Apple Cider Vinegar
Health Benefits

Apple Cider Vinegar: Uses, Health Benefits and FAQ

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.

Replied by Kathy
(Dubois, Pa)
09/30/2009

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.

Replied by Tanya
(Hailey, Id)
09/30/2009

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

Replied by Kathy
(Dubois, Pa)
09/30/2009

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.

Replied by Anon
(Anon)
10/11/2017

What IS special about expensive "organic" ACV is its lack of pesticides. Apples are one of the most heavily pesticides crops. If "regular" store vinegar were "organic" it would be declared boldly on the label because "organic" is a selling point that allows them to demand a higher price for it. "Regular" vinegar is neither "organic" nor equal to organic ACV.


Apple Cider Vinegar Tips
Posted by Pam (Orange County, Ca) on 09/23/2009

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.


Apple Cider Vinegar Tips
Posted by Bonnie (Stroud, Glos Uk) on 09/13/2009

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

Replied by Crystal
(Salyersville, Ky, USA)
09/13/2009

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.

Eric
(Lethbridge, Alberta)
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!

Replied by Dave
(Fountain Inn, Sc)
03/03/2016

To Eric:

Are you certain about the neutralizing effect of Baking Soda? I've read about that a few years ago and the effect was to change the nature of the acid to a different form of acid but the effect was not to completely defeat the acid. Ted, I believe, has written on this very issue.


Apple Cider Vinegar Tips
Posted by Alise H. (Chicago, IL) on 04/12/2008

UNDISTILLED apple cider vinegar (ACV) has many natural benefits. Taking a shot of UNDISTILLED apple cider vinegar (ACV) has cured my sore throat on several occasions. Please be sure that it is the undistilled version and not distilled. This version has the particles at the bottom. The other type, which may look better, has no true nutritional value. ACV, if raised to a certain temperature can also lose some of its healing powers, better to take it at refrigerated or room temperature. In addition, ACV can be damaging to the teeth so be sure to brush them after rinsing with ACV.

Replied by Sylvia
(Toronto, Canada)
06/23/2008

I would suggest rinsing the mouth with water and not brushing for 2 hours so the tooth enamel can harden again.


Apple Cider Vinegar With the Mother

Posted by Mamaleah (San Rafael, Ca) on 01/17/2012

What kind of Apple Cider Vineger is everyone using? I have a bottle that says Organic pasteurized Unfiltered Apple Cider Vinegar but I heard it's supposed to be raw for the affects? Does anyone know if that is true? Thank you.:)

Replied by Zai
(Houston, Tx)
02/12/2012

Best kind of organic Apple Cider Vinegar is B______(there is a book available for it with the zillion of reasons why you should drink acv) and So____. Don't bother with Heinz - you want the organic acv. You want it slightly cloudy and with some residue at the bottom. I am currently looking for research regarding Apple Cider Vinegar and cancer. I would presume that taking Apple Cider Vinegar would be a good choice because it would neutralize the effects of sugar on the body.


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


Application Tips

1 User Review
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Posted by Haines 2154 (Chicago) on 08/16/2023
★★★★★

Starting today using ACV on my back probably 20-25 spots all over….figured out an easy way to reach those unreachable spots!

I used a long handled “ baby bottle brush”…the wire kind with the stiff bristles at the end. I wrapped a cotton pad around the bristles and you can just dip the cotton pad into the bottle of ACV and apply! So easy!

Hoping it works!


Arthritis

3 User Reviews
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Posted by Lynda (Grants Pass)
★★★★★

I have arthritis of the spine and a friend of mine gave me a recipe with apple juice, grape juice and ACV. I have been taking a 1/2 cup daily for about a month and I know that it is helping me tremendously. I can get out of bed in the mornings without having to stand still for a few seconds. It has also helped me curb my appetite.

Replied by Wheller
(Hartford, Ct)
09/27/2011

Did anyone ever receive the recipe? I would really like to try this. I too suffer every morning getting out of bed. Its my lower spine. Its horrible.

Replied by Dolly
(Vienna, Mo, Usa)
12/29/2011

Take an empty milk jug and put in one pint of ACV and then fill the rest of the gallon jug with equal parts grape juice and apple juice.


Arthritis
Posted by Marcia (Fairforest, SC)
★★★★★

I am a huge proponent of RAW apple cider vinegar. My husband and I have been using it three times daily for about five weeks. He no longer has the joint stiffness and pain associated with arthritis. We did quit using all sugar and white processed flour as well.


Arthritis
Posted by Sharon (British Columbia)
★★★★★

In the mid to late 1980's I was working in an Extended Care Unit in a hospital, working as a Care Aide. All through out this time I had been seeing my doctor because of constant pain due to arthritis. My back and knees hurt so bad sometimes it was near unbearable. My knees were so bad I could not touch a knee cap with a finger it hurt so bad. X-rays were taken of my knees, showing spurs under the knee cap itself. X-Rays also take of the small of my back, the doctor said he'd never seen arthritis so bad in someone so young, that everything was becoming one, even my fingers were beginning to twist. He tried me on different arthritis pills to see which would work the best, one finally JUST eased the pain slightly. Now working in the hospital that your doctor works is not to good at times. I was attempting to kneel down and had a extremely hard time of it trying to stay more on my side and very hard time trying to stand; my doctor happened to be on the floor at that time and saw this, told me to make an appointment to see him, he then told me I would have to find other work because I couldn't live like this. The pills the doctor had me on cost $60 a month. He said I would have to take them the rest of my life. At home I thought of this, then remembered something my chiropractor told me, take 2 teaspoons acv, 2 teaspoons of honey in water, adjust to taste. One day (no longer working at the hospital)I ran out of pills, out of money, then remembered what my chiropractor said. I thought there would be a transition period for the acv to work, I was preparing myself for a whole lot of unbearable pain. I started the drink that night and every night for 1 week. Besides flushing my kidneys out, there was NO transition at all. There was no pain, absolutely nothing...and still there is no pain. So I followed my chiropractors instructions because obviously he knew what he was talking about. I then stopped taking it. I found I would get cravings for it, so I took this as my body telling me it needed it.

To this day I had not taken any pills from the doctor for arthritis. It has now been 16 years. If you read the instructions how to clean a drip coffee machine, it says to use vinegar. Vinegar dissolved calcium build in the machine and I've found it dissolved the build up in my body. I am back taking acv, this time daily...do not plan on stopping this time. This really is a miracle for me and do advise people to try it, it really does work, besides what have you got to lose other than pain, and you can't beat the cost. It won't hurt and anything as far as I'm concerned is better than taking pills from doctors who treat symptoms...not cure.

EC: Read many more arthritis remedies here.


Asthma

3 User Reviews
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Posted by Hazel (Regina, Sk, Canada) on 11/19/2011
★★★★★

A month ago, I had doubts about apple cider vinegar (ACV)... Many thanks to this site. I have not used my asthma maintenance med (Symbicort) for a month now.


Asthma
Posted by Kellen (Bridgewater, NJ)
★★★★★

I suffer of terrible asthma attacks since I have 3 pets that I love. I started taking 2 tbsp of ACV every night a week ago and have not used my inhalor since it. And I am feeling great!


Asthma
Posted by Satie (Charlotte, NC)
★★★★★

I stopped using an inhaler and singulair tablets for asthma as soon as i took 2 tbsp ACV. Then I took 1 tsp 2 times after 3 days. It still is helping after 2 weeks. No more shortness of breath and sinus problems.

'

EC: Read many more cures for Asthma here.


Bacterial Vaginosis

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Posted by Sake (New York, NY) on 03/02/2009
★★★★★

Apple Cider Vinegar. I am a believer:

I had recurrent B.V for almost 1 year now. Went to the doctor twice, got 2 courses of metrodinazole. THat worked for a while but B.V kept coming back until just this past Saturday, I was lurking right here on Earthclinic and decided to buy some at the healthfood store. I swear the B.V cleared up that SAME DAY. It's been 2 days now, and nary an itch!

Replied by Kh
(Oklahoma City, Ok)
12/18/2009

I have used regular vinegar for years now to clear up any problems in the region. I just buy the disposable douche bottles in the box with solution already in them, pour the solution out and replace with 1 part vinegar and 2 parts water. Do this twice a day for 2 days and then Im fine. It does sting a little at first, but nothing unbearable. The vinegar odor does not last long at all (maybe an hour or two). ACV is alot more powerful than regular vinegar so I would imagine it works better.



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