Apple Cider Vinegar
Health Benefits

Apple Cider Vinegar: 2026 Research, Community Uses, and Safety Protocols

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.
Storing Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Tara (Los Angeles, Ca) on 05/01/2011

I bought a bottle of organic apple cider vinegar from Trade Joe's. Does it matter if it's refrigerated or not? Does it ever expire? TIA!

Storing Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Liz (Boston, Ma) on 05/02/2011

No, apple cider vinegar does not require refrigeration. The bottle I have (the popular B's brand that's often mentioned here) says right on the bottle; Refrigeration not necessary. Shake well before using.


Warts
Posted by Michelle (Denver, Co) on 05/01/2011
★★★★★

I had an annoying wart on my finger for YEARS and it just would not go away-- I tried cutting and freezing products but they were useless. THEN I started to put a little piece of cotton soaked apple cider vinegar directly on the wart covered with duct tape or a band-aid. Sometimes I would cut off a coulple of layers of skin before doing this so the vinegar could really get in there--it BURNED like hell, but in a short amount of time my wart was permanently GONE!

Also, just TODAY I was feeling soooo sick. I had just been to the doctor for another UTI and got some antibiotics but my whole stomach was hurting and I had horrible pains and bloating and discomfort. I drank 2 tablespoons of ACV diluted in a few cups of water with stevia and a little cinnamon (makes it taste less horrible) and I FEEL SO MUCH BETTER ALREADY! I don't know what it will take for me to get it through my thick skull that I need to be drinking a little of this stuff every day. I use organic ACV, with the mother. :)

Recipes
Posted by Fitness Funatic (Hohenwald, TN) on 01/21/2011

I have recently found Apple cider vinegar to be a great "dressing" on my lunch salad. I simply pour 2-3 T apple cider vinegar on the vegetable salad and toss to coat all ingredients before leaving for work in the morning. I seal my salad in an air tight container and pop in the frig when I get to work. Because I need a little sodium in my diet, I sprinkle ever so lightly with sea salt when I make it, and it's scrumptious at lunch! For those trying to follow a plant-based diet, it really adds a little pizzazz to those raw veggies. Enjoy!


ACV Rash
Posted by Carol (Tucson, Az) on 12/02/2010

I've been taking ACV with the Mother for about two months. 2 tablespoons in 4oz of water, 2x/per day. For the last 2-4 weeks I've noticed a slightly raised/slightly rough circular rash on the leftside of my body about the size of a quarter. Mostly on the left cheek on my bum & left thigh. Lately I've noticed these same circular rashes about the size of a dime on my chest & neck. I've heard of the Healing Crisis, meaning that my body is releasing toxins through my skin but yikes! Has anyone experienced a rash breakout after taking ACV for a length of time?

ACV Rash
Posted by Jeff (Nashville, Tn) on 12/03/2010

Hi Carol,
The same thing happened to me after about 6 months of ACV. I originally thought it was a scrape from moving tree branches, but when it did not heal I thought ringworm. Tried everything and it got worse and I noticed new small patches(20-25)forming on my body. Turns out to be Pityriasis rosea. Look this up.
I also wondered if the detox process of ACV may have triggered this. If yes, so be it. I will always have ACV in my life and have lost 15 lbs without even trying! As far as the Pityriasis rosea, all you can do is stay clean, cool, and dry. (G--- Bond Powder seems to help) It will eventually start SLOWLY fading away.


ACV Rash
Posted by Misha (Binghamton, New York) on 04/03/2011

I am absolutely shocked to read this post! Years ago in college I came down with the Pityriasis Rosea rash. I was told that this condition rarely reoccurs. However, when taking apple cider vinegar for about a month, again I had the unsightly, very uncomfortable Pityriasis Rosea condition again! I am thinking that this might be some sort of healing crisis.


Best Time to Take Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Alfred (Bangkok, Thailand) on 10/12/2010

Tom I have been taking ACV since 1994.. I sold it at my store in San Diego. Which I got of good feedback. I do not think you can overdose on ACV.. Today my birthday only 83.. Fit as a fiddle with ACV amd guidance from Earth clinic Keep it up.. Listen to your Body.. Alfred


Apple Cider Vinegar and pH Balance
Posted by Kay (North Carolina) on 12/28/2024

Hi Jessica-hope you are well. Do not take Apple cider vinegar and colloidal silver together. The colloidal silver will kill all the good stuff in your Apple cider vinegar


European Conversions
Posted by Keyser Soze (Amsterdam, Holland ) on 07/29/2010

Hello everyone, I know in the States you use tablespoons as an amount for the ACV. In Europe we do not, mostly we talk in "ml" Milliliter
or 1 tablespoon of sugar. I searched the internet and found out that 1 tbs is 15ml of liquid! A normal size tbs in Europe is 6ml maybe 8ml! So, I think most European people take more than the half of ACV in their home made cocktail. As I read often "it doesn't work". I know there is a lot of misunderstanding between the European and US and English sizes or amounts. Just have a look on this site http://www.curezone.com/conversions.asp

I hope that Earthclinic can make this clear on the site. So that it's clear for everyone on this planet. Regards KS, Holland Amsterdam

EC: Thank you so much, Keyser. Your advice has been posted to our Remedy Guidelines page here: https://www.earthclinic.com/guides.html

European Conversions
Posted by Tina (Utrecht, Netherlands) on 07/29/2010

To Keyser Soze from Amsterdam, You can buy the american measuring cups and sets with teaspoon, tablespoon, 1/4, 1/2, 1/8 tablespoon at any Blokker here for only 2-3 euro per set. Might be easier than converting everything. Groet, Tina


Apple Cider Vinegar as Panacea
Posted by Zachary (Norwich, Ct) on 05/06/2010

Hello,

I am a big fan of the site and consult it regularly for a variety of issues and have had success! For that, Thank you.

I am concerned about the recommendation of Apple Cider Vinegar for almost ever ailment in question. I did have success in treating myself with ACV but the frequency with which is appears as a remedy makes me wonder if the site is sponsored by _____ or something! haha. Just curious because I am considering using ACV in my hair and a daily routine but I am uncertain as to the objectivity of the site.

EC: Hi Zachary,

During Earth Clinic's first few years, we allowed brand names to be published on the site, not realizing the extent of fake product posts on the internet. Most of the feedback back then was about apple cider vinegar. Then we received an email much like yours in 2004 (or thereabouts), asking us if we were a front for the Bragg's company! It was a most excellent wake-up call and I am forever grateful for it. Shortly thereafter, all but a few product names were banned from the site. Bragg was the first brand name to be deleted from the site. Tis true, there are now thousands upon thousands of Apple Cider Vinegar posts on the site. However, most ACV posts arrive from different ip addresses from around the world, which is why we think most (hopefully all) are legitimate posts.

Deirdre

Apple Cider Vinegar With the Mother
Posted by Karen (Sydney, Nsw, Australia) on 04/12/2010

Could someone explain to me what mother is?...thanks in advance..i just started drinking ACV recently, the supermarket brand and it has suppressed my apetite (2 teaspoons to a glass of water)..i have used it neat on atheletes foot (gone in a matter of hours) and used it neat, on a piece of cotten wool, for an under arm rash (also gone in hours)..i love this site..what a Godsend..thanks to everyones input and advice, especially Ted from Thailand...God Bless you all..Sydney... Australia

EC: Hi Karen,

Your question about "the mother" has been asked on the site several times over the years. Here's one answer from Ted that we just found via our search box: https://www.earthclinic.com/remedies/acvinegar_questions.html#Question_1722


Storing Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Debbie (Okanogan, Wa) on 04/14/2010

Hey Brenda, I just read your post, I don't know if you're freezing plastic water bottles, if so, don't, by freezing the plastic bottles, it causes the bottle to release dioxine, I believe that's what its called, which causes cancer. Don't freeze plastic bottles, use glass. I use old peanut butter jars. Bye for now, debbie


General Feedback
Posted by David (Newburyport, Mass, Usa) on 02/23/2010

Anyone experiencing stomach discomfort after taking that particular apple cider vinegar should switch brands. the type of wooden barrel the cider is aged in can contain resin that can get into the applecider. it's not the acv vinegar thats bothering the stomach ie., bloating, cramping and gas pains etc...it's the resin from the barrel !


Nummular Eczema
Posted by Harbo (San Diego, Ca) on 02/06/2010
★★★★★

I take two teaspoons of apple cider vinegar to 8oz of water every other day and I have noticed a STRONG difference in my body. I developed "nummular eczema" on my legs over three years ago which prevents me from shaving from the knees down. My legs were constantly breaking out and the bumps would flare if i went to a dry city keeping me awake all night in itchy pain. Lotion, baby oils, topical medicated creams, you name it, I used it. But since I've been using raw ACV I no longer suffer from blotchy red bumps on my legs and am free to shave every day!! It's absolutely amazing and something that three different doctors couldn't cure or even treat. The mild detoxification that the ACV did was truly remarkable and will continue using it for the rest of my life!


Apple Cider Vinegar Contraindications
Posted by Aseembaba (New York, Ny, Usa) on 01/22/2010
★☆☆☆☆

WARNING!

hi!

im a patient of DVT and PE (twice) and im on blood thinners to maintain an adequate INR value. as most patients will know that green vegetable can lower the INR value due to the Vitamin K content in them but ACV does the same.

im an ardent fan of ACV since 1994 and have been using it regularly but have had to stop using it after getting DVT. i have monitored my blood INR before and after having acv many a times and every time just after having it for 4 days my blood INR dropped to 1.2 when the i should be between 2 - 3.

in other words avc tends to clot the blood so dvt, pe and all other patients PLEASE DO NOT HAVE ACV while on blood thinning medication.

im bitterly missing acv since i know how wonderful it is for so many problems.
hope this helps

EC: Acronyms

DVT = Deep Vein Thrombosis
PE = Pulmonary Edema
INR = International Normalized Ratio (for blood clotting time)

Recipes
Posted by Jd (Quezon City, Philippines) on 01/07/2010

What is the difference between taking ACV with 8oz water from drinking it undiluted ? Does it affect its efficacy ?
Thanks in advance

Recipes
Posted by Eli (Brazil) on 01/07/2010

I don't think it affects efficacy. For example, one tablespoon of ACV in one litre of water ingested is still one tablespoon of ACV when ingested, along from one litre of water, period.

However, concentration is important. Undiluted ACV is more acidic than ACV that is diluted and that has ramifications: for example, it may hurt your teeth enamel more than diluted vinegar (although some dispute that). It may also impact liver cleansing, I would suppose. But I'm just speculating: since ACV is not patentable, we will never know because there is no financial interest in paying for such studies in order to understand the effects of ACV on health.

There is also some people who advise on very diluted ACV all day long instead of having a couple of "doses" in a day. You just have to try each for a couple of weeks and see that works best for you. Everybody is different.


Apple Cider Vinegar Tips
Posted by Carolyn (Hobbs, Nm Usa) on 09/29/2009

Premixing ACV and Honey

If you are having trouble getting the honey to mix with the ACV try this. I talked to the B__gg people and they said it is fine to do this. I mix 1 c. ACV and 1/2 c. Honey together and put into an empty ACV bottle. Then when I am ready to drink it I take out 1 Tablespoon full and mix in 8 oz. water and drink. I don't mix up any more than that because the B__gg folks said to not keep it over a week like that. Works great for me and saves a lot of time.

Thanks,
Carolyn

EC: Thanks for finding that out and sharing it with us!


Apple Cider Vinegar Tips
Posted by Harold (Lantana, Florida) on 09/29/2009

After reading this website I went to the grocery store to buy ACV. All the brands had what was called 5% reduced> Are these effective as Organic? If not where do you purchase organic? And what do they mean by 5% reduced?

Thanks
Harold

EC: Many grocery stores are now selling organic apple cider vinegar. We've seen it stocked at Publix and Kroger in their "healthy eating" section.

Apple Cider Vinegar Soak
Posted by Tricia (Ireland) on 09/25/2009 84 posts

To Deirdre Re cracked heels. I have had great success with the following -

Before you put your feet in any liquids use an emery board to remove any dry flaky skin. Your feet MUST be dry for this. Wet skin will only move with the emery board not fall away. The type of emery board is important. Here we use the black style. The types for nails that come in different colors i.e. pink blue etc. The reason you don't want to use the metal ones or the one designed specifically for the feet that are like cheese graters is that they are too hard and pull too much skin at once from what is already a very dry area. Think of how they would leave the cheese looking. I always recommend that this can be done while watching the telly or listening to the radio cos you can't damage yourself with these as you can with the metal type. Try to get the hard bit on the edge of the cracks without making yourself sore. You will be very surprised at the amount of dust that you will see coming away from your skin but this is normal. The brown old fashioned emery boards are too gentle and the black ones are perfect. When the dust stops flying move to the next part. If you are getting sore at all you have done enough for the day. More will come off tomorrow.

Rinse that dust off your feet as while it is blocking your pores you will absorb nothing transdermally. And it should only be dust, if you see larger bits of skin the emery board is too strong for you. At this stage you can soak your feet in any liquid of your choice i.e. anti-fungal, vinegar, peroxide or oils or salts for as long as suits you. Doing this with a couple of sports clubs some of the men chose to do it with plain old washing up liquid (detergent). So it is a case of whatever suits you. Use antiseptics or peroxide if there is any chance of an infection or dirt being caught in the cracks as it may close over the dirt and cause a diferent problem.

Then this is most important. Pack the cracks with some kind of thick oil. Our choice at the time we did this was vaseline but some would not choose this because of the petrolatum issue. Whatever you use press it over the crack to ensure that it has gone in the full depth. These cracks cannot heal while they are dry. If you had an operation on your stomach and the skin dried out to the same extent it would not heal either. We usually put large medical issue bandages over them to keep the vaseline on the feet.This won't suit everyone so a cotton pair of socks will do. The people we did this with all had to walk home so bandages were needed to keep the vaeline well packed. Wash next day as normal and leave bandage off. You want your feet fairly dry to repeat the process the next evening.

Remember it will be easy to slip on the floor until this is washed off. Do the same the next evening and continue til necessary tapering the amount of times done as they heal.

This worked within 3 days for some and some took approx 2 weeks. But it makes sense that the hard skin needs to go and the skin to be wet for the cracks to knit together.

As for the fungal infection. Many people will only treat the area that they can see the infection on. The human eye cannot see all of a fungal infection so if it spreading nor can they see it when it is at the last stages of treatment so it is very important to treat outside the area and for a lot longer that you can see it or feel it. My husband picks up an athletes foot while he is travelling for business on a regular basis. He never feels it but we can see it between his toes. We only know he has it when I catch it because I get the itching and burning long before I can see it. We use a providone iodine antiseptic wash which is normally used for pre-operation swabs in a footbath then antifungal medicated creams. Because he gets the moccassin type we bathe and cream his feet up to the ankles. I only get the moccassin type around the toe area so I only need to cover the shoe area. This is a long winded way of telling you how to do it but it actually doesn't take long perform it. The longest part of it is how long you choose to soak you feet and it is our tried and tested method.

EC: Tricia - Wow, thank you so much for these detailed instructions! Much appreciated. I will start immediately.

P.S. Your feedback has been cross-posted to the cracked heels page.


Apple Cider Vinegar Soak
Posted by Tricia (Ireland) on 09/26/2009 84 posts

One thing that I forgot to say in my previous post is to mark your nail file in some manner i.e. nail polish. Make it obvious so that you never use it on your finger nails or that somebody else might use it inappropriately. If you are carrying an infection of any kind (and most people do) it will be transferred to the fingers. The nail file can be cleaned with peroxide or rubbing alcohol but the dust is so minute and nail files are not easy to fully clean without a steriliser. So make sure it is kept for YOUR feet. As we say in Ireland "to be sure, to be sure".


Apple Cider Vinegar Tips
Posted by Eric (Lethbridge, Alberta) on 03/03/2016

Mixing with baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) would neutralize all the acids (acetic, malic, ascorbic, etc.) that are in apple cider vinegar defeating the purpose of taking it!


General Feedback
Posted by Knute (Sacramento, CA) on 07/02/2009

While the information at WebMD is interesting, and I often like to refer to it also, it must mentioned that WebMD is very much in line with standard mainstream medicine.

Regardless, when proponents of standard medicine voice their concern for risks of different alternative ways, we should always keep the following in mind:

A fully referenced report from a few years back showed that as many as 2.2 million people in the US have in-hospital, adverse reactions to prescribed drugs per year, and 8.9 million were exposed to unnecessary hospitalizations. But the biggest one is this: US number of deaths caused by conventional medicine annually: 783,936.

So, without a doubt, there are HUGE risks with standard mainstream medicine...

Morale: Always consider the source when they talk about risks!


Fountain of Youth
Posted by Tara (Clarkston, Washington) on 07/05/2009
★★★★★

My mother in law is in her eighties.She doesn't drink or smoke and takes her acv everyday and has for decades.Her skin is beautiful!!!!!!It has not helped her emphysema at all or her weight but she barely has wrinkles.


Website Articles
Posted by Rachel (Reinholds, Pa) on 11/04/2009

I agree that while Mercola has a lot of good things to say and is helpful in getting Americans to THINK about their health, he has a lot of interest in getting us to buy his things. ie imported herb etc. I am especially interested in helping folks relearn how to use the simple things at hand like apple cider vinegar, cayenne pepper and activated charcoal. When we take back the responsibility for our own health we will be in better shape as a nation. Thank you Earth Clinic for your part in this re-education.

I have used ACV for the flu and warts before but I never did much research on it. Two days ago I bought a small book on the benefits of ACV. One paragraph got my attention. It claimed that ACV will lower the blood pressure. I am a good subject to try it on because I have extremely high blood pressure. (200/115) and none of the meds that the doctor has given have lowered it. I do eat a healthy diet and am a master herbalist and have tried ALL the right things and they did not work. I used the ACV - 4 times a day taking 2 Tbls of vinegar in a glass of water. I did not add the honey because I do not need the extra sugar. Today, after only 2 days my B/P is 175/100. That is dramatic since the b/p meds were not even bringing it down. I will try to report in week to tell you if it has continued to lower my b/p. I am hoping that it will.

Thank you all for this helpful information


Heartburn
Posted by Nancy (Shreveport, LA) on 05/22/2009
★★★★★

Colleen:

I too had terrible heartburn after having my gallbladder removed. I started with the 2 tbsp of ACV in 16 oz of water and sipping throughout the day. It was better but the I noticed that EC recommended 2 tsp so I switched and got much better results. I used to take 3-4 (minimum) Tums a day after getting off Prilosec and Zantac. Now I never take any.


Sore Throat
Posted by Melissa (Berlin, WI) on 03/28/2009
★★★★★

I had a sore throat that came on suddenly yesterday. It started bad and went to worse very fast. It was so painful I could not swallow. I used to drink apple cider vinegar with hot water and honey daily but because of this goofy diet I was on I stopped. My best friend reminded me of the apple cider vinegar concoction so I tried it. Litterally within an hour my sore throat was gone. I am not sure but I really think I have strep throat. Bottom line is I think it may have cured it. Time will tell but at the very least it aleveated the pain I was experiencing. I love this stuff!!

EC: Yes, many YEA reports for ACV and sore throats here: https://www.earthclinic.com/cures/sore_throat.html#ACV


Moles
Posted by Katy (Eu ) on 05/03/2015

Hi, so I've seen alot about Apple Cider Vinegar working to remove moles so I thought I would try it, I only put it on a q tip and held it in for about an hour yesterday and just over an hour today and it has got a lot bigger, like it has gone brown around the mole. If anyone can tell me if this is normal or what? Im really worried :( thanks


Diabetes
Posted by Faith (St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands) on 09/09/2008
★★★★★

I must say when I heard about Apple Cider Vinegar I was curious. I went out the same day and purchased a bottle. I'm a type 2 diabetic and I must say that I feel a lot better since taking it, my monthly cycle has changed to a more normal cyle. It used to be very heavy the first two days...no more.

I also started the pulling oil...that too is great. My mouth feels so clean all day. Just started it so I haven't really seen anything major, but I will report back. Thanks Earthclinic.

EC: Read more about apple cider vinegar and diabetes here.



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