon and forever healed! Here's a simple trick to make it more desirable:

11/2 cups Water
2 whole Cinnamon
Sticks
24 Whole Cloves

Boil these for 10 minutes then strain into a cup. Add 2 tablespoons Honey and your Lovely ACV yum yum stir well had your 2 Cinnamon Sticks and sip for a Wonderful Potion for those late nights kept up by a hacking cough. Cheers To Your Health!"

[YEA]  07/12/2009: Will from Henderson, NV, USA writes: "I started taking ACV as a cure for gout, and have not had any attacks in the 1 1/2 yrs that I have been taking it. I HATE the taste (and smell) of vinegar, but I do like apple cider, so what I do, is every morning, I put 2 tablespoons of ACV in a large glass, and fill the glass with a good, natural apple juice. Tastes like cider to me! I do use organic ACV. After much research on these sites concerning the benefits of ACV, I will continue to make my "morning cocktail" every day."

07/11/2009: Jeremiah from San Diego, California writes: "Can someone possibly mention a good tonic that I can take on regular daily basis that would include ACV, Blackstrap Molasses, and Honey? All I would need is measurements. Thank you in advance."

[YEA]  06/10/2009: Justin from Kirksville, MO United States writes: "This apple acv cure is an excellent cure indeed. My uncle taught me the worst tasting remedy I've ever heard of, but it'd cure colds in no less than 3 days. My mom used to give it to me, and I had to plug my nose in order to even drink the stuff down, but it was amazing. What to do is, you throw an entire clove of garlic (not just a small piece, but the whole clove, peeled of course) into a 1 quart jar (one whole clove of garlic per quart), or even a 2 quart would work. Fill the jar the rest of the way with ACV, and then, you put the lid on the jar, and let it sit on the counter overnight to start the fermentation process. We would sometimes let it ferment for two days, but no more than that usually to keep bacteria from growing. After that, you can store it for a very long time in the refrigerator to use when needed, leaving the cloves of garlic in it. Then, when a cold would strike, we'd put about 4oz of the liquid into a coffee cup, and then microwave it for about 30 seconds (to warm it up a little, but not make it too hot), then to get rid of the acidity and horrible taste of ACV, put 2 tablespoons of honey, and then about 1 tablespoon of lemon juice (all of which you can get at a grocery store). Vuala. We call it "Natures Pennicilin" because it has just enough bacteria from the mother of vinegar, plus it pulls the antioxidants from the garlic, and honey helps it spread through the body quicker as it's good for you, and the tablespoon full of lemon juice is enough to flavor it almost to a tea-like state, as well as an excellent source of ascorbic acid (vit c). I had a cold and tried the onion thing recently... and was still sick for a week. Tried the ACV cure on a wart, and it worked overnight... Amazing how ACV can work for the entire body. :)"

[YEA]  06/03/2009: Mike from Cravey, Texas writes: "I just started taking acv three weeks ago, and I find that mixing two tablespoons with an equal amount of cranberry juice makes it very easy to take. Also, I take one more swallow of straight cranberry juice to wash the acv taste away. I couldn't be more pleased with this dosage."

[YEA]  03/26/2009: TT from London, UK writes: "I came across a drink called 'Switchel' (aka Haymaker's Punch) - apparently originally drunk in 18/19th century America to quench the thirst of farmers while bringing in the harvest (and mentioned in the books of Laura Ingalls Wilder and Herman Melville). It includes Apple Cider Vinegar & Black Strap Molasses and is an interesting and refreshing way to take both as it also includes ginger, lemon and honey which some may find helps to cut the taste. There are several different ways to make this recipe so you can chop and change to suit your preference, but here is the way I like to drink it:

SUMMER SWITCHEL

8 cups water
1/4 cup grated fresh ginger (i prefer fresh ginger but you can use 1-2 tbsp of ground ginger powder instead)
1/4 cup organic apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup organic blackstrap molasses
1/8 cup honey (add more or less if you prefer)
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice (add more or less if you prefer)
Mint sprigs or lemon slices (optional)

1. Add grated ginger/ground ginger to 3 cups of water in a small saucepan. Over a medium heat bring to the boil then turn down heat slightly and continue to gently boil for 2-3 minutes. Remove pan from the heat, cover and infuse for 15 minutes.

2. Place a piece of kitchen towel into a sieve and strain ginger infusion into a glass pitcher, if using fresh ginger squeeze kitchen towel to extract all the liquid from pulp.

3. Add the molasses & honey and stir until dissolved. Stir in apple cider vinegar, lemon juice and the remaining 5 cups of water. Chill until very cold, at least 2 hours or overnight.

4. Optional: before serving add mint sprigs or torn mint leaves and/or lemon slices to the pitcher. Stir well and serve in tall glasses with ice cubes if you prefer.

Hope you enjoy. Good health to all of you and thank you Earth Clinic for this wonderful site."

[YEA]  03/15/2009: Emily from Orlando, Florida writes: "Use a straw. Whatever your acv recipe is. After reading all the postings about how to make the apple cider vinegar tolerable to drink I realized I had not read the one trick I've always used with my kids when something tasted dreadful. By placing the end of a drinking straw in your mouth as close to your throat as you can stand, suck it down, quickly It doesn't saturate your taste buds (tongue) and it's down in no time. (I always let gravity help as well and tilt my head back slightly) I have chronic upper respiratory problems, brought on mostly by environmental and food allergies, and right now happen to be sick so...I'm trying 2 tbsp acv mixed with 12 oz of some beverage, probobly cranberry/grape-no sugar added juice. Also the colder the acv brew, the easier. I'm going to give this a try and if it works wonders for my current symptoms I'll take it on as a daily maintainance program, reducing the acv to 2 tsp."

03/13/2009: Nancy from Shreveport, Louisiana writes: "My question is for EC. It's your measurements in which I'm interested. I am starting the ACV tomorrow and you have published 2 tsp of ACV in 16oz of water. However, I've noticed that everyone who takes it with any success uses tbsp. Did you mis-spell or have you lowered your measurements that much?"

[YEA]  03/02/2009: Rob from Middletown, Connecticut writes: "Here is a recipe I use for energy, circulation,and to keep my LDL and HDL in check.

In a mug (not a cup) 30 drops of aged garlic extract, 10 drops of Cayenne extract, a slice of ginger root,2 tsp of raw honey, and 2 Tblsp of raw apple cider vinegar.

Accompany this with 2 tea bags of green tea. Fill mug with hot water let steep for 5 to 7 mins. Take tea bags out, leave ginger root in and sip away. Do this in the morning and just before bedtime. You'll feel great and sleep like a baby !!"

i swear by it."

[YEA]  01/20/2009: Anita from Georgetown, IL writes: "I find that if I mix it with grape juice, it tastes like wine. My favorite way to take it is with orange juice or with any of the V8 Fusion juices. Enjoy good health!"

[YEA]  01/02/2009: KM from Oulu, Finland writes: "Hi there,

After reading so many wonderful comments and suggestions on this site I have adopted the use of both organic apple cider vinegar and organic coconut oil.

My post is to offer my own way to drink ACV, as its a cold climate here and I find this a fairly pleasant way to drink a strongly flavoured thing such as this:

I use a large mug, so you may need to adjust down accordingly.

About 1 1/2 Tsp ACV
Tablespoon of organic or raw honey
Cinnamon stick
Hot water to fill

I pop the first three into the mug and simply pour in the hot water to taste. The cinnamon has its own health benefits, and honey is not the same as sugar in terms of how our teeth, digestive systems or insulin levels react so though I do not eat much sugar I find a little of this is quite nice - and I find the cinnamon adds a nice touch.

My plan is to drink this twice a day, and we'll see how that goes for a start!

Enjoy!"

[YEA]  12/24/2008: Allie from Eagan, Minnesota writes: "I just started taking ACV in order to help my allergies and to see if it would to anything for my moderate acne. Even just a teaspoon in a cup of tea made me almost gag so I developed this recipe:

8 oz. orange juice
2 tablespoons ACV
1 tablespoon lemon juice

You can't taste the ACV at all! It's a real pick me up in the morning. I automatically feel like I have more energy.

Using the V8 is a great idea though! I will have to try it out!"

[YEA]  12/22/2008: Ashley F. from Temecula, Ca writes: "I recently started taking ACV and noticed how awful it tastes. I tried other recipes and i could still taste it. So i tried mixing 2 tablespoons with 1 cup of V8 Fusion with Acai Berry and you cannot taste it at all! You can smell the vinegar but all you taste is the V8. Not only is V8 cheap but it helps you get all your daily fruits and veggies combined with ACV. Just thought i would share with everyone!! Good Luck!"

[YEA]  10/30/2008: Donald from Houston, TX writes: "Having trouble swallowing ACV? The best way to do it is to use Apple Cider Juice. Promise--You will not taste the vinegar. Go for it!!

Blessings,
Don"

[YEA]  10/24/2008: Sara from Little Rock, AR writes: "After being on this site a few times, I decided to try out Apple Cider Vinegar. I took my concoction regularly for about a month, but I gave it up when I spent the summer abroad. I felt that it did help jump start my weight-loss, and I most definitely felt an increase in energy. However, I hate the taste of the stuff and upon returning home, found it incredibly difficult to force myself to drink it. My distaste for it also makes it so that my stomach aches for almost an hour after forcing myself to swallow.

So - here's my solution for those of you that can't bear the taste: bloody mary mix. If you like bloody mary mix, you'll never taste the difference. I drink about 1/2 ounce of bloody mary mix (I use an all-natural one I found at my local grocery store) with my 2 tablespoons of acv three times a day. I will warn people that bloody mary mix has quite a bit of sodium, so keep that in mind, if you are worried about your sodium intake.

Good luck!"

[YEA]  10/22/2008: Sandy from Omaha, Nebraska writes: "For those of you who have a problem with the taste of ACV, even when diluted with water, you might try mixing ACV into a glass of lemonade."

[YEA]  10/20/2008: Rachel from Albany, OR writes: "For anyone who doesn't like the taste of apple cider vinegar, try it with orange juice that way you cant taste it as much. Thats how my husband and I drink it. One tbl spoon in a glass of orange juice. Any juice works pretty good."