APPLE CIDER VINEGAR DOSAGES AND RECIPES

Revised 10/01/2008:

As you know, Earth Clinic has recommended the standard 2 teaspoons in 8 oz of water 3x a day for years now. For more severe conditions, we recommended 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar in 8 oz of water 3x a day. We now think that less vinegar, more water is an optimal way of taking apple cider vinegar daily unless you are treating an acute condition like acid reflux, cough, bronchitis, or sore throat (in which case the stronger concoction of 2 TBS ACV to 8 OZ of water 3x a day recipe is suggested).

For daily maintenance, weight loss and pH balancing, we now suggest the following:

2 teaspoons of organic apple cider vinegar
16 ounces of water
Sip, don't chug!

We suggest 2 teaspoons of apple cider vinegar in 16 ounces of water that you'll sip throughout the day, rather than drinking the whole concoction at once 3 times a day. You will be keeping your pH in a constant, alkalized state by sipping this highly diluted dosage. Usually 1-2 tall glasses of the concoction are all you'll need each day.

If you drink a lot of water throughout the day, consider adding just a splash of apple cider vinegar to your glass/container each time you fill it up, rather than drinking the one, 16 oz glass of acv and water mentioned above.

For the record, we are not big fans of adding baking soda to apple cider vinegar, nor are we fans of adding any kind of sweetener to the acv/water solution. The baking soda works great for some people, but causes severe side effects in others.

Also, we know the Bragg brand is the most popular apple cider vinegar on the market, but we've had just as good results using Whole Foods' organic and Trader Joe's organic apple cider vinegar.

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APPLE CIDER VINEGAR RECIPES

Standard Dosage: 2 teaspoons of ACV in 8 oz of water. Add honey to taste.
Acute Conditions: 2 tablespoons of ACV in 8 oz of water. No honey.

Note: 2 Tablespoons of Apple Cider Vinegar may be too much apple cider vinegar for some people . We suggest you start with the standard dosage and see how your body responds to a teaspoon or two of acv. If all goes well, you can up the dosage over time if you feel a need arise.

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ADDITIONAL EARTH CLINIC RECIPES

In summer months: Add 1/4 cup of ACV to a quart of water. Add ice cubes. Drink this on a hot summer day, especially before working out. Your body will feel very cleansed.

In winter months: 2 TBLS of ACV in a mug filled with hot water 3x day. Are you used to drinking tea or coffee during your long commute to work? Try this instead -- you will feel energized but not adrenalized. Add a few shakes of cayenne pepper if you REALLY want an energy lift!

To detox: 2 TBLSP of organic ACV in a 1 or 2 Liter filtered water bottle (ie Smart Water, Evian, etc). 2 TBLSP = 1/8th cup. You can add more vinegar than this amount, however, make sure you dilute it with plenty of water. Do not add a sweetener. Drink this solution throughout the day. The solution will be cleansing your system and kidneys all day long. That's the point.

There are several things you will notice within a day or two of drinking Apple Cider Vinegar: your allergies will disappear, your face will have a healthy & youthful glow, you will look & feel more VITAL, you will have consistent energy, and you will more easily digest your food.

We believe that apple cider vinegar is probably the best (and cheapest) detoxifier for the body. As such, it is should be considered a critical component to the fountain of youth!

APPLE CIDER VINEGAR AND pH BALANCE
It's suggested that Apple Cider Vinegar has such curative abilities because it causes one's pH levels to become more alkaline. If you are going to try apple cider vinegar for allergies, or even to prevent sickness, we suggest you do an investigation of your own by buying a pH test kit at a local pharmacy, garden nursery, or even pool supply store. You can use these kits or pH strips to test your urine to see if you are more alkaline or acid during an allergy attack, virus or bacterial infection. Once you ascertain your pH levels, you can adjust adjust your dosage of Apple Cider Vinegar accordingly.

If you live in a highly polluted area like we do (Los Angeles) where allergies and sinus infections are rampant, your system may better balance itself with a small dose of apple cider vinegar each day. Ultimately we suggest you experiment with a kit to find the pH balance your body functions optimally at. Want to know more about pH? Click here.

APPLE CIDER VINEGAR BOOKS
Clicking on these links will take you to Amazon.com for review.

Apple Cider Vinegar - Miracle Health System by the Bragg folks. Best selling book on health benefits of Apple Cider Vinegar.

Dr. Earl Mindell's Amazing Apple Cider Vinegar by Earl, R.Ph., Ph.D. Mindell

Amazing Apple Cider Vinegar : The Medicinal Miracle by Earl Mindell.

Loose Weight with Apple Cider Vinegar by Earl Mindell.
Folk Medicine by DC Jarvis. We highly recommend this book!

As reported by a reviewer on Amazon.com: "All that Dr. Jarvis wrote as to what the outcome would be if an individual would follow the stated regime of vinegar, honey, and kelp I can personally attest to. The excruciating joint and muscle pain, the fatigue and chronic upper respiratory infections that were described were written as if he knew me as a patient. Having suffered the paralysis that he described on page 29 in the soft covered edition I knew that he knew and understood in detail exactly what he was writing about. This is a 'must read' for everyone who wants to get well and stay well. For those who exercise and eat right and are well this book should be read for further understanding as to how the body is manufacturing acids, utilizing acids and eliminating acids to keep them that way. This book should be brought to the forefront and promoted as a 'must have' book for every household."

The Healing Powers of Vinegar... by Cal Orey.
The Second Edition
5/29/2006: Cal emailed us: "Good news! The second edition "The Healing Powers of Vinegar: Revised and Updated" (Kensington, Sept. 6) is due to be released soon. Please let your readers know. I have included so much more interesting info--dozens more home cures and health data about amazing vinegars that are used worldwide. Cover image soon to appear. Ready to pre-order at a discount rate."

Vim & Vinegar by Melodie Morel

Honey, Garlic and Vinegar by Patrick Quillin

Apple Cider Vinegar for Weight Loss and Good Health by Cynthia Holzapfel, Cynthia Nofziger

APPLE CIDER VINEGAR HISTORY (part 2)
We thank Jonothan Shiloka for emailing us the following. You can visit Jonothan's wonderful websites for more articles and information at:

http://www.supernaturale.org/board

http://www.wildchildmagazine.com

Vinegar: A Natural Approach to Avian Management
By Wanda Barras

"Many herbalists recommend the use of raw, unpasteurized, unheated, organic apple cider vinegar as an important dietary ingredient for humans, farm animals and pets, including birds. The Encyclopedia of Natural Pet Care describes apple cider vinegar in this way: "Long a folk remedy, cider vinegar has been shown to improve the health of dairy cows, horses, dogs and other animals. It reduces common infections, aids whelping, improves stamina, prevents muscle fatigue after exercise, increases resistance to disease and protects against food poisoning. Cider vinegar is rich in the vitamins, minerals and trace elements found in apples, especially potassium; it normalizes acid levels [pH] in the stomach, improves digestion and the assimilation of nutrients, reduces intestinal and fecal odors, helps cure constipation, alleviates some of the symptoms of arthritis and helps prevent bladder stones and urinary tract infections."

Vinegar Through The Ages

Vinegar has been used to cure ailments for centuries. For hundreds of years, folk medicine practitioners have recommended daily doses of apple cider vinegar, not only for specific medical problems, but also for overall food health. In Asia vinegar is called the friend of Chinese herbs because it is often used to process herbal preparations. It is also successfully used in modern Chinese medicine.

Historically, the origin of vinegar was never specifically noted. Vinegar was probably discovered when one of our ancestors found that wine exposed to the air would turn sour, thereby creating vinegar. It is amongst the oldest of foods and medicines know to man. For its healing ways, vinegar has been used for thousands of years. In 400 B.C, Hypocrites, known as the father of medicine, treated patients with vinegar, making it one of the world's first medicines. Throughout biblical times, vinegar was successfully used to treat infections and wounds. For centuries medical textbooks have listed various ways to use vinegar. These uses include everything from keeping a sharp mind to purifying the waters of the body and to easing pain and alleviating dozens of other ailments. Modern laboratory analysis verifies the antibacterial and antiseptic properties of vinegar. Many of the old-time uses are just as applicable now as they were centuries ago. (Moore xii)

Natural Apple Cider Vinegar: One of Mother Nature%uFFFDs Most Perfect Foods

Fermenting sweet juice makes vinegar. The juice turns to wine or cider which is allowed to ferment a second time until the alcohol mixes with oxygen in the air, changing it into acetic acid and water. Natural---that is, undistilled, organic, raw, apple cider vinegar is often called one of Mother Nature's most perfect foods. Apple cider vinegar should be made from fresh, organic, crushed apples that are allowed to mature naturally in wooden barrels. Natural apple cider vinegar, found in health food stores, should be a rich amber color with the "mother" quite visible as sentiment on the bottom. The strength of vinegar is important. All varieties of vinegar contain about 4 to 7 percent acetic acid, with 5 percent being the most common amount. Acetic acid is what gives vinegar its tart and sour taste.

There is nothing beneficial about commercial distilled vinegars except for pickling, cleaning and disinfection ---they have no health value! They do not contain the health values of organic, raw apple cider vinegar with the mother still intact and viable. Distilled white vinegar and cider vinegar sold in supermarkets are considered "dead" vinegars with none of the enzymes and other live factors that make raw, unpasteurized vinegars so valuable. Distilling removes the beneficial "mother" from the vinegar, thereby, destroying the powerful enzymes and life giving minerals such as potassium, phosphorus, natural organic sodium, magnesium, sulphur, iron copper, natural organic fluorine, silicon, trace minerals, pectin and other powerful nutrients. Also destroyed are natural malic and tartaric acids, which are important in fighting body toxins and inhibiting unfriendly bacteria growth (Bragg 1- 4).

Apple cider vinegar has shown to be an extremely valuable constituent in the body's biochemical operations and an essential building block in the construction of many complex substances in the body. Vinegar is low in calories and carbohydrates but does contain small amounts of calcium, phosphorus, iron and, of course, lots of potassium. A cup of ACV is 98.8% water, has 34 calories, a trace of protein, and no fat. (Moore p.viii) Acetic acid, the principal constituent in vinegar, plays an important role in the release of energy from fats and carbohydrates. It is of primary importance in the body's metabolism.

Apple Cider Vinegar Can Make Any Living Thing Healthier

Dr. D.C. Jarvis, MD who wrote "Folk Medicine, A Vermont Doctor's Guide to Good Health" and "Arthritis and Folk Medicine%uFFFD, is completely convinced that apple cider vinegar could make any living thing healthier. He believes, Potassium, which is found in just the right amounts in natural apple cider vinegar "is so essential to the life of every living thing and that with out it there would be no life. Potassium is the most important of all minerals that are necessary for good health." Potassium's main function is to promote cell, tissue and organism growth. It is necessary to replace dead cells and tissue. There is no better source of potassium than vinegar---particularly natural apple cider vinegar.

Dr. Jarvis believes Apple cider vinegar can help fight infection, simply by keeping fluids where they belong---in body cells, not in bacteria. Bacteria need moisture to thrive. As bacteria multiply, they will pull necessary fluids from healthy cells in order to flourish, particularly during times of stress when resistance is low. Stress is a major agent in causing a previously sub-clinical problem to break into a full-blown illness. If the process goes unchecked illness will occur. In order to defeat bacterial infections and illness it is important to keep moisture in the cells and prevent germs from depleting that moisture. According to Dr. Jarvis: "If there is enough potassium in each body cell, it will draw moisture from the [harmful] bacteria, instead of the bacteria taking moisture from the body cells." Therefore by providing natural sources of potassium in the diet (fruit, berries, sprouts, edible leaves, edible roots, etc.) and including apple cider vinegar to that diet the body cells are provided with the necessary moisture-attracting potassium. It is interesting to note that many traditional medicines used to combat bacterial illness also work by depriving bacteria of moisture and thus keeping fluids inside the cells (O'Brien p40)

Acidic pH Balance Will Discourage Bacteria, Yeast & Fungal Growth

Apple cider vinegar destroys microorganisms, including bacteria, fungi, viruses and others, and prevents poisons from reaching the rest of the systems of the body. It has been proven to inhibit the growth of gram-negative bacilli, Pseudomonas, and Candida. The acid nature of vinegar makes the digestive tract environment unpleasant for germs and fungus. Apple cider vinegar has proven to be a natural treatment (and preventative) in simple cases of avian pediatric digestive disorders. Dr. Jarvis through his own research believes that apple cider vinegar will lower bloods natural alkalinity, bringing it closer to a natural healthy acid state. A naturally acidic digestive tract digestive, with the correct pH balance, will discourage bacteria and is less likely to grow yeast and fungus. Apple cider vinegar can assist the natural process of breaking food in the stomach. The acidic qualities of ACV will help break down protein, in the digestive system, for absorption into the bloodstream.

Apple Cider Vinegar On The Farm

For the past year and a half I have routinely added apple cider vinegar, to my baby birds' hand-feeding formula, to all drinking water and sprinkled some on the food of the animals here at our aviary and small dairy farm. These animals include several species of breeding exotic parrots, chickens, ducks, dogs, cats and LaMancha dairy goats. The vinegar keeps the water bowls and bottles very clean and sanitary and the animals seem to love it--- of course, the nutritional and health benefits are a plus. Apple cider vinegar added to young birds drinking water encourages early weaning and healthy weight gain and they will feather out faster. Adding a little raw apple cider vinegar to the hand-feeding formula water can prove nutritionally beneficial and help to inhibit the growth of yeast, fungus and bacteria. In formula a ratio of about %uFFFD tsp per 4 oz water is best.

You may safely add cider vinegar to food and/or drinking water, starting with small amounts and building up to %uFFFD to 1 teaspoon per 15 pounds of body weight or about 1 tsp apple cider vinegar (health food store variety best) to 8 oz water. That is about %uFFFD cup per gallon of water and/or you may sprinkle or spray small amounts on bird's food. Gradually add small doses to food over time, you can help even the most finicky eater to accept this. Do not use metal food or water dishes when using vinegar, stainless steel is OK.

In Conclusion

Why Vinegar? Because it can be used medicinally, gets rid of poisons in the body, has disinfecting and cleaning properties and is a natural, nontoxic, biodegradable substance. That is, vinegar is an unadulterated food, a powerful cleansing agent and healing elixir---a naturally occurring antibiotic and antiseptic that fights germs and bacteria. We would be smart to make use of vinegar in our own lives and in our avian nurseries and breeding facilities. --- For a healthier, stronger, longer life for our animals and ourselves.
For further reading on vinegars medicinal and antiseptic qualities:"

TED'S REMEDIES
07/04/2006: Ted from Bangkok, Thailand writes: "There is an ACV remedy and then there is Ted's ACV remedy. The ACV remedy is what has been traditionally done to drink it directly. Now I have always recommended the use of the second one, which requires that you add baking soda to the ACV to neutralize the acid to just 7.0 or close to it before drinking, otherwise the acidity will bring on dentin sensitivity and cause erosion of the enamel. A minimum pH on ACV of 6.0 and above should stop enamel erosion, in case you like somewhat of a "sour" ACV tastes, ideally it should be closer to 7.0

You might wonder whether therapeutic effectiveness of the second one might be as effective as the original one. It should be at least as effective if not more effective than an original formula for two reasons:

1. If you take the original ACV remedy (2 TBS in a glass of water), the body is going to neutralize it anyway using the available bicarbonates the body stores have. If not, you get a burning tongue or skin of the tongue become lose or tears up, if the body don't have sufficient bicarbonates. It takes AT LEAST A week to get a bicarbonate level to optimum provided you take bicarbonates everyday. I am of course assuming that in this instance, you don't have sufficient bicarbonate levels.

2. The newer ACV remedy I have always recommended (AKA Ted's ACV recipe) is to ADD baking soda until most of the acid is neutralized near 7.0. Chemically it is not changed, the malic becomes a malate when baking soda has neutralized, but then the body is going to convert to THAT anyway. What YOUR body wants is that the pH is at an ideal theoretical pH 7.35, which is equivalent to the pH of your blood.

So for me an ideal food, whether we talk about ACV or any other food should GENERALLY be slightly alkaline. If you don't do it for your body the body will change to an alkaline anyway, provided that your body is FIT to do that! So it is best not to assume that your body is FIT and it is best to assume the worst and just add the baking soda as a precaution.

Making it alkaline will give you the extra benefit of more oxygen in your body and greater buffers the body need so you should in fact feel better with the newer formula. In fact, athletes takes pure baking soda to relieve them of muscular pain from long physical endurance. Thinking along this makes it easier to use this newer formula as well as protect against enamel erosion.

Many people have misinterpreted the event where a body becomes alkaline in event of a person becomes sick to be a "bad thing". However, this is HOW a body kills off invading bacteria and viruses by raising up the alkalinity level. So in fact alkalinity is actually needed. When an immune system is suppressed or destroyed (from surgery or chemical toxins), the body will raise its alkalinity level much more frequently than a healthy person. What a potentially sick person needs to do is to give sufficient buffers for alkalinity using baking soda, but also regenerate the body's immune system (the thymus) with supplementation of secretogues, such as L-glutamine, melatonin, and iodine from seaweed and kelp."

USDA BREAKDOWN OF APPLE CIDER VINEGAR
The below table is from the USDA's nutrient database. We typed in the words "Vinegar, cider" on the home page to get this chart.

Note: The USDA does not specify on the chart whether they tested a commercial, pasteurized brand (i.e., Heinz) or an organic brand (i.e., Bragg). We have the feeling they probably tested a commercial brand. An organic brand of apple cider vinegar may have slightly higher values.

http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp/search/index.html

Vinegar, cider(1)

VITAMIN AND MINERAL CONTENT OF ACV
Scientists have reportedly measured ninety different substances in apple cider vinegar such as thirteen types of carbolic acids, four aldehydes, twenty ketones, eighteen types of alcohols, eight ethyl acetates etc. It also contains important minerals, trace elements and vitamins as well acetic acid, propionic acid, lactic acid, enzymes, amino acids as well as roughage in the form of potash and apple pectin.

Apple Cider Vinegar contains minerals and trace elements such as potassium, calcium, magnesium, phosphorous, chlorine, sodium, sulfur, copper, iron, silicon, fluorine. An alternative to drinking apple cider vinegar may be to take potassium supplements, as potassium is known to absorb excess fluids (ie, mucous) in the body. Drink lots of water if you take potassium supplements so you don't get dehydrated! Potassium, by the way, lowers high blood pressure.

ACID REFLUX

[YEA]  08/20/2008: Kristi from Peoria, AZ writes: "Apple Cider Vinegar has been my miracle cure! I began to suffer from acid reflux this past winter when my gall bladder decided to stop working properly. The pain, weight loss and sleepless nights were making life for me and my family miserable. The side effects from the doctor prescribed PPI's were worse than the reflux. After reading posts from this site in June, I ran out and bought Apple Cider Vinegar supplements from my local health food store. I just couldn't stomach drinking the vinegar straight. After the first supplement, my stomach felt a little calmer, but I thought perhaps it was just wishful thinking. Each day I continued on with the ACV supplements (1 with each meal), and each day the reflux improved. I can now completely control my reflux with ACV supplements and diet, staying away from my trigger foods as much as possible. Sometimes I forget to take the supplements at each meal and still no problems. I also take digestive enzymes and probiotics to aid digestion since my gall bladder has been removed."

[YEA]  07/17/2008: Keith (terkf/@/hotmail.com) from Nacogdoches, Tx. USA writes: "ACV is the best. Lived on all the prescriptions and over the counter drugs. They relieved but they did not cure. ACV does. It's not just good for acid reflux but for other things in your body. Every Morning 1 tble spoon ACV plus 1 package of emerg C in 8oz. of pure water, been acid reflux free 2 years and counting."

[YEA]  Rick Anderson writes: "I'm overweight and often have acid reflux problems. A high-protein/low carb diet definitely works for me in alleviating this acid.... but when I'm bad (eating too late at night or eating too much pastry) I have found that a small glass of apple cider vinegar and water, gulped down, momentarily makes the burning in my esophagus worse--- but then seems to completely get rid of the acid condition. I've tried this several times and each time the results were the same. Rolaids work by neutralizing acid; does vinegar really work by adding more? I don't know, but it does work! One more anecdote: I told someone at my job about it, and she said her grandmother used to swear by it, too: a swig of vinegar helped acid indigestion. She also told me that in the "old days" people would swig some vinegar to see if they had strep throat-- if it burned like hell when it hit the back of the throat, they had it! I would imagine that the acid in the vinegar helped treat the strep, too."

Anyone I know who does this no longer has ANY need for Prevacid, etc."

[YEA]  Jessica from Escondido, CA writes: "just read your web site. I have had acid reflux for over a year, and I have refused to take meditation, just using Altoids to try to help it and Milk of Magnesia, but still it didn't go away. I began taking vinegar and honey twice a day for the last two days, and now food doesn't burn when it goes down, and the pain is gone."

[YEA]  BettyLou writes: "My husband and I have been using vinegar for a long time and we swear by it. My husband has been on every thing for his acid reflux problem and nothing works but this vinegar."

[YEA]  Rasheeda from Arlington TX writes: "I had a very bad case of acid reflux. No over the counter medicine worked. I then remembered an article I read that apple cider vinegar cures acid reflux. I took two tablespoons 3 times that day and the acid reflux went away."

[YEA]  Casper from Stockbridge, GA writes: "I have been using Apple Cider Vinegar for a week now, and it has completely cured my acid reflux. I have been on Prevacid for almost eight years now... I am slowly weaning myself off of it. We will see."

[YEA]  Frank from Bellflower, CA writes: "Right now I thank the Lord for this web site. I was at the end of the road. I tried everything. I could not go a day without having a attack of reflux. On Saturday I was at church and my heartburn and reflux was so bad, my right arm was numb. Many nights I end up spitting up on the side of the bed. I had over 10 bottles of omeprazole from the V.A. hospital that helped for the moment."

I have now been two weeks free without my pepcid or tums. I HAVE NEVER FELT BETTER, AND AM NOT AFRAID TO GO TO BED AT NIGHT WITHOUT A PEPCID. I know that some will not believe my comments, but as a licensed practicing attorney at law, I stand by what I experienced."

[YEA]  Tracy from Oklahoma City, OK writes: "I take one apple cider vinegar pill a day and have not had to take my acid reflux RX since."

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