Apple Cider Vinegar: Uses, Health Benefits and FAQ

1) I discovered ACV when my stomach ulcer was SO bad, every breath hurt, smoking just burned my stomach and, after eating, pain was constant. I was drinking liquid antacid straight from the bottle every few minutes.

A vegan friend told me that stuff was WORSE for me than the ulcer. He fixed an 8 oz glass of water with equal parts of ACV and honey (2 Tbs each; more honey if needed). By the time I took the THIRD swallow, I could feel the pain and pressure lessening like bubbles bursting inside. I started making it by the gallon (1/2 Cup ACV, 1/2 Cup honey and fill jug with water). Keep it in the fridge and shake before serving. I drank a glassful 30 minutes after EACH meal. In LESS than a month, I was symptom free and have had no problem since. I still smoke, I eat any/everything I want and no problems. I've fixed it for many, many people with acid reflux, chronic indigestion and diverticulitis. Every one of them was able to get off prescription meds within 3-4 weeks. (There's an additional regimen for curing diverticulitis. I'll send it in another time).

I started reading about ACV and found it balances Ph: if you're too acidic, it makes yu more alkaline and vice-versa.

2) ACV also cuts mucous. My son and I both had frequent sinus colds and bad seasonal sinus allergies. When I read that dairy creates mucous (a fertile bed for all manner of "nasties"), I took both of us OFF milk. (He was only 2 so I had to make sure he got enough calcium from other sources.) We drank ACV with honey 3-4 times a day. We both got to where we preferred it to just plain water. It's also a great thirst quencher. Our colds were cut by at least 1/2 in frequency and severity; our allergies all but disappeared. It helps if the honey is from LOCAL bees; it helps build your resistance to pollens in your area.

3) A few years later I had stopped drinking the ACV/honey drink and got pneumonia. When the doctor told me I had to go in the hospital, I could not go. He said if I didn't, I could die. He gave me a huge dose of antibiotics and said to return in 48 hours; if I was still as congested, he would have to insist on hospitalization. I went home and drank a glass of the ACV w/honey EVERY hour. I also put enough ACV to cover the bottom of a small saucepan and heated it very slowly. When it started to steam, I inhaled the fumes. Believe me, it burns wherever there's congestion and made me cough like crazy. (Keep eyes closed, it stings.) After about 8-9 minutes of coughing, I could actually lie flat without feeling like I was drowning and slept like a baby for the first time all week. I repeated inhaling the steam 2 more times over the 48 hour period. When I returned to the doctor 2 days later he said, after listening to my lungs, "If I didn't KNOW yu had pneumonia, I wouldn't be able to tell right now." He was blown away!

4) Put 8 oz of ACV in your bath water and soak to relieve aching muscles, remove dead skin on feet just by rubbing, refresh skin all over, etc. No, yu won't smell like a salad afterwards. As soon as yu dry off the smell evaporates.

5) For healthy, shiny hair: pour 1/2 Cup ACV thru freshly-washed hair. Do not rinse it out.

6) For bruises: soak a cotton ball or gauze pad in ACV and apply to bruise with adhesive tape. Re-wet with ACV whenever it dries. Bruise noticeably diminishes in size overnight.

7) For insect bites: I suffered from horrible allergic reactions to mosquito bites as a child. I was bitten by a spider a few years ago and also had a bee sting that same summer. Within seconds, the swelling and pain was traveling up the leg/arm. I poured ACV in a bowl and soaked the bitten area. The swelling and pain/itch lessened IMMEDIATELY!

8) For sun burn: Put 8 ozs of ACV in tepid bath water (NOT HOT water) and soak. Because it takes a few hours for the burn to reach the surface of the skin, yu may not feel it until later that evening. Best to soak as soon as yu can SEE that you're red and BEFORE yu feel it. For smaller areas or for more severe sunburn, after the bath and perhaps 2-3 times during the course of the day/evening, soak a washcloth or a dishtowel in ACV diluted with warm water. Place the compress over affected area and keep wet with the liquid. Yu can alternate the compresses with an application of Aloe Vera gel (kept in fridge, it's very cooling). The ACV relieves the burn and ALSO helps prevent peeling. It's a drag to suffer all that discomfort trying to get a tan and then end up looking like a spotted leopard from peeling.

A votre sante. (To your health)

I have so much energy now and my head is clear. I am curious to see what my thyroid levels are at now.

8 oz warm water
2 teaspoons ACV
2 teaspoons Honey

The first day I tried it and it brought up and out a very nasty brown mucus, and shortly after I started to feel better, and able to breath without coughing. The second day I noticed my acne was clearing up. The kids are not fond of the taste but they will drink it because they feel much better!

Years before I forgot to mention this. A neighbor told me about acv and honey as a remedy for headaches depression arthritis pain help and lowering cholesterol and high blood pressure. Well i suffered from all of these symptoms. I asked how much to take. She said she took two tablespoons each of acv and honey in enough hot water to melt the honey and drank it down half an hour before she ate. I did the same. The first week I lost ten pounds of excess water weight due to bad diet of too much salt. I sweated alot and peed alot. I lost a total of forty pounds. I had visited my doc before I started and thirty days after. He was amazed at the weight loss and asked how I did it. I told him and he said oh. he wasn't concerned at the amount in that short of a time. I should have been. It is dangerous to lose too much weight in a short amount of time. But I believe in my case it was extreme excess water weight. My cholesterol dropped from 256 to 156 in six months. My blood pressure was below normal and I couldn't gain weight. So acv and honey is my magic remedy. My kids would see me taking the acv and honey for my migraines. They wanted to try it for their headaches. Well after the first time they used it they didn't want tylenol anymore. Ever. To this day they are teenagers they remember it is instant and keeps the headaches away.

I have laxed in my daily regimen of acv and honey and have gained back the weight and the blood pressure. i am going to start it again. Anyways. Thank you for your time in reading its benefits to me. Hugs to you.

I've had the above aliments for many years so I should point out that the ACV has recently been added as part of an overall health promoting strategy which includes

Avoidance of ALL grains
Elimination of sugary foods
Keeping a watch on starchy carbs intake and changing to occasional rather than regular indulgence in hot spicy foods
Avoidance of mushrooms
Taking specific Vitamin and mineral supplements (especially Biotin)

Any non-ACV believers reading - make of this what you will. All I know is that after four days on ACV, I'm not imagining things. I've been dogged with the above ailments for years (caused, I believe, by the complete wrecking of my digestive and immune systems by antibiotics) and they are now on the wane. I'm guessing here, but I would say this is due to a more invasive attack on systemic Candida by the ACV.

I started reading about baking soda and gave that a try too...I put a small box of baking soda with the vinegar in the bath. Amazing, all my aches and pains were gone! the skin on my knee caps looked like they were 12 years old, No ashiness,or dryness... now about the sinus infection, I was really sick, for a month in November and Dec.07 i had a crusty sore on the tip of my nose and I had laryngitis from working in year round air conditioning and the dry winds that plague California, and it was like the 5th time in a year that I had come down with it. Being a singer,with a weekly show this has been so depressing for me... so i took one tablespoon ACV and warm water in a Netti pot...you tip your head from side to side not backward. It burned I have to admit.... so I rinsed again with plain water to get the sting out. My eyes started to water and my throat hurt and I blew stones out of my nose! I am not kidding. the mucous changed from greenish yellow to clear almost immediately, The sore on the tip of my nose went away over night, i blew my nose after that for a week, as wads and wads of mucous came out..I could actually sing the next night! It was a Miracle for me...

Then I found your site on Oil Pulling I had never heard of it before and I mistakingly thought it I read safflower oil in stead of sunflower oil. I got the courage up to try it and could do no more than a couple of minutes. Now I doubt if I will ever go to the Doctor ever again! After one try with the Safflower oil my VOICE was better than when i was kid! As if the oil had lubricated all that was rough and scratchy! I am so amazed at the oil pulling, I wonder why no one ever talks about it publicaly as the best thing ever for well being, as one of your writers on this site put it "The virus was made in nature can be healed by nature too!" I am a true Believer and will do these remedy's for life.I could go on and on about the benefits of these homade remedy's that REALLY WORK!

I have started experimenting with it on my face as a toner morning and night. I spray a cotton ball and gently wipe my face to my neck, then follow with vitamin E oil to soothe the slight itch and smell. This is to purify the skin for toxin. My face feels better but will keep everyone posted on further results.

Also, I am using it along with Tea Tree oil to help rid three small warts near my vagina. The treatment consist of acv applied for 5 minutes with q-tips and follow up with t-tree oil three times a day. After bath at night, I spray a cotton ball and apply in place against the area and leave for thirty minutes. It is painful. After removal of cotton ball I apply more t-tree oil to soothe the pain and then I can rest. So far the skin on the warts are turning white and shrinking, one is a little raw, but it is working. I will follow up after end results.

Now for Ted, I am now taking' 2 TBsp of applecider vinegar with 1/2 tsp of baking soda, 1/2tsp of cinnamon,1 TBsp of apple cinnamon Lecithin and 5 drops of organic cayenne pepper as a concoction upon arrival in mornings, noon and night. Is it healthy to take that much baking soda daily month in and out? My family is harrasing me because they say vingar is a blood thinner and may cause me problems and I am concerned about the dose of baking soda? Will you clear this up for me so that my family will let me continue my experience for weight loss and lower blood pressure in peace. Thank you in advance, Ted and God bless you all.

I've used ACV to get rid of ringworm too. It works as quickly as black walnut hull extract. Just dab it on with a cotton ball, and BLOW as it burns. It may burn, but it works.

Finally, I worked in Iraq for a year and developed a horrible fungus in my sinuses and had to have emergency surgery. The fungus would always come back and I finally cleared the infection by using ACV in my nasal irrigator every day. I put 1 mL of ACV in a WaterPik bowl, with warm water. It burned and made my eyes water, but I could BREATHE! Anytime I have symptoms of that fungal infection, I immediately start using ACV in my nasal wash. Anytime I have the slightest symptom of cold or sore throat, I use a shot glass of plain ACV and the symptoms are gone with 1 dose. Now my BP is getting high, so I know what to do...I never should have gotten off of it. This is a great site by the way. For beauty, I've used a water/ACV mixture to tighten pores and to eliminate dulling from shampoo. My dogs get 1 mL of ACV in their drinking water every day and NEVER have fleas or ticks. I don't have to purchase expensive flea remedies. Just a little ACV will do it, but you have to be consistent with it.