Apple Cider Vinegar: Uses, Health Benefits and FAQ

For the past two days my daughter has had a horribly sore throat with white spots on it. She's had a fever, body aches, and sniffles as well. After calling around and finding that the local doctors were booked up and the rural clinic would be $250 just to see the doctor, I decided to figure out how to help her myself. I remembered a friend suggesting ACV so I gave it a try. I gave my daughter (18 years old) 2 tablespoons of ACV in an 8 oz. glass of water. She sat and sipped on it for a while. Her sore throat immediately calmed to the point where she was able to fall asleep and slept most of the night. Around 6:30 am she woke up and did the same routine again and is up and around today looking better than she has in days. I should add here that along with the ACV I gave her an over-the-counter pain reliever as well. From now on, I've decided I'm going to treat everything I can in this manner. The treatment worked better than anything I've ever seen! Amazing!

WARNING!

To Earth Clinic: Roz from Calgary, Canada's comment on ACV as a general health tonic is mostly very positive, but she warns that a doctor thinks it caused her husband's stomach bleeding, so it would help readers if you label the post as also having a warning.

I started apple cider vinegar 2 months ago and I can tell you that it has helped my overall health. I feel more energy and my husband says my complexion is glowing.

I take 2 tbs in 10 oz of water 2 x a day. On the third serving I add a tablespoon of blackstrap mollasses. I call it "grandma's tonic" It worked for granny and it seemsto be working for me.

I also drink 4oz of buttermilk 2 x a day to help with the sinus.

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

I've just reached the ripe old age of 72 years, but inwardly still feel 20. However, over the last few months I have been having problems finding enough energy to get through household and other tasks and, and life had lost its magic. I felt like an old person. In the past I'd tried a well known brand of organic ACV, but it did nothing to help how I felt. Then about a fortnight ago I came across an iconic brand (I'm not allowed to mention names) of raw, unfiltered ACV containing the mother, and I began taking one tablespoon in water sweetened with stevia three times a time just before meals. I now wake up with a song in my heart, the world has suddenly become beautiful again, and my energy has been restored. And I feel the way I walk has become more free, looser somehow, as though I am walking more like a younger person.

I just hope that the ACV continues to work its magic.

I stumbled upon this site looking for a cure for the flu. I am amazed and had never heard of the healing powers of ACV. I am now a believer and will tell anyone who will listen. My symptoms started out as allergies then went to a sinus infection then started feeling like the flu. This went on for over a month with the flu being the last straw to bring me to the internet to search for an alternative to OTC medicines. Within the first few hours my symptoms had reduced in severity, the first to break was the fever. I have continued the last two weeks various concoctions. One being 2T ACV to 4-6oz orange juice. I would take this as much as 3x a day. I also suffer from back pain where I was popping pain pills and muscle relaxers and ibuprofen on a regular basis. Most of this has gone on for almost 2 years--the last week I have hardly taken any of them. I don't know if it is the ACV but I will continue using daily. I have also read it helps with depression and can't wait to see if it helps with my occasional bouts. I have also tried 2T ACV in 6oz of warm water with honey to sweeten--wasn't too crazy about that. I tried it today with 2T ACV and 8oz room temp water with a straw and this actually wasn't too bad. I think that last concoction is something I could mix and put in the fridge so that I don't have to mix it every glass. I will try this out and others and post again my results.

thank you

You had me laughing out loud... Clown Feet! I can only imagine. And yes there is a difference in quality of ACV. When I first started trying ACV after coming to this site, I used Heinz since it was in my pantry and I was anxious to get started with ACV. It took me about 5 days to finally get to the health food store to get _____s- the one with the mother as they say. Without a second thought, I took a tablespoon of it as soon as I got home which was the night- about 8 pm. After going to bed I awoke about 3am with raging detox symptoms- sweating, chills, body aches which were excruciating and basically feeling sick. I rolled over and said to my husband that I felt really sick and he said," Don't you remember you took the ACV when you got home?" Never had anything with the Heinz. Big difference...

Not all apple cider vinegars are made alike.

Okay, yeah, I win this week's "ultimate dork" award. I have been faithfully following Tricia's remedy for cracked heels for days now. Yesterday, a dark and gloomy day in Atlanta, I proceeded with Tricia's remedy as usual and used a fine nail file on the cracked area of my feet and heels. Then it came to soaking them, and this is where I changed my protocol and decided to use cheap apple cider vinegar from Heinz that I bought at the store ages ago. Usually I use the organic, raw, decidedly more expensive ACV to soak my feet, but not this time. Heh heh. I filled up my casserole dish with 1 inch of apple cider vinegar (room temperature & undiluted) and then started soaking my feet as I worked at the computer. I lost track of time. Some time passed, maybe a lot of time. I came out of my Earth Clinic computer fog enough to register that my feet were FREEZING and that an hour and a half had passed. A trace longer than the half hour that I usually soaked. My feet did look pickled and prune-faced, but that didn't worry me. I went and rinsed off the apple cider vinegar. Heh heh. Then I sat down to apply the moisturizer, just as Tricia recommended, and that's when I saw my new feet. By new, I mean discolored, burned, orange-tinged feet with a dark line running across the bottom half of my ankle, showing where the apple cider vinegar stopped and the air began. They looked so ridiculous, the feet of a clown: half orange, half pasty white.

Confidentally, I was certain the new color scheme would fade within the hour. But they didn't. Or they haven't I should say. Time has passed, almost 24 hours, and my clown feet have not returned to their original color. Wish me luck.

Apple Cider Vinegar

I started using acv with organic honey two weeks ago, to stop unbearable menstrual migraine headaches, which also went on for nearly half of the month. I must say the headaches have improved but not gone completely, but the acv seems to have other effects, in one week several people remarked how "well " I look and glowing!!

I am concerned however, about the weight loss side of acv. I am slim and have noticed a little toning up which is fine but I do not want to lose any more weight at all

please give me advice on this as I want to stay at my present weight!

with many thanks
ps I tell many people about earth clinic!

the organic ACV I buy with the mother, comes with a statement on the bottle to refrigerate after opening...these folks are the best and most consciencious(sp?)so I always place in frig and have all the marvelous benefits over the years...also use a straw to get it past your teeth....don't worry :)

Okay, I'm reading various posts and I've come across the info that it is NOT supposed to be refrigerated. When I purchased the product, I was advised to refrigerate it. Now I won't, but since it's been in the cooler for this time, is it okay to do so? I won't have to throw it away will I? I love this stuff!! Also, I still haven't heard if it will destroy my enamal on my teeth. I'm trying not to drink too much of it, but I still worry.

Oh, no problem, Tanya. But be aware that the fermentation will draw fruit flys. And btw, the vinegar is ready when the cider smells and tastes like vinegar...let your nose and tastebuds be your guide. Also, homemade vinegar can vary in acidity and sometimes have a pH of above (meaning more alkaline than) 5, which is why it shouldn't be used for water-bath canning of pickles, relishes, etc. In other words, home made vinegar may not be acidic enough to deter botulism in water-bath processed home-canned goods.

Thank you for this recipe! I have always wondered how to do this!

Grocery store ACV (acetic acid) starts out as "glacial" acetic acid...that is, water-free acetic acid, which has a pH of 2.4. They then take that glacial acetic acid and water it down to a pH of 5 to get a standardized solution of acetic acid that they label "vinegar"...in other words they "reduce" the acidity to 5 percent. That is what they mean by "reduced to 5 percent". I don't' know if what they call organic vinegar is also just diluted glacial acetic acid, so I'll find out by reading the label the next time I go to the store. Personally, organic vinegar is so much more expensive than regular vinegar that it is not worth the price. Plus, it is very easy to make your own organic vinegar at home. Buy a gallon of organic apple cider. Remove the lid, and cover the top with several thicknesses of cheesecloth, secured with a rubber band (to keep the fruit flys out). Stir the cider around to introduce air into it and in a few weeks, it will naturally turn to vinegar. Put the cap on and shake the cider every day to make sure that air is getting into it (acetobacteria are an aerobic species and need oxygen to do their work). You can also innoculate your cider with a small amount of vinegar (organic or regular) to get the fermentation going. Given time and oxygen, cider or wine will turn to vinegar.

p.s. and in case you haven't noticed, regular old grocery store vinegar will also develop a mother culture over time, so there is nothing special about organic vinegar except the price.

Here's the thing, I've recently adopted the acv ritual of 3tbsp acv, 16oz. glass water, 2 sometimes 3x's day. I like the taste of it, no necessary sodas or honey to add, and I find that I crave it throughout the day. I AM concerned however, about tooth sensitivity to it. I've not experienced it but have read previous posts that problems with sensitivity and softening of the enamal occurs. Is that true? Am I going to have to stop? I will admit, I am completely obsessed about my teeth and my dentist is on my speed dial! lol, Can't help it, I love to keep my smile looking its best. So, should I cut back or not worry? I've used a straw, but honestly, I don't think that works. Contact w/ teeth isn't minimal to me. Thanks in advance for any feedback.

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

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

i love ACV. my dad always drank it and so i've known about it forever. but being young and healthy i often didn't remember to drink it.

now that i'm older and not as healthy i've been using it again. when i first started i tried to drink a teaspoon in 8 ounces of water with or without the baking soda and found it gave me very bad gas at night! also my teeth would start to get sensitive even with the baking soda added.

so i found that if i would put a dropper full (about 1 teaspoon) in 32 ounces of water and drink it throughout the day and drink at least 2 teaspoons per day - followed by regular bottled water at night time that i didn't have any gas!

the first effects for me are usually that i feel cleaner 'down there'. i actually can feel this very quickly and i notice that my sweat dosen't smell as bad.

after taking it for a while i usually begin to notice that my libido is stronger! i am 49 and usually pretty disinterested in sex - so this always suprises me.

then i will begin to notice that my skin looks fresher! it also feels firmer.

finally, i take insulin for diabetes. when i drink this daily i begin to notice my blood sugar levels stabilizing and can usually lower my insulin dose.

try it! it really helps a lot of things! i also put a teaspoon in my pets drinking water.

I am diabetic and was overweight, blochy red skin, sun spots on my face, neck, chest, arms and legs. I read Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV) was good to drink and put on skin. I bought some and began drinking 1 tablespoon three times a day and put it full strength on my body in the shower after bathing when I still had some water on me. I rubbed it all over including my face, neck whole body, arms, legs and feet. After a month I began to notice the sun spots were getting lighter, my skin was getting a more youthful look (I am 55 years old) and I had more energy. When I went to get my A1C checked, it was 5.4! My blood pressure was 113/63! My doctor was estatic and so was I. My skin now is clear and bright. I have LOTS of energy. I'm not tired anymore. All the sun spots are just about gone. My dark elbows and ankles are now a normal color. I am so happy. I have been getting so many compliments on my "glowing" complexion. My facial capillaries have just about disappeared. ACV to me is a miracle in itself.

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".

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.

ACV has nearly cured my acne. I have acne since my 1st menstrual cycle in 6th grade. I'm 35-years old now. I have tried everything you can think of ... the only thing that has worked is Raw Organic Apple Cider Vinegar.

I am addicted to carbonated sodas! These cause huge blood sugar spikes. I noticed that my acne got worse when I ate high glycemic foods and when I drank sodas or ate cakes. From the research I did on Earth Clinic and from other places, I discovered ACV helps to control spikes in blood sugar. So, not only did I lower my consumption of these foods, but when I absolutely HAD TO HAVE a soda or a slice of chocolate cake, I took 2tbs of ACV diluted in about 6 ounces of cold water about 10-minutes before. Not only did it eliminate the breakouts already there, but it has prevented more from popping up. It smells awful and tastes even worse - but, for more than 20-years I have spent thousands of dollars to fix this unsightly problem and it's the only thing that has been worth anything! A huge bottle costs about $8.

As for weight loss ... the same reason it seems to work on acne, is likely why it seems to help with weight loss. We gain weight (especially around the middle) when we have an insulin response to the foods we eat (along with stress , etc.) Lower insulin response = lower stored fat. It also helps the digestive process and I don't feel like eating two pieces of cake after the ACV. All of these things contribute to ACVs weight loss prowess. It's better and cheaper than diets and diet pills. But, always try to maintain a good balanced diet, low in fat and at least walk for thirty minutes three times a week.

ACV also cured my hemorrhoids. I had such bad ones internal and external that I needed surgery. It was the worst pain i have ever experienced. (Don't do it!!!) But, after three months, they had not gone away. On Earth Clinic I learned that they could be remedied by applying ACV. I tried it and they shrank to almost nothing overnight! I just saturated a enough of a section of a gauze pad to cover my hemorrhoids and applied it directly on them for 30-minutes before bed. I was in so much pain after the surgery that I would cry all day and I stopped eating, just so I wouldn't have a bowel movement. The ACV was a miracle. I wish I had read Earth Clinic before I decided to go under the knife.

I started soaking both feet and toes in about 1 inch of straight apple cider vinegar in a pyrex casserole dish (the same one I use for the magnesium oil soak) a few days ago to treat nail fungus and severe cracks in my heels, which I suspect to also be fungus related. Well, it seems soaking is a great way to get the benefits of acv without drinking it! You know the rosy, healthy glow you get after drinking apple cider vinegar in water? Well, it's happening after soaking. Also a great increase in energy. Too soon to say if I am losing weight with the soak.

I was finding that drinking apple cider vinegar lowered my blood sugar levels drastically at times, making me feel faint, but have not had any side effects from soaking thus far. The blood sugar reaction from ACV is a new thing. I had been drinking it regularly for many years before that without any problems.

I am using the organic brand of acv right now, even though you can buy a gallon of regular grocery store acv for the same price. I am thinking about ordering organic acv in bulk, since it takes up almost half a bottle of organic acv to fill the small dish with enough liquid to cover my toes. I must admit, right now I am re-using the acv a few times, otherwise it just isn't cost effective. But yes, I wash my feet before soaking them!

Sorry to say that I have had cracked heels for 11 years now (coincides with when I started training at the dojo). Only recently did it move into toenail fungus. Getting rid of it once and for all is long-overdue. Bad idea to have a fungal infection lingering on for years and years. I am determined to keep this up for months if necessary.

I have side effects after taking 2 TBS ACV diluted in a 8 oz cup of water twice a day - a lot of gas and bloating problem, even acid reflex, I think. Anyway, I couldn't sleep at night. That's how uncomfortable it made my stomach and chest feel. Then, I tried two ways to ease the problem. One is adding about 1/4-1/2 TS of baking soda to the drink. It worked. But, I was concerned about the side effects of using the baking soda mentioned on this web site, so I switched my ACV drink to a lower dosage - 1 TBS ACV with a full glass of water, and always drink it after a meal. Either way helps my problem. Oh, I also found out another great way to stop the gas/bloating problem - apples. It really works. But, it seems green apples work the best. Hope the tips would help anyone with the same problem.

I was having a terrible time trying to take ACV and then I followed a post that ted responded to and he said o mix 1 teaspoon ACV and 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda in a cup and then wait for it to stop fizzing and then add 1/2 a cup of water. I was so excited because you could not taste or smell the ACV. I am 39, female, with lupus and fibromyalgia.

For Dianna from Mumbai, India:

Hello Dianna,

I have used ACV with my children and my youngest one is now 47 years old. I don't remember giving it orally to any of them until they were l year old, In view of the
fact that honey is said to contain some bacteria (it also has some antibiotic/antihistaminic action) that the babies immune systems cannot handle under 1 year or age. However I got the honey/ACV from Dr. Jarvis' book on home remedies that he found worked, so I probably did give it to them before since I didn't hear the above caution until all four of my children were past the age of l year.

I haven't seen it on EC yet,but I used to have a relative with 2 small children visit frequently. In the heavy insect bite seasons, my children always developed impetigo (also a streptococcus organism) after their visits. I quickly learned that putting a cup of ACV in the bath water for my four after these visits, stopped my kids from catching impetigo all the time. Another benefit of the ACV in their bath water, they had very few bug bites following the ACV baths. Not wanting to spend half my time treating bug bites & stings, I started using ACV every night for their bathwater.

I am now 76 years old & still using ACV for multiple purposes: cooking, medicine, clogged sinks, bathing, etc.

I can only recall one respiratory infection with severe cough that 50/50 ACV/local honey didn't help. I must have drank at least 3 pints of that stuff and if it helped I would hate to think what pertussis would have been like without it. There was a couple of times that I came close to dialling 911 for transport to the hospital ER. That was when I caught pertussis (whooping cough) from a patient about 10 years ago. When I got one of those coughing spasms after returning to work (the cough does sound terrible and it doesn't feel good) my doc remarked that I needed to see a lung man. He looked surprised when I told him that I didn't, because what was making me cough was all in my head, and my lungs were working hard to keep the crap from moving on down into them. If any of you or your children ever get this mess, remember that. The cough comes from the drainage from the head, which I can best describe as "feels like someone is spraying Elmer's glue or worse over the trachea (windpipe) and the best way to stop it is to flush the nasal passages with normal saline, which I got proceeded to do and stopped the coughing for an hour or two, when I needed to repeat the process. The good news is that my lungs did sucha good job of keeping it out that my entire chest was sore from coughing so vigorously.

Wish I had known about Bill's H202 inhalation then. I certainly would have used it by inhalation & probably sprayes it in my nose too.

I have discovered a great way to take apple cider vinegar with no taste. I bought some empty caplets 00 size off the internet.If you google empty caplets a whole list of companies come up. Then i use an empty dropper and fill them up and take them like that with plain water to swallow them. The kind of dropper i use is the sort you get for putting drops in your ears for ear wax etc as i have not seen any to buy . Taking them this way also protects the tooth enamel as it doesn't touch your teeth. I know you can get apple cider pills but there is a big question as to how much apple cider vinegar is actually in each pill and what do they do to it to get into the pill state. The empty caplet way is a sure way of getting pure apple cider vinegar in a tasteless way.You have to make them up fresh or they dissolve but it takes no time at all. I take 5 at a time as this is about a teaspoon full on the 00 size caplets

I think it would be useful to know people's ages.