How to Use Apple Cider Vinegar to Treat Sinus Infections Naturally

I remember my saintly grandmother using Apple Cider Vinegar for several different healing remedies... this year I fought 'the crud', worse than ever - taken everything I could take - even antibiotic, but to no avail... tried apple cider vinegar and I can honestly say, it worked and I feel so much better - I drink it in water and flush nostrils as well... thanks a million for the article and help...

I have Irritable bowel syndrome (Spastic colon) and I get sinus infections at least once a year.

My doc always prescribes antibiotics for my SI's and every time I take them, I spend too much time in the bathroom. I recently came across your site and tried the ACV for my sinus infection:

I am using three-four drops of ACV, 1/2 tsp of baking soda (to take the edge off of the ACV) and warm water in my neti pot. I do this three times a day and I am planning to do this for five days.

The first day was harsh, but the second day of treatments was less harsh. I am now on my third day of treatments. I am not a 100% better, but I am feeling more better than I did before when I was on antibiotics. This is more effective and faster than antibiotics. I plan to do the ACV health drink after my SI's is over with. Thanks for this helpful information, You saved me a trip to the doctor, lots of bathroom time and some money. Thanks again.

50/50 sounds like too much ACV. Most recommendations I see say 1t. or 1T. ACV to 1 cup of water.

Yes it worked for me too. Exact same symptoms going to the end of antibiotics treatment but it didnt cure it so I tried this and it worked just few hours later!

Happy to report that my sense of smell has almost completely returned after about two weeks. Given the experience however, I doubt if I would recommend using apple cider vinegar as a sinus rinse in a neti pot or otherwise.

Thanks for this advice! I only added 6 drops of apple cider vinegar to a nasal rinse of warm distilled water the first time and it did sting a little. The next time, I added 6 drops to the rinse with a saline packet and it was AMAZING! No pain at all, drained well, and I am much less congested! I also started to drink a diluted ACV tonic of warm tap water with 1/2 tsp 2x a day. Had severe congestion for two weeks and took pseudophedrine and decongestant spray constantly. I was going to give in and go to the doctor for antibiotics but am so glad I tried this instead. It's only been 24 hours and I feel much better. Will also try a few drops of melted coconut oil in the nostrils since people on here say that is an amazing cure as well. Thanks for the posts everyone!!

PS Bill - hot, epsom salt baths helped with the itching. 2 cups of epsom salt, stay in the water 20 minutes, as hot as you can stand it. It will detox your body, especially the skin. You can add a cup of Apple cider vinegar too.

Amazing. I have been miserable for days. I'm leaving on a day trip to the Lake Michigan shore early in the morning and I thought for sure I'd have to cancel so I could go to Urgent Care for an antibiotic. I snorted some warm water/ACV up each nostril and I am completely pain free and both sides of nose are taking air! 15 minutes ago! I've been a fan of ACV for a few years but haven't used it for months. I'm going to start using it daily again! Great tip!

My son had dandruff until he took some ACV with him in the shower. He scrubbed his whole scalp with it, rinsed then shampooed. He had to do this again a couple of days later. It really helped!

If you use 50% ACV, then you burned the nerve endings in your nose that control the sense of smell. That's why the instructions tell you to dilute it.. it has 5% acetic acid.. and instead of using only 2.5 to 5 ml in 8 oz of water, you used the equivalent of 120+ ml per 8oz!!! Of course it burn your smell receptors... Fortunately they will grow back in a couple weeks or so.

Follow the instructions.. And if you decide to go stronger start from the most diluted form and slowly add.. it's not too intelligent to Simply ignore the instructions and go to a crazy ratio with no idea of how it's going to impact you.. Common Sense tells you to start off easy before you go stronger (and certainly not 30 to 60 times stronger!!! )..

With all due respect to David, listing measurements in ML's (milliters) is just pointless here in the USA. It would be better if you'd describe them as a fraction of a teaspoon, or just as drops.

Hi Pamela,

As I reported earlier, in a previous post, my wife's tummy pains have mostly disappeared some time ago, largely as a result of going (strictly) gluten free! It is now three months and she is reporting that her sense of smell has returned after years of having no (sense of! ) smell at all! She is now able to smell some of the stronger smells that she had almost forgotten about. She's a happy chappy, as she felt she had been missing out all these years on an important aspect of life.

Michael

Sounds like you have"Leaky Gut" is it "Hives?" Your body is overloaded with yeast! Cause that's what your symptoms sound like. No doctor will diagnose you right. They're trained to suppress your malady, not cure it. Totally eliminate white processed sugar from your diet (Go natural) Add banana, or apple to your green veggie smoothies to give you the sweetness. Add Agave. Used bone broth as a soup. remember many natural spices come with their own anti-oxidants and anti-viral properties (Garlic, oregano, Turmeric, etc) there are many recipes on the internet. It will take 3-6 months for your body's yeast to balance out.

I just used 1/2 tsp ACV with about 8 oz of warm water in neti and omg it burned and now even 2 hours later I can barely breathe through my nose because I'm so congested from it, wondering did anyone else have this reaction?

I'm starting to feel the early symptoms of a sinus infection. Upper teeth hurt, pain in the face, cheekbone hurts, etc. I know how bad these can get so I just boiled some water and added ACV (probably a half cup), hung my head over the pot with a towel over my head and let it do its stuff. Then I readied my Neti Pot and added 1 teaspoon of ACV to it. Blew my nose a couple of times and out comes the yellow stuff. I have chronic postnasal drip and have found that the ONLY thing that helps is to put ACV in the Neti Pot - usually only half a teaspoon, but if I'm fighting off a sinus infection I'll use more. I've used tea tree oil in the neti but I have pets and don't wanna use that stuff anywhere near them and actually it doesn't work as well as the ACV. This stuff is great!

You might have a weakened immune and digestive system. If you get sick your body uses specific resources to get well; but if you are sick for a long time or get really sick the resources can get depleted. A few years ago I caught a cold I could not shake, it lasted months like yours. I tried many things, I'm still trying to manage it. What's benefited so far is the following:

Quit eating anything with gluten. In the section on Earth Clinic about boils and MRSA someone mentioned he had an infection that made it seem like he had a gluten sensitivity. Gluten can cause a chemical burn of sorts in the small intestine in some people. It can seem like you have a cold or flue.

Quit eating any cow milk products that are not soured - no pasteurized milk, ice cream, or foods with those things in them. Regular goat milk is easier to digest. Eat saturated fat products such as unsalted butter, plain full-fat yogurt, cream cheese, cheese, frozen yogurt - raw and unprocessed is better.

Quit cocoa, coffee or tea with caffiene. It is said that when the body is stimulated by these foods it does not repair itself as it normally would. Instead drink organic chamomile tea (with lemon balm if you can find it), take valerian root capsules, and drink liccorice root tea. As directed of course. These will calm your system down and help you sleep better in theory helping heal you. Additionally chamomile and lemon balm have anti-microbial properties.

Quit using any form of sweetner and avoid sweet foods and starchy foods, some on rare occasions may be tolerable. Your tolerance may increase after you begin feeling better. If you eat something that makes you sick, or might, take psyllium fiber with a large glass of water to dilute the sugar or whatever, or eat a raw cucumber.

Do Ted's aspirin remedy for the H1N1 flu.

Do the olive oil, lemon juice, and garlic liver cleanse. You can search the specifics of it online. I did this a few nights in a row and then awoke suddenly in the middle of the night feeling really good.

Eat several small light meals daily. Choose fresh avacados, celery, romain lettuce, cucumbers, apples, cantaloup, raw cabbage because they have less carbohydrate. It will make digestion easier.

Take a teaspoon of Swedish Bitters with meals once or twice a day. Not sure how long you'd have to use it.

Guanfenison

1000 mg or more vitamin C per day.

Turmeric - 1 or 2 teaspoons a day, organic non-irradiated.

Fresh lemon juice with cayenne pepper daily, maybe 1 or 2 organic lemons with a half teaspoon non-irradiated cayenne pepper mixed in, put it in a liter bottle, fill the rest of the way with water, and sip it all day so it's gone by evening. Boil the lemon rinds briefly to make a tea, let it sit until it's cooled but still somewhat warm, eat the peeling too, if it's organic.

To MoOf from Englewood, Co. I also couldn't take the taste of the acv, but my husband suggested putting it in tea with some honey, and that is quite good, if you're a tea drinker. Since the honey is quite high I now just use sweetner but it's still quite good. I've gotton so used to it that I don't like plain tea. I've also been using the distilled, but my acv with the "mother"in it is on it's way,but even the distilled has helped so much, I can breathe again.

You should not add the baking soda to the ACV to adjust the "harshness." To adjust the harshness, you simply adjust the concentration by increasing the dilution with water. Adding baking soda to the ACV adversely affects its beneficial properties..

Additionally, there is no reason to wait to drink the diluted ACV. In fact, the nose rinse, and the drinking of the ACV work together. People with digestive problems may actually find that it helped us as well..

I added 1 tsp of ACV to my neti pot and did this twice on Saturday. I noticed that I felt dizzy for a few seconds afterward but then I was ok and sinus congestion was clear. But on Sunday I began having severe dizziness - like the room was spinning - and it's now Monday morning and it hasn't gone away. Not sure but I think it must have been the ACV added to my neti pot rinse. Don't know why it took 18 hours for this severe dizziness to show up but I know that has to be it.

I'm about to do a regular saline neti pot rinse to see if it can flush away any residue that may still be there lingering. I'll post a follow up. But please be very careful about adding anything to a sinus rinse!

Hi I have currently Retention cyst in my right mAx Sinus. I also have itching different placed in my body that comes and goes. I also have inflammation areopathy near ears, but MRI shows no other issues.

The pain in the sinuses and itching I got almost exactly the same time last year and then it went away and now have it again but this time I have the tmj without grinding of the teeth. Anyway I am looking for answers too. Got off the honey today thinking that might be the problem. My glucose is 102 slightly high. Might be allergies..Doctors provide no real answers so here I am again doing my research.

Also make sure you're NOT using tap water. This is very dangerous due to all the "crap" in tap water. Only use filtered or preferably distilled water.

You should never force yourself to drink 2 gallons of water in that short of time. You can make yourself very sick and possibly die.

This is in response to Gem from IL,

1.To clear the heaviness in the back of your head and neck, tie an onion poultice. (chop onions finey and tie in a cloth) Place or tie around your neck. After at least 4 hours it will help in clearing the congestion. This can be repeated as often as needed.

2.Dilute 1 teaspoons of ACV with 2 teaspoons of water. Place in microwave for 30 seconds and breath in deeply.

3.To completely elimate sinuses one must treat the cause not the effect. Try to cut out all wheat, barley and rye products from your diet. This will include bread, cakes, pasta etc. Rice, corn and soya are safe to eat. The reason is that wheat barley, oats and rye contain "gluten" which is like a rubbery protein that gives the bread etc its sponge. This protein can affect the small intestine in some individuals which interferes with the absorbtion of vital minerals into the body. I tried this diet for a few months and for the first time in my life I felt energetic and clear of my sinuses. Also you need to elimate diary products completely from your diet as doctors confirm that this adds to to secretion of mucus.

Heres to good health! Clive

I started using the acv today at about 10:00 am. I had a cold last week and of course it turned into a sinus infection like it always does. So I said to myself here we go again witha $25 dollar trip to the allergist and a $60 dollar prescrition for anti-biotics. I am tired of sinus infections and hate them worse than any other ailment I've ever experienced. I get about 4 or 5 a year. Anyway, I started a search for natural cures and came across the vinegar cure which I have never heard of before. I immediately tried it right here at work. Luckily we have a cafeteria at work so I told the kitchen staff to give me about a 1/4 cup of the stuff. I gagged it down and wow my sinuses started feeling better almost immediatley. I have been doing the sinus irrigation also and that works great. As a chronic sinus sufferer for about 5 years now I am willing to try anything to get rid of these infections or prevent them without the use of the dreaded anti-biotics. So far so good with the irrigation and acv remedy. I will continue use forever as long as it works.

Also, on another note white vinegar when applied directly to the scalp will cure itching scalp and dandruff. Just get a cup of vinegar and pour on the head let sit for 30 minutes. Rinse it off and do it again everyday until your cured. It works great. Try It!!!

I had itching over my body also when I was detoxing from a yeast overgrowth. I also had plenty of sinus problems with the yeast issue. It improved greatly with apple cider vinegar and getting off sugar. 2 tbsp acv, with 1/2 tps baking soda. Let it fizz down and drink, follow with water. You can do this up to 4 x a day.

Hi, I am a doctor and I suffer from chronic sinusitis because I was heavy smoker which had damaged my cilia. You should avoid dairy products which cause body secretions to be thick and become a nidus for Bacterial infection.

I normally don't leave comments on anything but I had to this time. I've suffered from sinus infections for most of my life (30 yo female) and have had sinus surgery, etc. I felt one coming on and had a raging infection two days ago. I began using my Neti pot, as I'm trying to avoid antibiotics unless they're absolutely necessary. The next morning I found this post and starting drinking ACV in water and already I feel an incredible difference. The infection is not quite gone but I am continuing to Neti, sip the tonic, and drink tea my husband has made me from our garden. I'm amazed!

I have been using apple cider vinegar for allergies and sinus infections for 30 years now. I read about it in DC Jarvis' book Folk Medicine a long time ago and always have a bottle on hand. It is a very effective home remedy. I often steam with it for sinus congestion. I also drink 2 teaspoons of vinegar in warm water twice a day during flu season.

About 4 months ago I got a sinus infection. I used over the counter decongestants and pain relievers for a month or so and rested and drank plenty of water, my symptoms subsided slightly and all seemed well. But it kept coming back. 6 weeks ago, my sinuses were full, my face hurt, my ears were full or "popped" and my throat was sore from drainage. Finally I got an ear infection (so painful!!! ) so I went to a doctor hoping for relief. I was put on a hard core antibiotic for 10 days. 11 days later the only improvement was my ear. Desperate for this crap to go away, I tried some things that have worked for past sinus stuff or colds. I tried garlic, probiotisc and tulsi tea. Got no where.

I started researchin natiral cures and remedies and came upon this site. THANK MY LUCKY STARS!!!!!! I started ACV 2 tsp in 8 oz of warm water with honey. After the first dose, my I noticed drastic improvements. I was able to blow my nose and feel my sinus open, snot actually came out! After 2 days, my ears opened. Every time I took the ACV the condition improved!!!!!!!! After a week I could sleep through the night comfortably, breathe easily through out my day, and then I started oil pulling with sesame oil. Things got even better. Even though I felt fine, and the stuff still coming out of my nose was clear, the first time I did the oil pulling LARGE amounts of super icky green and yellow snot came out of my nose.

Also as a result of the OP I have noticed my skin improving, I no longer need moisturizer and it's cold outside! To top it off i've recently started with kelp and BSM. The kelp is for the iodine that can be lost while taking Apple Cider Vinegar and the molasses for iron. Now thanks to the great information i've found on this site ACV has become a staple in my home. ALSO I've lost 5 pounds. Super!!! Thanks for the help!

Got a cold from my grandchild and it developed into yet another sinus infection. Woke up 4 mornings in a row with a pressure headache and yellow discharge. It was so bad I had to leave work early yesterday. I looked up natural remedies (hate taking antibiotics) and found some people swear by apple cider vinegar. This site helped the most. Wow! I have never seen anything work this well. Simply amazing.

I used 1 tbsp (or more) of raw, unfiltered, unpasteurized, apple cider vinegar with "mother" in a small glass of water every couple of hours. Found this at the health food store. I don't even know what "mother" is!

It is now 15 hours in - the headache is gone, I can breathe and my cold symptoms are disappearing. Note: I am also using chewable vitamin C tablets to supplement. I had to share this with someone. I have suffered with this problem off and on for years. Deviated septum sometimes clogs up 1 side of my nose. George

Can it help to treat dandruff or dry scalp?

Can I use the apple cider vinegar rinse every day? Is it safe every day? Thanx.

Yes.. It's sufficiently diluted you can use ACV rinse daily.

If you have a problem you are using too strong of a concentration..

Once you are breathing clearly, you don't need to use daily.. just use on a maintenance schedule that you can determine by how quickly symptoms return.. then, you can fine-tune exactly how often you do it by direct observation of your needs.. once breathing/sinuses seems normal, daily, you can attempt to decrease the concentration to a minimum level that works for you..

I think maybe steaming a good dilution is better due to the fact you can stop if it becomes irritating.

Vinegar is astringent, hence it could possibly constrict blood vessels (which is one of the reasons it helps diarrhea). That may have accounted for your dizziness, but it's just a guess.

I did the same thing with the netti pot and my head felt like it was going to explode and I couldn't breathe through my nose. I did a saline rinse immediately to dilute any damage the acid may have caused to my sinus passages. I have been using warm compresses to alleviate the pain and am still very plugged in my nose. Please warn people not to use the netti pot for this

Yes Nancy, It will help you even though you have had the infection for a few days.

I do hope that you feel better.

Kimberly D.

Sometimes what feels like sinus drainage is actually acid reflux coming up in to your throat. Check some remedies for reflux. If that solved the problem, then you are having reflux, not sinus drainage. Or you could be having both. Lionel Richie, the singer with the Commodores, started having drainage. He went to numerous doctors who were treating him for sinus and ear infections, one surgeon even did sinus surgery on him. He still was not getting better. Finally he was put in the hospital for something gastrointestinal related, he was having some kind of problems that made him really sick, and found out what had been making him sick all along was reflux. After hearing that, I no longer trust doctors to come to the right conclusion any more.

I put 1/2tsp Apple Cider Vinegar and 1/2 tsp salt in 2 cup filtered water. Microwave for about 1 minute then put into the neti pot & administer. Do this 2x a day. It burns slightly but it works for me every time.

Dear R P Sharma,

Regarding your long term sinus infection:

Try garlic with some honey. Crush one clove of garlic and mix it with honey and take it on a spoon. We have used this three to four times a day for a week for a serious infection and it worked well.

You might try putting a drop or two of castor oil into each nostril (Lay on your back and let the oil get deep into your sinuses) once or twice a day. (If you have polyps, I would do this for at least a month.)

Avoid all dairy products until you are better.

You could try Earth Clinic's wonderful cure for sinus infections. It has helped my son and me greatly in the past.

Hydrogen Peroxide for Sinus Infections

Try gargling salt water a few times a day as well - 1/4 teaspoon salt in 1 ounce very warm water.

I hope you feel better soon!

~Mama to Many~

Apple Cider Vinegar really works for sinus! I've been treated with antibiothics several times but it keept coming back... Reading your posts I decided to give a try to the Apple Cider Vinegar remedy and congestion was gone in minutes, no signs of sinus two days after! I feel good and relieved. Thanks!

WOW, just wow. Apple cider vinegar cleared my sinus infection OVERNIGHT. Unbelievable. Wish I'd known this years ago.

Here's what I did:

Two tablespoons ACV, followed by forced liquids till bedtime. And, I mean FORCED. I drank about two gallons of water in a four hour period. This morning, I can breathe through both sides of nose, fever gone, no more pressure.

This is a truly amazing and simple cure that actually WORKS OVERNIGHT. And it only cost me .98. ACV and forced liquids... you got to try this.

My husband has had chronic sinus infections, with allergies. I found your article on the Internet and talked him into trying it, he suffered for years with ringing ears, dizziness, and no sense of smell, they all seem to go along with his sinus congestion and pain. As soon as he started the Apple Cider Vinegar, his ringing ears stopped, as did the dizziness, and he even smells certain odors. The pain also left. I thought he was just getting old with most of those symptoms, but they are gone and he feels great. We are both taking the vinegar everyday and will probably keep on, I have allergies and have problems breathing through my nose and get ear aches, those symptoms have gone away for me also.

OMG, lying in bed, cheeks were killing me. Did the NetyPot, but my sinuses were so congested that no fluid would drain from the other nostril-more pain. Read the ACV remedy, as a last result I made the concoction. I kid you not, the gunk that was in my head started draining immediately. The pain is now tolerable, and I can sleep. Do it again tomorrow. Didn't use honey, used Truvia, 1 Tbsp, pinched my nose and drank. Actually, wasn't bad, tasted tart.

I've been suffering with a sinus infection for 8 months, and have tried seemingly everything offered by Eastern and Western health practices: Chinese herbs formulated for sinus health, acupuncture, chiropractic adjustments, two rounds of antibiotics, and a prescription nasal spray combined with a daily dose of allergy meds. Now armed with a bottle of organic ACV with the 'mother', I am finally winning the battle! Three times a day I drink a tea consisting of 8oz. Water, 1 Tablespoon ACV and 1 Tablespoon of locally harvested honey. Once daily I use a NetiPot with 8oz. Distilled water, 1/4 tsp. ACV and 1/4 tsp. Plain salt (4oz. Per nostril). I've tried the NetiPot before without much success, but once I added the ACV I noticed an immediate improvement. Yes, it burns some but the results are more than worth the short term discomfort. My sinuses have cleared significantly after only two days, and I intend to continue with this routine to kick out the infection altogether. I am also considering adding the practice of oil-pulling to even further reduce the bacteria and toxins that my body is apparently harboring.