The comments below reflect the personal experiences and opinions of readers and do not represent medical advice or the views of this website. The information shared has not been evaluated by the FDA and is not intended to diagnose, treat, or prevent any disease or health condition. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional for medical concerns.
Broad Benefits
Posted by Diana (Norfolk, Virginia) on 12/07/2011
★★★★★
I'm a 45 year old female, and have been taking two tablespoons of apple cider vinegar after breakfast and dinner for over a week now, and it seems to be helping with fluid retention ( keeping the fluids, not getting rid of them ) which seems to be helping the sinus pain from inflammation, which NOTHING was helping. And it's DEFINITELY helping with the heart burn-like stomach pains that kept me from sleeping. I pour it in a small measuring cup and nock it back like a shot of tequila. Not my favorite flavor, and it burns a slight bit going down, but after that, I'm a happy, painless camper! I haven't noticed any other benefits yet, but I haven't been looking out for any. For my two main concerns, I'm a convert and true believer!
Broad Benefits
Posted by Kelli (Demotte, In) on 06/29/2016
I just wanted to add that I also, "take it like a shot of tequila" except that I follow it with a small juice chaser! Orange or any flavor of juice (mixed berry is my fave! ) but it helps with the taste and the "burn." I have been drinking it off and on for over 2 years now and I too, have also had a general "better all over" feeling after doing so. More energy and just better.
General Feedback
Posted by Joyce (Warwick, Ri) on 11/30/2011
★★★★★
My cousin is a big apple cider vinegar and water drinker, we did a 26.2 mile walk to raise money for cancer, and she was sipping on the concoction all day. When I asked her about it she explained to me that ACV helps with water absoprtion. In doing some further investigations I found that a popular hangover cure in several Northern European countries is to drink pickle brine, the primary cause of hangover pains being dehydration (and vitamin depletion). I drink it after the gym now, it has the added benefit of helping my acid reflux as well! I can eat tomato sauce again! Luckily I like the taste of vinegar, so no suggestions on how to mask the flavor.
Apple Cider Vinegar Ice Cubes
Posted by Jack (Stockholm, Sweden) on 11/26/2011
★★★★★
I make tsp ice cubes (5 ml) out of ACV and swallow 3 X 3 in order to spare my enamel.
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Posted by Yebbo (Callahan, Fl) on 11/26/2011
Does it have to be organic ACV? I have a 2 quart bottle of White House ACV. The bottle says it's all natural from fresh apples. I'm trying to use it for very oily skin and low libido. lease let me know how to use this product.
Broad Benefits
Posted by Muhammad Khalid (Karachi, Pakistan) on 11/25/2011
BLOOD PRESSURE:
The potassium in ACV along with other substances makes the blood thinner and is helpful in controlling blood pressure.
CHOLESTEROL CONTROL:
Many heart attacks are caused by high fats and cholesterol in your blood. The fiber in ACV helps to absorb fats and cholesterol by expelling them from the body as waste materials.
DIABETES:
The dietary fiber in ACV is also helpful in controlling glucose levels in the blood.
ARTHRITIC PAINS:
Many suffer from this disease in the west and it is caused by the gathering of metabolic toxic waste in the tissues. In this context, ACV speeds up metabolism and excretes the toxic wastes from the tissues.
STRONG BONES:
Minerals like manganese, calcium, magnesium, silicon and iron develop bone mass and make them stronger.
YEAST INFECTIONS:
ACV is also useful for yeast infections like Candida caused by the unbalance of acid levels in the body. Making a solution of ACV in warm water and douching can help with the symptoms.
CHEST CONGESTION:
Apple cider vinegar is also useful in flu or chest congestion. Applying ACV with pepper on the chest can help relieve some of the congestion.
SORE THROAT:
If you have a sore throat, gargle with ACV mixed with water.
Broad Benefits
Posted by Anon (Anon) on 10/10/2017
There really does not seem to be any "fiber" to speak of in ACV.
General Feedback
Posted by Kim (Winsted, Ct) on 11/23/2011
Hello. Ive been reading a lot about the benefits of Raw Apple Cider Vinegar and just as many articles on solutions for masking the taste to help overcome the vinegary palate. Orange juice, molasses, honey, grapefruit juice... And the list goes on. Is it just me... Or hasn't anyone else thought of taking good old raw unfiltered apple cider with the mother (or is that the grandmother? ;) and adding it back to it's relative? Is this Like kissing your sister? Canibalism? Lol. I tried it, (also shaking the apple cider so that the sediment on the bottom got into the mix) and I lived! Wasn't sure if I would, seeing it seemed like overkill. Any ideas? At first I thought it was not suggested because lots of sugar, or acid, but that's the same with orange or grapefruit juice. Why don't they just make raw unfiltered apple cider vinegar tablets with the Mother? They could use all the "mother" they filter from clear cooking vinegar. Do I think too much?
General Feedback
Posted by Surekha (Pune, Maharashtra / India) on 11/19/2011
Heart failure and diabetic people also can take this ACV every day? Any side effect?
General Feedback
Posted by Millie (Memphis, Tn) on 11/18/2011
Actually, for those of you saying that you should not take vinegar orally, there are three well done, peer reviewed studies in recognized medical journals such as Diabetes Care. These show an improvement in blood sugar and insulin levels taking either at bedtime or before a meal. These studies were done with both apple cider and white vinegar. I wouldn't mix with baking soda as I saw no studies on that, but to say that it is harmful to take vinegar by mouth (I think 2 tbsp was the dose) is not backed up by research. (No studies were about toe fungus, however, they do promote the use of vinegar by mouth for systemic effect)
General Feedback
Posted by Marwa (Toronto, Canada) on 11/21/2011
Hi Loraine,
I have been searching for posts on ACV and most posts are from 2008-2009 but I finally found yours. I have a question I take a table spoon of apple cider vinegar in a half liter water. I wonder if it is better to take the vinegar on its own.
I want to use it for acid reflux or just reflux. I avoid most foods that are acidic and know which ones are alkaline but I get reflux as soon as I eat what is normal meal for most people... If I want to stay away from trouble I need a child meal or very little food and also drinking water far away from meals. I went to the restaurant yesterday and it was bad but I didn't want to leave tasty and expensive food on my plate!
Anyone who is reading this let me know if taking ACV without water would be better for me since having water around lunch and dinner makes me regurgitate.
Also, is it good to mix my honey with the ACV. So far I take honey on an empty stomach.
Thanks
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Posted by Katy (Alexandria, Virginia ) on 11/16/2011
★★★★★
My great great aunt takes 2 tsps ACV straight every morning. She is 89 and still going strong. As soon as I turned 20 I started taking a "shot" of ACV in the morning. The vinegar was much too strong on my stomach first thing so after a few days I started mixing it with some local honey and water and would mix it all in a glass. It is so good it tastes like apple cider with a kick.
General Feedback
Posted by Mary (Hyderabad, Ap, india) on 11/18/2011
Where do I get apple cidar vinegar in India, especially Hyderabad? I had a hard time finding it in stores.
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Posted by Mary (Hyderabad, Ap/india) on 11/21/2011
Got it in QMart
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Posted by Ethelsue (Cincinnati, Ohio) on 11/13/2011
I drink a shot of apple cider vinegar with water every evening. I have heard taking Apple Cider Vinegar when taken daily causes esophagal, pancreas and liver cancer. Have you heard this too?
General Feedback
Posted by Patricia (Hanover, Ontario Canada) on 11/09/2011
Hey there. Just reading the ACV cures section and I have to say it is a load of info to sift through. I would like to start taking ACV for a number of different reasons but have the odd reaction of gagging when I drink anything dissolved in water. I tried ACV straight up and was totally fine (almost) with the taste and am wondering if that is ok, in the long run, to take it that way. I can drink the water a few minutes later and drink a fair bit in a day anyway. Do most people take it everyday or do they take breaks with it? What are the thoughts on this?
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Posted by Ralph (Miami, Fl Usa) on 11/09/2011
No harm will come in taking ACV straight up daily. I drink 1 once with half a teaspoon of cayenne pepper every day with no problems. I workout every day and it prevents lactic acid build up.
Broad Benefits
Posted by Christine (Perth, West Australia) on 10/19/2011
In Sept, my husband found that he had 3 bladder stones 3mm, 7mm & 14mm. He immediately started drinking diluted lemon juice daily - half a lemon.
This month we went to Singapore & on the 11th bought Heinz ACV as he passed some reddish urine. Shortly after drinking about a capful with some water, we were truly amazed that he passed a small stone - like a crystal with a bit of pain. On the 14th two more stones and on the the 15th, 3 stones at one go and then a larger one later on the day all without pain. We don't know if there are still any more stones present. My husband was also diagnosed with diabetes and was prescribed with Diabex. After cutting out all soft drinks, beer & sugar his readings in 10 days dropped from 13 to 6 points - he was having the lemon juice daily. He had bad side effects with the Diabex and stopped it completely. He is in his sixties.
I too drank half a capful of Heinz vinegar and found there was a lot of pus coming out of my gums. In Perth, I used to sporadically have half a capful of Cornwall's vinegar with a tablespoon of water followed by more water, as the genuine ACV was too strong for me. I didn't find anything happening to my gums but my jeans would get very loose overnight. The same thing would happen if I took a tiny amount of virgin coconut oil on a bit of bread and also if I took a grain of coarse sea salt, let it dissolve on my tongue and then drink more water (my pants would fall below my hips). My problem is that I have never done things regularly.
Many years ago, I had read about the acv, coconut oil, salt etc. But I used to take the quantities specified by other people and would feel terrible pressure in my head and stopped. In 09, I started taking very tiny amounts and found that I had no problems. Coconut oil has helped my mother with heart burn.
One bad thing that occurred was stupidly swishing my mouth with ACV - something that I had read on another site and it corroded half my tooth!!
Storing Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Chorisia (Ipswich, Suffolk, England) on 10/12/2011
I have been using Aplle cider vinegar (UK) for years bought in 25ltr plastic containers. No mother forms in the plastic container, shortly after transferring into a glass container a thick mother forms. In small plastic containers no mother forms ether. So, is there some leaching from plastic inhibiting the formation of the mother? If so then it is wise not to keep cider vinegar in plastic containers?
General Feedback
Posted by Tom (Houston, Tx) on 10/09/2011
Please help me to understand this about vinegar being alkaline. Apple Cider Vinegar is Acetic ACID with a ph of about 4.5. It is not alkaline when ingested. How can it be good for gastric reflux and other acid casuing illnesses when the acetic acid is very irritating to the esophagus and temporarily lowers blood ph to the acid side until the kidneys balance the ph back to 7.4 which is the boy's normal ph, slightly alkaline. Where am I going wrong?
General Feedback
Posted by H. Anton (Danbury, Ct) on 10/09/2011
You are quite right that apple cider vinegar is quite acidic. Just as it is with lemon juice, after it is metabolized, the residue (ash) is alkaline and helps to alkalize the body.
However, it could be irritating to the esophagus as you drink it since it is still acidic at this point.
Broad Benefits
Posted by Violeta (Skopje, Macedonia) on 09/22/2011
★★★★★
Just to Share my experience with Apple Vinegar.
* My 8 year old son got eczema on his bought hands. I didn't try anything else so I went direct to Earth clinic web site as usually. I sprayed ACV without solution on his hands. Yes, it does burn at first, but this pain goes quickly. But he did it. In two days the eczema is completely gone from his hands.
* I used ACV for my cystitis. It was a difficult, with pain and blood. I couldn't walk, work from pain. The next day after ACV I felt healthy, I could work and be normal. I felt still some pain but the pain was not killing pain. The second day the pain is gone. The next month I had a pain to hold the urine longer. So I was running immediately to toilet because of this pain. After this month I have no any kind of pain.
* My son got some bacteria in his bladder. That made him to go to the toilet every minute but there was nothing to urine. With ACV is supper.
* I am using ACV as a cosmetic, lotion for may face skin. After ACV I put on my face skin coconut oil. ACV make the skin whiter and smooth.
Broad Benefits
Posted by Jethmal (Hyderabad, India) on 07/02/2015
While applying ACV on skin directly shall it be diluted with water before applying on skin or can it be applied in concentrated form? It is strong acetic acid.
Broad Benefits
Posted by Mama To Many (Tennessee) on 07/02/2015
Dear Jethmal,
I usually dilute Apple Cider Vinegar when I use it on my skin, although for bug bites, I have used it straight.
Generally though, I dilute it half and half with water.
For sensitive skin areas, small children or babies, I use 1 Tablespoon per cup of water.
~Mama to Many~
Broad Benefits
Posted by Nanie (UK) on 09/11/2023
Please don't use undiluted apple cider vinegar on your face. It can ruin your skin barrier. Mix it with bentonite clay or just use a regular chemical exfoliant!
