Apple Cider Vinegar Treatment for Acid Reflux

Take a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar and mix it with water. Drink before each meal. My husband had horrible acid reflux until we started acv. You don't have enough acid so taking antacids is doing the opposite of what you need. Sounds backwards but I promise it works. Look it up on YouTube it will explain. Dr. Berg Apple Cider Vinegar acid reflux.

I'm still trying to help acid reflux suffers.

Almost everybody thinks they should neutralize acid for acid reflux.

The problem is the stomach acid is too weak. The esophageal sphincter will not close completely unless the stomach acid is strong enough. Weak stomach acid is what causes acid reflux. This is easy to prove to anyone with acid reflux. When a person has acid reflux they need to take two (2) tablespoons apple cider vinegar. Too much water or other low acid liquid will give momentary relief only to make it return soon after. Weak stomach acid is huge problem not just for acid relux but it damages digestion, may cause malnutrition, & prevents stomach acid from dissolving microorganisms that can cause disease. I learned bout this from Dr. Eric Berg on youtube. I tried it it stopped my acid reflux & heart burn. It is a real simple solution. A person may have chronic weak stomach acid & it needs attention. That does not change the real issue causing acid reflux. If you have acid reflux try apple cider vinegar. If it makes your stomach burn you may have an ulcer.
Best wishes.

Try blackstrap molasses organic for your throat. Put it in the fridge and lick a full tsp when your throat feels locked. Worked for me.

You can have the bacteria, h-pylori. It's so painful & Apple Cider Vinegar stops working. Get a breath test. The cure is antibiotics or supplements. I have done both. I prefer the natural way. Take 2 supplements, pyloricin & I forget the name. It has mastic gum, zinc carnosine & a few others in it. Take it for a month & you feel normal again.

Hi John,

How much ACV do you have and in how much water?

Thanks!

ACV worked temporarily for me as well but once I added 2 tablespoons of fresh lemon to the concoction, I no longer take the Prilosec nor the Omeprazole. It works!

You can also take ACV in capsule form to bypass the esophagus if there's an issue there.

Do you drink the ACV with empty stomach or with food?

Try not eating four or five hours before bedtime. Also, cut spicy foods as they make things worse. The last thing is stop the home remedies and otc meds. Eat balanced meals and add walking a few miles a day. Good luck.

Anna, improving digestion is key to acid reflux, which is from low stomach acid and food not getting digested. Consider adding probiotics and probiotic rich food, variety is good, kefir, miso, kombucha, unpasteurised sauerkraut and other fermented foods. You could aid digestion with digestive enzyme tablets, and fresh pineapple and pawpaw/papaya. Iodine, required for many functions, including the forming of stomach acid. Try kelp tablets, or I take lugols iodine myself. Research and start slow. Marshmallow is a mucilage plant, buy capsules or use it to make tea. Aloe vera juice from the health food store. Snack on apples, apples have quieted acid reflux attack and gall bladder attack. Keep the acv, it contains many benefits, but add the baking soda and water, twice a day per Ted's protocol. Don't eat for one hour afterwards. The baking soda adds to your bicarbonate stores required for second stage digestion. Keep a food diary to monitor meals and food medicines, and their effects and benefits. See what helps and what hinders, probably unsoaked grains (bread, wheat products) proper sourdough should be ok, dairy may also be an issue, because of the lactose. Cultured dairy, like kefir, would be ok. If you do the fermented food route, start only small amount at first, there will likely be detox effects as the good bacteria kill off the bad bacteria they release toxins as they die. This is shown to you as intestinal discomfort and initial loose stools. This will settle down though, and will be much minimised with this suggestion. Coconut oil can be introduced with the same start low and slow method. Can start one teaspoon/day. May also look at herbs and supplements to strengthen the valves in the gi tract. Best to you on your good health journey.

Hi I saw your message and was hoping for some advice. I took Diatomaceous earth and developed severe acid reflux which has been going on for 4 days alla day. I have laryngopharyngal reflux so it goes straight up and even affects my voice. I've tried zantac, backing soda and ACV all offer just temporary if any relief. I'm terrified.. ACV used to work for normal heartburn but I feel like something has gone completely wrong. Any advice is very welcome.

You said you get asthma symptoms from GERD! I have breathing issues supposedly to GERD also, seems like a strange symptom and it concerns me it is something else, breathing issues common from GERD?? And I just started the vinegar, hoping it works!!

Dear Adam,

Apple cider vinegar worked very well for me for a long time for acid reflux. Eventually it stopped working all together.

It turned out that my gall bladder problems were the cause of reflux for me. Several gall bladder flushes have completely eliminated my reflux (and my gallstones.)

You might read the gallbladder pages here at EC and see if anything there resonates with your situation.

~Mama to Many~

WORKED TEMPORARILY

I have suffered from acid reflux for about 15 years. I was initially put on antacids by my doctor which appeared to work for a while however I found I needed to take them more and more frequently to keep the acid at bay. I finally tried Apple cider vinegar which works better than the antacids, I take it before every meal (about 50/50 with water, straight was too unpleasant and seems less effective) and is effective, however after a while the reflux starts creeping back in. Between meal snacks are definitely not an option without another dose of vinegar beforehand. It seems like everyone else has posted such utter success stories but I was wondering if anyone has had similar experiences to myself. If so any advice for improvement?

Thank you sooo much for this website, it changed my life. At age 9 I was diagnosed with GERD and had ulcers in my esophagus. I was operated with Nissen plastic, but it unfortunately did not have any effect. The doctors then put me on anti-acid meds (esomeprazole). I have been taking them for 21 years (!!! ). Although I never experienced stomach acid in those 21 years, the side effects of the meds were horrible with intestinal problems (diarrhea) for more than 10 years. Taking anti-acid meds daily means you have no stomach acid to digest the food, resulting in non-digested food into the intestines. As a self-defense mechanism, the intestines start to develop bacteria to process the food with overgrowth intestinal problems as a consequence. My first discovery was the FODMAP diet 7 years ago, that changed my life. You stop feeding the bacteria, however do not solve the culprit of the problem, the lack of stomach acid. I had never been able to get off the anti-acid meds, cause I would have serious attacks of stomach acid.

Now 6 months ago I started with ACV and results have been AMAZING, now at 1 time 2 tablespoons in the morning. I have not taken any medication ever since. Furthermore I had a check-up gastroscopy recently and it all looked perfect. I have attacks of stomach acid once per month after a very fatty meal, but that is absolutely normal. I am so happy with this solution.

Spread the word and make sure you understand the consequences of anti-acid meds!

hi, can I ask how long it took to help with the heartburn & reflux please been a few days & still not feeling great. Should I give it more time???

You are supposed to take the Apple Cider Vinegar with 8 oz glass of water. That should work better for you.

I just had a Nissan Fundoplication surgery recently. But I still have GERD. I had to get off the Prilosec so started taking apple cider vinegar. It is working well. However my understanding is that after 3-9 months on ACV the GERD should be cured. Providing you routinely avoid foods that trigger GERD. I think you are having a rebound effect from continuing to take the ACV.

Perhaps look into gall bladder flushes. Reflux can be a symptom of gallstones.

I just took 1 tblsp ACV and honey in a glass of water. Will also try the 1/2 an apple. There are days I just don't think I'm going to make it, my reflux gets so severe 😢

Praying for great results!!

Would you not go for operation for muscle on top of stomach to tighten it? I have seen it done and it is very successful and the patients seems to be perfect after it.

Cwk, ACV nor Betaine HCI never worked for me. I had to buy OTC products for relief and it was horrible heartburn! For another reason, I had allergy testing done for metals as I had a titanium implant that was hurting and drs could see no reason for it to hurt. Also had other metals in my mouth as well. Found out I was extremely allergic to nickel, cobalt, vanadium and chromium. I had the implant replaced with ceramic last week in Dallas and that evening I was dreading eating my soup for dinner. Because I knew I would have to chew an antacid and that would be difficult after surgery. But I ate the soup and nothing! No heartburn since, and other weird symptoms are gone too. So, if you have had any medical or dental implants, that could be a possibility? Silver fillings? It's not a fun, nor cheap things to undertake, but getting rid of all that metal and now detoxing has made a big difference. I also had 8 root canals, 2 of which was infected, but could not be seen by an xray. Only upon extraction was it found. Thermogram also confirmed an infection with drainage into my lymph nodes showing a hot spot. Hope this helps you, I know your pain. Good luck!

Dear Cwk,

I used Apple Cider Vinegar for years for reflux/heartburn. Then it didn't work and neither did anything else.

My reflux was caused by gallstones. I did several gall bladder flushes over several months and got out the stones.

For the last year I have felt so much better. Heartburn is very rare now. I marvel still that I feel so much better.

So all that to say, you might want to consider a gallbladder issue.

~Mama to Many~

I have been using ACV for THREE years for my reflux which has worked beautifully. I have been basically symptom free until last week when my reflux came back with a vengeance. I have pressure in my chest and I feel it burning my throat. I have not done anything differently and the ACV doesn't seem to be working. Has this happened to anyone before??? Is it just a slight relapse that will go away?? PLEASE HELP!

Wondering why you say not to take full strength? I have a friend that told me she battled GERD for years, took 1Tbsp ACV straight in the morning for 1 month straight and never suffered again. I have been taking for a week. I just want all the info I can get, thanks!

Cherries always give me Acid reflux. ACV in warm water with manuka honey really helps.

Mix with 6 oz of water. Never drink vinegar full strength.

It's a bug which the doctor should be giving you antibiotics or else try Turmeric a few times daily. If it does not work, it may be the splinter muscle at the top of stomach which needs to be tightened with operation as if untreated maybe very dangerous as it may cause bigger problems and more serious later.

Dear Honeybee,

Usually apple cider vinegar works quite quickly for acid reflux. If it is not working you may need another remedy or have something more serious going on.

Apple cider vinegar worked for reflux for me for years, but I had an underlying gall bladder issue. Eventually apple cider vinegar no longer helped. Over several months, I did four gall bladder flushes and got out the stones. No more reflux/heartburn issues.

~Mama to Many~

Does anyone know how long it takes for the apple cider vinegar to work on acid reflux? I have tried it for a couple of days and it has not helped, thank you.

Baking soda does relieve acid reflux the best, but also causes rebound acidity shortly after.

Immediate relief of acid reflux from 2T ACV

Organic Apple Cider Vinegar is the best for reflux. I have been using for four years or more now. My reflux started with pregnancies since 2009. First I used to take 2 tablespoons at end of day in water but now take only 1 tablespoon in water when I have asthma symptoms due to acid reflux. It always works because taking apple cider or hcl help to build more acid so digestion happens correctly but I haven't started taking hcl yet. If it doesn't work I take tums or my albuterol inhaler but apple cider is giving me some great relief of my symptoms. Do not take proton pump inhibitors they damage liver over long term.

I too am coming off Nexium/Prilosec, after being on it for over a year.... and suffering heart arrhythmias as a result of the long term use.... I tried tapering off of it, but the irregular heartbeat got severe enough to land me in the emergency room, so I stopped it entirely.... I'm happy to say, 3 days off Nexium, and using apple cider vinegar, and no more irregular heartbeat, and no more heartburn.

Because ACV is an acid, and can damage tooth enamel.... drinking it through a straw minimizes contact with your teeth.

I also suffer acid reflux two weeks ago.. It was really a discomforting feeling.. You can't sleep at night well cause you only have to sit while sleeping, you can't eat what you want cause you're scared that your condition will get worst, it feels like your throat is something like is scratching.. And you have to take a lot of water to expel the scratching sensation.. I don't want to take prescription anymore.. Then I heard about this apple cider vinegar from a friend.. Do some research, and end up in this site.. So I gave it a try.. Apple cider vinegar organic with organic honey.. Twice a day.. Morning and night on an empty stomach.. Plus one fresh apple a day before meal..Very thankful to God, cause for almost a week the reflux is gone.. It was really amazing cause first that I try natural medicine, It really works.. Thank you..

How do you know it was the ACV that gave you the yeast infection? A lot of women actually use ACV as a treatment for yeast infections.

Amanda, as with most things, start low and slow and notice your reactions.

I have being having acid reflux/ gerd for years but I don't take a lots of antacid or prescription drugs, I couldn't find the organic apple cider vinegar or the one with mother here in Jamaica but I have started yesterday with apple cider vinegar instantly I felt a little relief, I intended to continue using it but my main concern with this is I am scary that I will start losing weight and don't want to my weight is not a problem I could do with more, my next concern is how much should I take per day an also on the glass bottle it is marked diluted with water. Should I add more water to this or drink it directly, anticipating a quick response thank you.

Wanting to get off my prilosec. Been on for 6 months. Should I stop cold turkey for the ACV to work, or taper off? Would seem the ACV can't work if I am still suppressing acid with PPI.

For the women out there, be careful with drinking it 3 times a day. I did this when I first started using Apple Cider Vinegar and it gave me a yeast infection.

Give yourself a dedicated full 2 months taking apple cider vinegar 2 tbls in 6-8oz water, 3 times a day (before each meal). After the 2nd week, go down to twice a day. After the 4th week, you may be able to go down to once a day. No doctor here, but I followed this plan and my daily acid reflux struggle decreased to only once or twice a month (after eating a trigger food)! If that's not worth a try than I don't know what is!

Dear Mr., I would like to ask you a couple of questions regarding your treatment. My husband has been on Nexium prescribed by doctors for a few years until his health became horrible, we had no idea where all those issues were coming from until I decided to check Nexium side effects. He stopped the pills and started ACV treatment 3 days ago, 1 tbsp twice a day before meal but doesn't feel any relief yet. So I would appreciate if you share with us your dosage and for how long you had to take it until it worked. Thanks in advance.

Ive also had my GB removed, you might want to look into taking ox bile with fatty foods, I found bentonite clay help enormously with the issue with the surgery so you might want to look into that. Hopefully it will settle down once your body adapts

First let me say, I love this site! I had open gallbladder surgery a week ago. Was sent home with little information. The pain and acid reflux has been crippling. I had to go back to DR for IV fluids because of dehydration. I couldn't keep any food down. The DR have me RX for pepcid. Said it may take a couple of days but it will work. Told me to do 4 a day.. NOTHING. No relief at all.

Finally after just being sick of being sick, I came across your site.. I immediately went to the kitchen and did 1 teaspoon of apple cider vinegar in half of a glass of water, and within minutes... RELIEF. This is a God Send. I finally slept and woke up this morning feeling better. I believe the earth gives us what we need to survive. I'm sick of meds and doctors that just want to push RX and its all for money. They do not truly care for our health.

Thank you again for this site.

I'm also confused by this. How would I know if I have low stomach acid? I've been having acid reflux for the past week due to poor eating habit. (I had low appetite and didn't take my meal on time). I ate pizza last night and had the worst reflux episode. My throat was burning and I couldn't sleep comfortably.

Should I try ACV before meals and sodium bicarbonate after meals? Should I also cut down on grains and carbs? I should add, I took ginger tea after I experienced the reflux and it strangely remedied the symptom. Please help, I'm in dire need of a solution. I was perfectly healthy and fine until 2 weeks ago. Thanks in advance.

And if you take the ACV straight rinse your mouth with water right after because the AVC weakens your tooth enamel.

Just got over a stomach virus and had terrible heartburn in throat for few days tried antacids, etc still had it. Was told to take apple cider vinegar straight, one tablespoon then drink water. Cured within minutes, on day two and still no heartburn. So don't dilute vinegar, take straight. Have to assume I was low on acid due to vomiting from virus, assuming that you need more acid not less. Not sure how it worked but it did so far for me. Hope it helps. Take organic..

You are taking the foods that should be avoided; ie a lot of coffee and eat late at night. Should stop these two ASAP.

Do you take your tablet, before or after the apple cider vinegar? I am on day 2 and take ACV in water first thing in the morning and 10 mins later my reflux med(ppi) please help as how you took.

Research the benefits of taking melatonin for heatburn

I've been diagnosed with GERD-induced Asthma and have been taking omeprazole, domperidone and montelukast for the past 2 weeks. I have had no relief from the pains and extreme difficulty in breathing when climbing stairs and bending over. I would like to try ACV and D-limonene together, please anyone can share their similar COPD stories and how they were able to find some relief?

Hi Rohith, please let me know how is your acid reflux now....I am a singer but unable to speak from 3 months... kindly let me know how are you feeling now.....it will be great help.

My husband used organic Apple Cider Vinegar every morning (1-2oz in 8oz of water) and has had amazing results, no more acid reflux and off all medicines!

I had acid reflux for years. Now I hardly get it. so I know how uncomfortable it is for you.

I did this:

1. NO oily food eg Samosa, Poori, Pakora etc. and ABSOLUTELY NO meals when you stuff yourself fully. Eat light, quickly digestible stuff. No maida.

2. Take very limited quantity of above it you cannot resist--that too only once a week.

3. keep your weight under control. NO belly. Get ample of Exercise or physical activity.

4. It may take 1-2 weeks to see improvement.

I did ACV and baking soda for a year. Got off prescription. Keep it up.

I have tried apple cider vinegar for acid reflux. I have been taking it for few days with half glass of water. It has showed me some good effects but still I get some burning sensation after meals. At night I have to take a digene tablet to get the acid down. Still have not found 100% solution

I have been using ACV, one tablespoon with a full glass of water once a day - I am happy to say that this dose is adequate for the acid reflux that I was having.

Another method to prevent reflux is to have half an apple before going to bed with some honey.

What mineral supps are you using?? ie magnesium-zinc??

Hi, I had a serious reflux and the helicobacter, ulcers, doctors put me on nexium which ruined my body, this sucks the important acid from your body. I went on a research trail, and came across a fabulous book called 'hard to stomach'. I started on L Glutamine, and took a good mineral supplement before I took these tablets I had a camera the doctor told me the scars would not heal, and even taking antibiotics might not help, then I started on a strict no fat diet and took l glutamine and minerals when I went back to get the camera the doctor said he was amazed the stomach he seen before was not the same the ulcers were gone and my reflux healed. Best of luck

Hi I was experiencing acid reflux for a long time. I believe it to be caused by years of taking glucosamine, omega 3, vitamin c, bayer 81 low dose, calcium and vitamin every day for years on an empty stomach. I had recently stopped the aspirin but I also drank a lot of coffee and ate late at night. Anyway last Sunday I started getting a burning pain in my stomach on the right side between my navel and my breast bone. By Monday it was still there worsening when I ate. I went to the doctor, he had me do a cat scan and sonogram. Both came back negative. He started me on opremezol and told me I neEd to have an endoscopy to see what's wrOng. I took it for two days and stopped because I did not like the way it made me feel and was reading how bad it is for you.

I tried the vinegar last night and today. I took it when I woke up. I was fine until noon after lunch. I started getting a lot of burning but I am not sure what caused it. I took some vitamin d and had a juice of greens with some ginger. My stomach was burning like crazy but all of a sudden it just stopped and now I feel better than I have in a very long time. Should I continue with the vinegar? Did it burn because it's just starting to work and now it's ok.? I am so afraid to do more harm to my body. But I am liking all I am reading on here and feel so much better right now. Is vitamin d bad when your stomach is like this? I heard vitamin d deficiency causes reflux. I also took the vinegar teaspoon straight last night and my teeth feel sensitive today. Are they damaged? Please help.

I've been having GERD symptoms for 6 months and have been on daily PPI since my diagnosis. I also had a camera inspection 3 months ago that found a hiatus hernia and a tiny (microscopic) instance of Barretts. Fortunately, from the biopsies, the cells appear normal and are not dangerous.

But, taking PPI, trying Lanzoprazole and Omeprazole to ever increasing dosages (now 2x30mg per day), my symptoms are no better.

I am generally fit and healthy, have a good diet and consider myself fortunate that I don't suffer from some of the more extreme symptoms that some here appear to. I can sleep right through at night and have only noticed an acid taste in my mouth recently. My main symptoms are a feeling of congestion in oesophagus, tightness of throat and a cold tongue.

I am strongly considering stopping the PPI medication today and starting the ACV recipe, but before I go against my specialists advice of PPI treatment, I wondered if anyone has had a camera inspection before and after self-medicating with ACV, and whether there had been any change in the cells in the oesophagus? Basically, I don't want to take ACV if it only masks the symptoms, but is still doing harm and turns the tiny amount of Barretts in to something serious.

If anyone can offer any insight, I would be grateful. Thanks.

Hi Julie...ACV is good for many things and it will certainly help with reflux symptoms. Your problems are probably caused by low stomach acidity -- not too much acidity.

But ACV is not the cure for reflux. I define a cure as when you take a substance or nutrient for a while and your symptoms go away. And then, when you stop taking that nutrient, the problem does not come back. If you take ACV then you are just treating the symptoms by just increasing stomach acidity -- but you are not treating the core reason for your reflux problem, which is lack of hydrochloric acid in the stomach. So that's why when you stop taking the ACV the reflux usually comes back because you still have the low stomach acid problem.

When you supplement ACV or even ordinary vinegar you are simply adding or increasing the acidity of the gastric acid. This certainly helps to increase the acidity of the stomach but doesn't actually heal your problem -- which is due to lack of hydrochloric acid in the stomach.

So do you want to heal your problem completely or do you prefer to take ACV for the rest of your life to accommodate your symptoms ?

If you have low stomach acid then taking Omeprozole -- a gastric acid inhibitor -- will lower your stomach acid levels even more. This is probably the worst thing you could take if you already have low stomach acid problems.

If you want to actually confirm whether you have low stomach acid(causing the reflux problem) then you should ask your doctor for the Heidelberg Test. This test measures the actual strength of your stomach acid.

To cure your stomach acid problem you should follow the protocol shown here on EC.

Dear Jacqueline,

It is discouraging that it seems to be taking more and more vinegar to get the results. I tend to think that you would get to a point of too much of a good thing. I personally would not want to be taking more than 4 T. Ideally, 2 T. per day or less.

When I was using ACV for reflux in pregnancy, I just had some ACV in my water and sipped it all day. I would tend to think it is best taken between meals, but you may need to just try different things and see how you do.

Have you tried other things? Making sure you are well hydrated, limiting things like coffee and soft drinks, eating less processed foods, smaller meals, etc. are all things that could be helpful.

Is it possible that your gall bladder is involved in any way? When I have a gall bladder flare up, I have reflux symptoms. Recently, when I had the flu, I had a terrible flare up that responded to nothing and had me about out of my skin in pain. I used a castor oil pack over my gall bladder area with a heating pad and the pain resolved in 20 minutes. I kept the castor oil pack on for several hours.

Just some thoughts. I hope you be feeling very well soon.

~Mama to Many~

I just started this today, because my Omeprazole is no longer working for me. Too soon to know if it's helping. I have one question. Should I stop taking the Omeprazole if I continue, or use both.

WORKED TEMPORARILY

Hi all,

I think this site is wonderful, and I was hoping someone might be able to help me. I've had acid reflux/silent reflux/LPR for the last three months, it started with a flu bug but I carried on experiencing a burning sensation in my throat along with heartburn, dry mouth and a bad taste. The doctor thinks it is caused by reflux. The doctor gave me omeprazole which I took for a week which made the problem worse. I believe that I have low stomach acid rather than too much.

I started taking two tablespoons of apple cider vinegar with warm water and honey in the morning and evening which helped tremendously, however it seems to have become less effective, and I'm finding that I have to take more and more to get any relief.

My question is, am I taking it correctly? Should I take it with meals or on an empty stomach? Can too much ACV cause problems? I was so relieved to find some relief, but now I'm worried that I'm back to square one.

My friend you are so right , , , it works wonders! but on times when I eat the wrong snack going to bed and I have no ACV I have used the old black fish and chips vinegar and it worked instantly; Sometimes, out of desperation, I have downed the vinegar from bottled Garlic, herring and other preserved products and got instant relief.

hahaha! Thats awesome, no worrys I tried the same thing. The minute it hit my tongue I spit and was having difficulty breathing. Try mixing it with water.. but I just found it funny cause I made the same mistake lol

Yea, taking a straight gulp of Apple Cider Vinegar is like gulping a glass of lemon juice. I am glad to hear you survived, that was a courageous move!

I was in the same situation as you. Then I learned about super greens. Go to your health food store and buy super greens. After 3 days of super greens my heartburn was gone. It is all about balancing your ph level in your body.