Earth Clinic Mobile: Home Remedies for People and Pets

Apple Cider Vinegar for Shingles

5 star (48)		81%
4 star (7)		12%
3 star (1)		2%
1 star (3)		5%

Showing 5 Star Reviews

Blair (Sydney, Nova Scotia) on 05/04/2013
5 out of 5 stars

I just wanted to write a thank you letter to all the people who have shared stories on Earthclinic.com about the Cure for Shingles. My mom was suffering bad she had them on her back, neck and even spreading to her face. She went to the doctor and got $80 medication that was doing little to nothing for her pain, she couldn't sleep. I read the stories here and picked up a bottle of Apple Cider Viniger. I made a drink for her with two tablespoons of ACV and two cups of water and told her to take this mixture daily every morning. I applied the ACV directly undiluted to cheesecloth, then I taped that cheesecloth to the infected areas. With medical tape. I called her two hours later to find out how she was feeling. She reports that it is working the pain is lessoned, she is finally able to sleep the entire night soundly. The next day is reports back that the pain is gone for her. Thank you everyone, and my mom thanks you too.

Tom (Indianapolis, Indiana, USA) on 09/30/2012
5 out of 5 stars

What I thought was a kidney infection was diagnosed as shingles. After finishing the prescription (7 days) for the virus, the pain came on with a vengeance, and was so excruciating I was eating ibuprofen by the handful. Found this site, and walked like a mummy to the store. Mixed 1oz of apple cider vinegar with a 12 oz glass of orange juice, and within 20 minutes, the debilitating pain was reduced to the annoying level. As a skeptic of home remedies, I attributed it to the massive dose of ibuprofen. The next day, the intense pain returned, and instead of reaching for the pills, I drank a straight shot of ACV and chased it with water (yuck). Within 20 minutes, the pain was reduced to annoying again. WOW. Still can't believe how effective the ACV is with pain. Now I drink it at regular intervals mixed with lemonade, and have purchased the cayenne, aloe, olive leaf extract, etc, as recommended in the previous posts. Hopefully the paste will be just as successful.

THANK YOU!!!

Gadgetgirl1733 (Clementon, NJ) on 05/27/2012
5 out of 5 stars

Wow! So glad I decided to do search for natural pain relief from shingles. I was diagnosed with shingles on 5/24/2012 after having gone a week with severe pain, that was thought to be muscle strain. I'd gone to Dr. week before with pain in my lower left back and was given Rx for Vicodan w/tylenol...few days later itching started and thought it to be from pain meds till noticed what appeared to be bug bites on area where pain was. When I went back to doctor because pain wasn't better I mentioned the itchy/bug bites... he then advised it was shingles and gave Rx for Valtrax and gave samples of Zovirax topical cream for rash, but said that it wouldn't likely bring any relief.

Ironically, I had just gotten a new bottle of _____ Organic ACV the other day, since I'd been drinking the 1T with honey in 8oz water daily. I'm glad to find that it's been helpful to so many here when taken internally and applied topically. Once I read that, I immediately applied to my areas of discomfort. I also made a mixture of manuka honey, EVCO(extra virgin coconut oil), and 2 drops tea tree oil, as each of these have natural anti-viral, antibiotic, and anti-fungal properties... Applied to the rash with cotton square and left on... I did get some relief from the pain. I will continue this along with antiviral, and pain meds prescribed.

Like many others have posted, sleeping was quite difficult the first few days I had pain and no rash, it almost felt like I had really, really bad gas!!! Sitting upright in chairs and even laying in bed was extremly painful. Thankfully I work from home and desk is setup in family room where I have two theater style recliners. Well the other day I couldn't take sitting in my work chair, nor could go through another work day and not take pain med until work was done. I slid the recliner from the wall and put it in recline positon, and let me tell you it was the MOST COMFORT I'd had since the pain started. I was able to use one of those lapdesk type things I'd gotten from Bed, Bath, &Beyond that has these two cushiony things on the bottom and set my work laptop on it. I was able to get through the rest of the work day with ease.

Ray-ray (East Northport, New York) on 05/13/2012
5 out of 5 stars

My wife (50) had her second bout of the Shingles. Last time was about a year ago. This forum completely changed her visable rash on her left thigh overnight. She applied Organic Apple Cider Vinegar (with the mother) with a cotton ball and drank 2T ACV. Had breafast that had some raw local 100% pure wildflower honey in it and organic extra virgin coconut oil (cold pressed) too.

A Believer (Muskoka, Ontario Canada) on 04/03/2012
5 out of 5 stars

Shingles are affecting my neck, face and scalp, I took the advice of earlier posters, and use the ACV as an alternative to shampoo and harsh soaps that might infect the area and cause scaring alopecia. The ACV really does help take the burn and itch out of the blisters, and my hair is clean and healthy looking.

Dthales (Ogden, Ut) on 03/01/2012
5 out of 5 stars

I was seriously doubting that Apple Cider Vinegar was working becasue so many people seemed to be also using some other form of treatment. My 16 year old son has shingles on his neck and was miserable for two days. He was beyond the time when antivirals would be effective so the doctor said he just had to wait it out and to take an allergy pill if itching became a problem.

My son was miserable and couldn't beleive all he could do was wait it out for a week or so. So he begged me to find some other form of releif and I found this website talking about Apple Cider Vinegar. I figured it couldn't hurt to try.

So I went and bought some and dabbed it on all the affected areas with a cotton ball about 5 times during the whole day yesterday and he drank one capfull of the ACV 2 times during the day. He also also put on calamine lotion on before bed.

This morning he woke up and says he feels 80% improved from yesterday! Holy cow the stuff really works! The sores even look better already! Drives me crazy I have to search the internet for this stuff though. The doctor should tell us these things!

Angela (Honchurch, Essex, Uk) on 02/25/2012
5 out of 5 stars

What a wonderful website. Came across this when I did a search for treatments for Shingles which I was diagnosed with yesterday. Having read most comments on ACV I called my husband on the phone who was out shopping to get a bottle from Holland and Barrett (Â£1.75) and applied it with cotton wool as soon as I got it. Unbelievable but true. I applied the soaked cotton balls to the blisters and rash on my face around my mouth and up my cheek round to my ear on the left side of my face and the relief was instant. I could hardly believe it. I am still taking anti viral drugs but they do not help with the burning sensation, ACV does. So now I will apply it every 1-2 hours. It really made a difference and it is such an inexpensive solution. Thank you all for discussing ACV on this site, I would never have thought to try it:) THANK YOU

Dkimb (Redondo Beach, Ca, Usa) on 02/24/2012
5 out of 5 stars

I want to thank you all for the great tips ~ I found them late at night, when I realized I was indeed coming down with what could have been a terrible case of shingles on my face, close to my eyes, which was pretty scary. While waiting to find out how soon I could see my skin & eye doctors, I applied a lot of apple cider vinegar, and also took it in tea, and added l lysine and Brewer's yeast (great source of B12). EVERYTHING calmed down! I still have a case of shingles, and am now on the med, but not stopping any of these other things, ESPECIALLY Apple Cider Vinegar, it has made a huge difference. The itching, burning, tingling is all but gone, the blisters that had started already are drying up (in 1 day! ), and other blisters I really feel have been halted. I will complete my whole course of meds for the week, with ACV applied all the way. I would never have thought of this, but it is unbelieveably effective ~ so to all of you here ~ THANK YOU, so much. This could have been really awful!

Ja (Burlington, Vt) on 12/26/2011
5 out of 5 stars

Follow-up. YEA! ACV is a big help. I can definitely say that over the last 5 days ACV has drastically helped alleviate my shingles. The first few days the skin on both arms were a flaming scarlet red with little dots appearing like crazy. For the first few days I diluted the ACV with about 2-3 parts water and would use a compress for about 40 minutes, 2-3X per day and then daub with full strength. The first day I used a full strength compress and my skin was really irritated from that.

I then would daub any new little red dots with calamine lotion and that over the course of a couple days dried them up. I was really impressed with the results of the combo of ACV and calamine lotion. Finally yesterday my arms began to return to normal, but it took a few days to get there. The last 2 days my arms are looking so good I only do 1 compress and ACV daub/calamine lotion per day.

My flaming red arms are now retuning to their normal color. I have a few other small areas to deal with--but my arms were the worst. At one point they were flaming red 12"x 4" and I never saw anything so virulent and rapid. I'll list some things I've learned to help you.

1. Dilute the ACV with 2-3 parts water for a long compress. Then daub with full strength.

2. Let dry and apply calamine lotion to any small red dots and let it dry. Wear loose cotton clothing. And drink at least 2 oz per day of ACV per day--dilute with 6 parts or more of water.

3. I would take a Benadryl capsule with antihistamine if there was any itching. Sometimes the itch urge can drive you crazy.

4. I beefed up my vitamins and took a good multi, 2000mg of C, and a B Complex.

5. Wash with cool or tepid water and minimal mild soap. Warm or hot water only aggravates the skin. When you wash you are throwing trauma at your skin.

6. Try to rest and don't eat any junk food. Also no sugar, coffee, choclate, nuts, strawberries and spinach--they will aggravate your skin.

7. Any rash on your face--get to a Dr.

8. Shingles is a virus and will run its course. Once you have it all you can really do is to alleviate the pain and itchiness and keep the shingles from being infected and to reduce the dots as fast as you can. ACV with calamine worked for me.

Maggiemae (Dearborn, Mi) on 11/21/2011
5 out of 5 stars

Looking for relief for pain from shingles--ear, neck, head. Just tried 2T of ACV (followed by a little honey) and got instant relief. Also applied to my bumps and blisters. It's as close to a miracle as I've seen! THANK YOU! Also, going to look up morton's neuroma....

2 3 4 ..5

Return to Overview