Apple Cider Vinegar for Acid Reflux

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The comments below reflect the personal experiences and opinions of readers and do not represent medical advice or the views of this website. The information shared has not been evaluated by the FDA and is not intended to diagnose, treat, or prevent any disease or health condition. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional for medical concerns.

Pay It Forward (PNW) on 02/03/2024:
5 out of 5 stars

It's 5am, finally got up and took a spoonful (1 Tbsp) of ACV in 4oz water for acid reflux. First time in two yrs since having my gallbladder removed. I started taking ox bile supplements after gallbladder removal. Ox bile supplements can help digestion after gallbladder removal by replacing the bile that is no longer produced by the gallbladder. This can help prevent digestive issues. Made in the liver and released by the gall bladder, bile acids help us to digest and assimilate the fats that we eat in our food. With a healthy gall bladder, bile is released into the intestines as needed, when we consume fat. If you have had your gallbladder removed, or if your gallbladder function is compromised (common with SIBO or digestive infections or if you are eating a ketogenic diet or are fasting and notice pain in your right upper abdominal quadrant), you may not be putting out enough bile to properly digest fat and absorb your essential fat soluble vitamins. I like the Seeking Health brand for ox bile.

Wish I knew years ago, I probably could've avoided gallbladder removal. Turns out many have poor bile quality and don't know it. If I'd have taken ox bile at each meal that may have resolved the problem. But alopathic drs knowledge is limited to big pharma Rx meds. After yrs of ignorance and suffering it cost me my gall bladder. I was also taking antacids nightly instead. And those are terrible for your health! Particularly robbing your calcium, magnesium, and B12 causing a concerning deficiency. H2 Blockers can deplete calcium, folate (B9), iron, vitamin B12, and vitamin D... and Proton-pump inhibitor (PPI)'s can deplete magnesium and vitamin B12.

As we age, two of the most concerning deficiencies are vitamin B12 and calcium. Both PPI's and H2 blockers significantly increase the risk of vitamin B12 deficiency in elderly patients. Vitamin B12 requires gastric acid for absorption. The elderly population is already prone to deficiency in intrinsic factor, a protein necessary for B12 absorption. Symptoms may include trouble walking or changes in memory, conditions that may be mistaken for aging or dementia.

Even the Journal of the American Medical Association reported concluded that the use of PPI's for over one year results in people being 2.5 times more susceptible to hip fracture than control subjects. The drastic drop in calcium and vitamin D absorption that occurs with PPIs is believed to be the cause.

ACV and Ox bile, avoid eating foods you know to be triggering, stop eating 4 hrs before bed. Even now, with my gallbladder gone, I simply take 1x 125mg Ox bile capsule during my meals and feel 10x better for it. *Keep in mind, I would not recommend bile salts for people with hyperthyroidism (extra bile can increase conversion of T4 to T3 making you more hyperthyroid) or people with active diarrhea.

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REPLY   5      

Joey Marie (WA) on 04/11/2023:
5 out of 5 stars

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.
REPLY   15      

sl0j0n (Waycross, GA) on 12/25/2022:
5 out of 5 stars

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.
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Brooklyn Baby (Brooklyn Ny) on 12/30/2018:
3 out of 5 stars

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!

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REPLY   21      

Adam (Charlottesville Va) on 09/25/2017:
3 out of 5 stars

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?
REPLY   21      

Paul (Amsterdam) on 09/22/2017:
5 out of 5 stars

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!

REPLY   43      

Cwk (New York, Ny) on 03/16/2017:
4 out of 5 stars

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!
REPLY   15      

Carole (Banbury, England) on 02/07/2017:
5 out of 5 stars

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

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L Murphy (Liberty, In) on 09/28/2016:
5 out of 5 stars

Immediate relief of acid reflux from 2T ACV
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Ihateacidreflux (California) on 07/25/2016:
5 out of 5 stars

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.
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John (Warwick, Ri) on 07/05/2016:
5 out of 5 stars

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.

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REPLY   16      

Yhen (Philippines) on 06/16/2016:
5 out of 5 stars

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..
REPLY   27      

Amanda (Kingston, Jamaica) on 05/08/2016:
4 out of 5 stars

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.

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REPLY   17      



Sheila (Tennessee) on 04/25/2016:
5 out of 5 stars

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.

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Nora (Ma - Massachusetts) on 03/27/2016:
5 out of 5 stars

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..
REPLY   8      

Gilde (Palm Beach, Florida) on 11/25/2015:
5 out of 5 stars

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!
REPLY   27      

Manuj (Ghaziabad) on 10/17/2015:
4 out of 5 stars

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
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Rohit (New Delhi, India) on 06/20/2015:
5 out of 5 stars

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.

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Jacqueline (London, England) on 02/11/2015:
3 out of 5 stars

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.

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Bryan (Texas, US) on 12/27/2014:
5 out of 5 stars

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

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Kyle (Vero Beach, FL) on 12/15/2014:
5 out of 5 stars

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!

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REPLY   6      

Kyle (Vero Beach) on 11/21/2014:
5 out of 5 stars

I am 26 years old and have suffered with acid reflux for the past 4-5 months. I tried just about every drug available, Zantac 150, Tums, Tagamet, Prilosec, Prevacid, Nexium, Zegerid, Famotidine, and Carafate. Nothing worked effectviely for more than a week or two. The best medication I found was Zegerid and it began to stop working about 20 days into the treatment. My friend's wife is really into homeopathic remedies and he told me that she got him to used apple cider vinegar when he has heartburn and it worked and I should try it. At the time my Zegerid was working fine, but that upcoming weekend it began not working and I had bad reflux for 3 nights. On Monday morning I went to the store and got some apple cider vinegar because I had taken 4 1000 mg tums, and two acid reducers the night before to no avail and I was desperate. After just 1 tablespoon of ACV I felt dramatically better. I began to take it before and after meals and my symtoms were held at bay. For the next three mornings I woke up with no reflux but still a sour feeling in my stomach, on the fourth morning I woke up with neither and felt great. I still take the ACV before most meals and sometime afterwards and am happy to report that my acid reflux is finally under control!
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Gena (San Fran, California) on 03/28/2014:
5 out of 5 stars

I have been trying apple cider vinegar for acid reflux the past 2 weeks and I have to give it 2 thumbs up! I take 2 teaspoons of Apple Cider Vinegar in warm water a half hour before eating. Wow, what a difference in my digestion and no more acid reflux! Oh and people are asking if I've lost weight. Guess I look better.
REPLY   6      



Gina (Montana, Usa) on 12/11/2013:
5 out of 5 stars

Just wanted to confirm that apple cider vinegar for acid reflux is amazing! I read about it on Earth Clinic a few weeks ago and have been taking just 1 teaspoon on water before my dinner meal. I have no more acid reflux problems!
REPLY   10      

Kay (Jax, Fla, Usa) on 12/08/2013:
5 out of 5 stars

I have been reading this website for a couple of years now and I read about all the great things ACV does. Well, I tried this and it does work. I was diagnosed with Acid Reflux after an endostomy. I was put on Omoprofhil(not sure of spelling). After taking the medicines for about 4 months, I decided to try the ACV. I put a 1/2 teaspoon in a 1/2 glass of water and drink it in the morning and before bed. I have been doing this now for two months and no longer to I have to sleep on elevated pillows, I have not heartburn or belching. Its been fantastic! Just wanted everyone to know, it does work.
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Zark (Emerald City, The Land Of Oz) on 11/07/2013:
5 out of 5 stars

ACV works! I started taking ACV for my prostate problems (worked for that too) and then noticed the reflux had gone away too! Wow how cool is that, what an amazing little home remedy this is. I'm using about 1 and a half tablespoons in juice once or twice a day.
REPLY   7      

Kelitababy (Yucaipa, Ca, Usa) on 10/10/2012:
1 out of 5 stars

Warning

I had heard how beneficial ACV was for acid reflux and other things, so I bought bottle from a health food store, went out to my car, opened it up and took a big swig. Disaster struck, I couldn't breath, the strong fumes from undiluted ACV force the epiglottis to close and I could not breath, I thought I was going to die right there, but finally recovered. Lesson learned.
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Eddors12 (Wheat Ridge, Co/usa) on 09/22/2012:
5 out of 5 stars

I have been using ACV for over a year to successfully control my acid reflux I take 2tbs. morning and evening I was diagnosed with acid reflux and did not want to take any more meds. In my case mine is being caused by prescriptions, which im confident I will be able to go off of eventually. If you are on meds your body does not produce enough acid thereby causing the symptoms, Just for the record I am 65 yrs old and 57 lbs overweight which I am now working to rectify. If anyone has any questions please contact me thru this site and I will reply I am on it regularly.
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Melissa (Portland, Oregon) on 06/22/2012:
4 out of 5 stars

I am amazed. Apple Cider Vinegar (plus other remedies/ changes) actually works!

I have had GERD since I was 16, now 24, I have used medication for the last 8 years. Wow, 8 years!

I started with Ranitadine, and "graduated" to Omeprazole a couple years ago when Ranitadine 150mg twice a day pretty much stopped working. I started on 20mg Omeprazole once a day and a few months ago was put on 40mg twice a day. Rediculous, it got so bad that even THAT wasn't completely stopping my symptoms, I felt like my stomach was retaliating as soon as it could create acid again. And on top of it, ever since I was diagnosed with GERD if I ate any "trigger" foods (Coffee, Tea, Chocolate, spicey, acidic), I would get such an immense pain in my chest like something was trying to claw it's way out of me. No doctor can figure that one out, I got an endoscopy all is fine, so I was told to just avoid those foods. Fine, I can do that, except that after I was taking my Omeprazole 40mg THAT was tiggering the pain! You can imagine the doctors where clueless to that as well.

Now I think I finally know why the medicine stopped working and even hurt me, the medication was just funking up my body. My stomach had no idea what to do, and was sensitive to EVERYTHING. I wanted off medication, but was scared to do so. I had tried about a year ago and had bad results. My GERD causes acid to go into my throat, usually while sleeping but sometimes during the day too. And when I tried a natural remedy before, yep, acid in the throat. Not a pleasent way to wake up I must say. But I felt, after finding this site and reading up elsewhere, that I was ready to try again. I have now been off of it for about 9 days, and am doing well.

I made a plan for myself, as I felt that simply taking ACV like a medication would actually work. It was part of the "Plan". My routine starts in the morning with a tablet of DGL Licorice, have it before anything else and wait a few minutes. The DGL (Hopefully) helps your stomach create more of the protective mucus lining that helps prevent and treat ulcers. Since I am drinking acid and know that with GERD I am at risk for Barret's esophagus I think this extra step of caution is a good one to take. Then I take around 2-3oz aloe vera gel (it's just a thickened juice, you can get regular juice I just think this feels better going down). I get this organic one in a glass jar at Whole Foods, primarily because they don't use Citric Acid, but instead lemon juice and it is in a glass jar- no BPA! :) I cannot remember the name, but I think it's the only organic one in a glass jar there. I had the Aloe Vera Juice from Trader Joes and it was like drinking pure acid, it hurt so much to drink and tasted horrible. Not worth saving like $10 a month just so you scorch your throat in my opinion. Okay, so after I take DGL and Aloe I have breakfast, small meals are very key to controlling GERD/Acid Reflux in my experience. Do NOT drink water with your meal, you should chew, chew, chew to let your saliva moisten the food, this way the enzymes that naturally neutralize stomach acid help you in your quest to be drug free! Then drink, drink, drink! You need a ton of water to help your stomach digest, and to dilute acid the rest of the day. If I am doing good, I will pee about every 60 minutes, maybe sooner. Lol. But it is worth it. I Don't seem to wake up at night though, so that's good. In the afternoon, if I can, I juice, vegetables really help neutralize stomach acid and are healthy for you anyways! Though I don't think you have to do this, I have had much success with out a lot of juicing. I try to make my lunch the largest meal of the day, that way I can work hard and digest for a long time afterwords. Then comes possibly the most important part for me personally, the night routine. I have dinner NO LESS than 3 hours before laying down, I SIT UP or STAND for the whole three hours before bed. This way gravity is on your side while digesting your relatively small dinner. After I eat I will wait about 20 minutes typically then I drink only like 1 teaspoon ACV (Organic, unfiltered) in a couple oz of water, then I chase it down with just water to try to get the ACV off of the throat. (Sometimes after lunch I will do a ACV and Baking soda mix, you can probably do this for dinner as well if you like. Sounds counter intuative, but your body actually neutralizes the ACV anyways, but it still stays acidic enough to help aid your stomach with digestion. When you mix these two it takes the burn away when you drink it, find the Ted's recipe, he explains it more. ) Then right before bed I will drink about 4 oz water with a slightly heaping teaspoon of baking soda to neutralize whatever's left in my stomach and I am ready to sleep on my slanted bed. Slanting your bed is SO important, again gravity is on your side by keeing acid away from your throat.

So my lifestyle and diet changes summarized:

-Avoid foods that can cause issues (Esp. Chocolate and Coffee! These contain methylxanthine witch relaxes the LES allowing food and acid into the throat. Eat Carob as a chocolate substitute. :)

  • -Take DGL and Aloe in the morning
  • -If needed take ACV in afternoon
  • -If time Juice vegetables in afternoon (especially cabbage! )
  • -Take ACV mixture After Dinner
  • -Wait 3 hours after last meal... NO Snacks! If you snack you have to wait another 3 hours before bed. This allows your stomach time to stop producing acid, the second a food hits it ir produces a lot of acid, so one cookie, even one bite of a cookie, will send it into overdrive!
  • - Drink Baking Soda water mixture right before bed
  • - Have a slanted bed, or a wedge (though I always slid off those things, that is why my bed is slanted)
  • -Smaller meals, have like 4 a day instead of 3.
  • -Lose weight if needed, I weigh like 112lb after losing 7lb, and still need to lose like 10lb, every pound you have just goes to pressing your stomach making it harder to keep food and acid in!
  • -Drink WATER! Drink, drink, drink!!! Ideally almost the only thing you will drink is water. Sugars cause your stomach to create more acid. Milk is certainly no longer my friend, heartburn every time I drink it, at first it feels good, then heartburn like crazy around 30 minutes later.

Anyways, I really hope this helps people like I does me. I will say I am not 100% symptom free, I get heartburn, but not as bad as if I did nothing, and I have yet to get acid in my throat. I am happy with the results and feel everyday my stomach is getting back to the way it was before I wrecked it with caffeine, stress, and ibuprofen, naturally. :)

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Reginald (Rowlett, Tx) on 05/17/2012:
5 out of 5 stars

I really had very bad gerd and having problems swallowing thick food I heard about Apple Cider Vinegar and the first time I took it it burned in my stomach. I seen a change in my acid reflux the very next day and it didnt burn anymore. I noticed a big increase in my energy level lol and I mean I have lots of energy now. I dont feel the burning in my stomach and have stopped taking proliscec. I take ACV in the morning and night before bed. 2tbs in 1cup of water and it smells and taste bad but the results for me are worth it. I'll be taking this stuff for the rest of my life. O yea it has really helped with my constipation also.
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