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.
Warts
Posted by Jay(sc) (Sumter, Sc) on 01/19/2012
★★★★★
I had warts, and tried the duct tape with the cotton balls with some success. I started taking a quick swig from the bottle at night and in the morning, and now my hands have cleared up. I have also noticed that when I do take it at night, I don't have heartburn. This is my exp. though.
Acid Reflux
Posted by Mmsg (Somewhere, Europe) on 01/18/2013
Kevel and U Taylor, it seems to all boil down to whether one has TOO LITTLE or TOO MUCH acid in the stomach. For too little, the apple cider vinegar (ACV) is marvelous, but if someone doesn't get benefits from it, and the situation is agravated, then the opposite measure (baking soda) would probably be more helpful.
Energy
Posted by Melanie (Ankeny, Iowa) on 03/21/2010
★★★★★
I've used ACV for about 2 months, and feel good. No weight loss, like I hoped, but aches and pains have gone away, and high energy throughout the day. I usually mix about a week's worth in water bottles and store in my fridge.
Apple Cider Vinegar Contraindications
Posted by Sams (Colorado) on 10/08/2020
This was very helpful info as I am also on blood thinners because of a man-made aortic valve.
When I started using ACV, I did end up having trouble keeping my INR stable until I added more garlic as part of my effort to use minimal blood thinner and more natural blood thinners. It was very helpful to know what was causing the problem so thanks for your post (years ago by now).
Apple Cider Vinegar Tips
Posted by Crystal (Salyersville, Ky, USA) on 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.
Acne
Posted by Ninasim (Northampton, Ma) on 09/26/2012
I'm so happy to have found this site, so much great info. I have been diagnosed several times with Candida. My body seems to be falling apart... Skin problems, allergies, lethargy and severe gastrointestinal problems for years. I started taking ACV twice a day with 5 drops of Grapefruit seed extract. It has been a week and I have so much more energy! Unfortunately, my cystic acne has broken out horribly... Worse than it's ever been. Is it possible that this means that my system is clearing out the bad stuff? Or am I making a mistake in using this as a solution?
Warts
Posted by Dan (Myrtle Beach, Sc, Usa) on 01/03/2011
★★★★★
YES!! My wife had some SERIOUS warts on her one leg that she refused to freeze off because it hurt and would blister so bad. She had it for years and they grossed me out. I wouldn't touch that leg. I read here about ACV working great on warts and she soaked small pieces of paper towel and held them in place with bandaids for 2 days and the big suckers turned black and then disappeared with only SOME burning! She was thrilled! Her leg still looks great 4 months later. She did the same thing on her daughter's hand, which had a few moderate warts, and the same thing happened. FANTASTIC!! I wish I could get my wife to drink it for her allergies, colds/sinuses, menstrual cycles, eczema and asthma, but she just cant get past the smell and taste. I am looking into pills for her so we'll see...
Libido
Posted by Michael (Clarksville, Indiana) on 09/03/2008
★★★★★
I have started taking Apple Cider Vinegar two days ago...And I am having a side effect that no one else so far has reported. My sex drive has doubled. As well as my energy has went through the roof. No weight yet but have only been taking it for a couple of days...Will update later...
Sinus Infections and Sinusitis
Posted by Rob (Justice, IL) on 06/24/2008
★★★★★
APPLE CIDER VINEGAR AND SINUS RINSE....I SPEAK FROM EXPERIENCE---I'VE HAD 4 SINUS SURGERIES DUE TO A DEVIATED SEPTUM, FOLLOWED BY SURGERIES TO REMOVE POLYPS... I WOULD HAVE ALLERGIES IT SEEMED YEAR ROUND.. I HAVE BEEN USING THE ACV FOR ABOUT A YEAR AND A HALF, ALONG WITH DOING A DAILY SINUS RINSE (YOU CAN BUY AT ANY POPULAR DRUG STORE). I HAVE NOT HAD ONE SINUS PROBLEM SINCE-----THE ACV KEEPS THE ALLERGIES AT BAY, WHILE THE RINSE FLUSHES OUT ANY POLLENS OR DUST, ETC... IF I WOULD HAVE KNOWN ABOUT THIS 8 YRS AGO, I WOULD NOT HAVE HAD 3 SINUS SURGERIES...
Dental Enamel Issues
Posted by Cindy (Sterling, CO) on 12/12/2007
★★★★★
I have a small glass of about 1/4 tsp baking soda mixed with water ready, then I take 2 Tblsp ACV straight. After taking ACV, I swish with water, then swish with baking soda & water mixture & spit it out to clean all ACV out of my mouth to protect teeth. ACV has really helped digestion and constipation.
Iodine Depletion
Posted by Lana (Ormond, USA) on 11/13/2007
★★★★★
Ingesting ACV has long been used for medical treatment and is sometimes very effective.. HOWEVER, one should also take an iodine supplement, such as kelp tablets or kelp extracts while using this therapy. Extended ACV consumption can remove iodine from the body, and can result in thyroid problems. (Salt also causes the same problems which is why commercial salt has added iodine.) I learned all this back in the early 1970's, and have not found this important information on iodine/ACV interaction in any articles or books recently. However I have not covered your entire site. So in case no one has mentioned this yet, it really needs to be addressed.
Acne
Posted by Angelina O (USA)
★★★★★
[she'has found that applying apple cider vinegar (ACV) topically to her face several times a day (4 or more times) has cured her of a "very bad complexion". She reports that she applies it straight and that while it burns her skin a bit, works like a miracle!]
Arthritis
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.
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.
Flus and Colds
Posted by Nancy (Arlington, TX)
★★★★★
I have been real sick with a viral infection and flu my neighbor fixed me some Apple Cider Vinegar and Honey. Equal parts of each. It has worked wonders. It cuts the phlegm in your throat and helps with all that was ailing me. I am so glad to find out about this. I also heard that cinnamon with it works wonders as well. Just a teaspoon or so. Thank you and God Bless.
EC: 8 Readers have found success by drinking apple cider vinegar (diluted or straight) the moment they started to feel ill and continuing to take it until all symptoms subsided. (24 - 48 hours).
See our other, "Beat the Flu!" remedies.
Fibromyalgia
Posted by David (Chicago IL)
★★★★★
I saw somewhere that apple cider vinegar cures Fibromyalgia. I don't definitely have it, but was diagnosed with it based on symptoms years ago. I've had muscle spasms varying in severity for 24 years. I just started to come out a 1 1/2 year bout with it. Drank vinegar and have been completely pain free for a week. It's asinine this isn't common knowledge. It feels kind of like an metabolism enhancer too. I'm down to 1 tablespoon twice a day. And I repeat I'm completely pain free. I don't know what was wrong with me, thought it was just something I had to live with. Somebody tell a doctor!
EC: Click here to read more remedies to cure fibromyalgia.
Shingles
Posted by Kev (Toowoomba, Australia) on 11/19/2011
★★★★★
35 yr old male, I too got a bout of shingles on my back. Doctors said it was too late for cream treatment. It blistered and pain became unbearable so I tried ACV swabs 5 times a day. It stopped the pain and in a couple of days it had cleared up. Amazing!!
Ulcers
Posted by William (Las Vegas, NV)
★★★★★
It just stopped the the abdominal pain caused by my stomach ulcer. I thought I might have to go on antibiotics. I guess I won't.
Varicose Veins
Posted by Catherine (Nairobi, Kenya)
★★★★★
[she has, to her amazement, found her varicose veins disappearing after taking apple cider vinegar daily!]
Apple Cider Vinegar and pH Balance
Posted by Bill (Norton, Va) on 11/10/2012
I am writing to clarify some statements broadly made on this site. Apple cider vinegar (ACV) is composed of 5% acetic acid with a pH of 3 clearly making vinegar acidic rather than alkaline. The pH would need to be higher than 7 in order for the vinegar to be alkaline and then it would not be vinegar, it would be sodium or potassium acetate and would likely do little for those of us taking it other than possibly elevating blood pressure that might be caused by the increased levels of sodium.
Bitter Taste and Sometimes Exceedingly Acidic
Posted by Dcaplinger (Southwest Missouri, Usa) on 08/06/2016
If you turn the acidic ACV into a base tonic, it's much easier to take. I usually mix 1/8 cup of ACV with a full teaspoon of baking soda (sodium bicarbonate), plus 1/2 to 1 full cup of water makes it so much easier to take. It waters down the bitterness, and the bicarb completely neutralizes the acidity. To me, when I drink this mix, I taste baking soda more than I do the ACV, and there is very little after taste. Always be sure to follow it up with at least 1/2 cup of water, or you are going to start burping because of the mixing of the baking soda with your stomach acids.
Apple Cider Vinegar History (Part 2)
Posted by Janette (Salem, Or) on 09/23/2016
This was so wonderful. Thank you. I have a beloved cat that has remained healthy from a redox signaling molecule drink called asea, but it is not working with a lung issue. It sounds like he is trying to throw up a worm, then swallows. Then hacks. Parasite meds do nada. So found your site on apple cider vinegar. He immediately calmed down with 4 ml in mouth and on cottonball in shoulder blades and on feet. I feel hopeful so am researching more on acv. Wow. Thanks.
Usda Breakdown of Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Susan (USA)
The below table is from the USDA's apple cider vinegar 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., _____). 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)
| Nutrient | Units | Value per 100 grams | Number of Data Points |
|---|
| Proximates |
| Water | g | 93.81 | 3 | 0.092 |
| Energy' (2) | kcal | 21 | 0 | |
| Energy | kj | 90 | 0 | |
| Protein | g | 0.00 | 3 | 0 |
| Total lipid (fat) | g | 0.00 | 3 | 0 |
| Ash | g | 0.17 | 3 | 0.003 |
| Carbohydrate, by difference | g | 0.93 | 0 | |
| Fiber, total dietary | g | 0.0 | 1 | |
| Sugars, total | g | 0.40 | 0 | |
| Sucrose | g | 0.00 | 1 | |
| Glucose (dextrose) | g | 0.10 | 1 | |
| Fructose | g | 0.30 | 1 | |
| Lactose | g | 0.00 | 1 | |
| Maltose | g | 0.00 | 1 | |
| Galactose | g | 0.00 | 0 | |
| Minerals |
| Calcium, Ca | mg | 7 | 4 | 0.108 |
| Iron, Fe | mg | 0.20 | 4 | 0.003 |
| Magnesium, Mg | mg | 5 | 3 | 0.485 |
| Phosphorus, P | mg | 8 | 3 | 0.244 |
| Potassium, K | mg | 73 | 4 | 5.617 |
| Sodium, Na | mg | 5 | 4 | 0.855 |
| Zinc, Zn | mg | 0.04 | 3 | 0.005 |
| Copper, Cu | mg | 0.008 | 3 | 0 |
| Manganese, Mn | mg | 0.249 | 3 | 0.057 |
| Selenium, Se | mcg | 0.1 | 0 | |
| Vitamins |
| Vitamin C, total ascorbic acid | mg | 0.0 | 1 | |
| Thiamin | mg | 0.000 | 1 | |
| Riboflavin | mg | 0.000 | 1 | |
| Niacin | mg | 0.000 | 1 | |
| Pantothenic acid | mg | 0.000 | 0 | |
| Vitamin B-6 | mg | 0.000 | 1 | |
| Folate, total | mcg | 0 | 1 | |
| Folic acid | mcg | 0 | 0 | |
| Folate, food | mcg | 0 | 1 | |
| Folate, DFE | mcg_DFE | 0 | 0 | |
| Vitamin B-12 | mcg | 0.00 | 0 | |
| Vitamin B-12, added | mcg | 0.00 | 0 | |
| Vitamin A, IU | IU | 0 | 1 | |
| Vitamin A, RAE | mcg_RAE | 0 | 0 | |
| Retinol | mcg | 0 | 0 | |
| Vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol) | mg | 0.00 | 0 | |
| Vitamin E, added | mg | 0.00 | 0 | |
| Vitamin K (phylloquinone) | mcg | 0.0 | 0 | |
| Lipids |
| Fatty acids, total saturated | g | 0.000 | 0 | |
| 4:0 | g | 0.000 | 0 | |
| 6:0 | g | 0.000 | 0 | |
| 8:0 | g | 0.000 | 0 | |
| 10:0 | g | 0.000 | 0 | |
| 12:0 | g | 0.000 | 0 | |
| 14:0 | g | 0.000 | 0 | |
| 16:0 | g | 0.000 | 0 | |
| 18:0 | g | 0.000 | 0 | |
| Fatty acids, total monounsaturated | g | 0.000 | 0 | |
| 16:1 undifferentiated | g | 0.000 | 0 | |
| 18:1 undifferentiated | g | 0.000 | 0 | |
| 20:1 | g | 0.000 | 0 | |
| 22:1 undifferentiated | g | 0.000 | 0 | |
| Fatty acids, total polyunsaturated | g | 0.000 | 0 | |
| 18:2 undifferentiated | g | 0.000 | 0 | |
| 18:3 undifferentiated | g | 0.000 | 0 | |
| 18:4 | g | 0.000 | 0 | |
| 20:4 undifferentiated | g | 0.000 | 0 | |
| 20:5 n-3 | g | 0.000 | 0 | |
| 22:5 n-3 | g | 0.000 | 0 | |
| 22:6 n-3 | g | 0.000 | 0 | |
| Fatty acids, total trans | g | 0.000 | 0 | |
| Cholesterol | mg | 0 | 0 | |
| Phytosterols | mg | 0 | 0 | |
| Amino acids |
| Tryptophan | g | 0.000 | 0 | |
| Threonine | g | 0.000 | 0 | |
| Isoleucine | g | 0.000 | 0 | |
| Leucine | g | 0.000 | 0 | |
| Lysine | g | 0.000 | 0 | |
| Methionine | g | 0.000 | 0 | |
| Cystine | g | 0.000 | 0 | |
| Phenylalanine | g | 0.000 | 0 | |
| Tyrosine | g | 0.000 | 0 | |
| Valine | g | 0.000 | 0 | |
| Arginine | g | 0.000 | 0 | |
| Histidine | g | 0.000 | 0 | |
| Alanine | g | 0.000 | 0 | |
| Aspartic acid | g | 0.000 | 0 | |
| Glutamic acid | g | 0.000 | 0 | |
| Glycine | g | 0.000 | 0 | |
| Proline | g | 0.000 | 0 | |
| Serine | g | 0.000 | 0 | |
| Other |
| Alcohol, ethyl | g | 0.0 | 0 | |
| Caffeine | mg | 0 | 0 | |
| Theobromine | mg | 0 | 0 | |
| Carotene, beta | mcg | 0 | 0 | |
| Carotene, alpha | mcg | 0 | 0 | |
| Cryptoxanthin, beta | mcg | 0 | 0 | |
| Lycopene | mcg | 0 | 0 | |
| Lutein zeaxanthin | mcg | 0 | 0 | |
Footnotes:
1 Contains 5% acetic acid. Total proximates do not equal 100%.
2 Acetic acid is included in energy calculation.
Heating ACV
Posted by Mama To Many (Tennessee) on 08/05/2016
Dear Robert Henry,
Thank you for letting me know about the temperature at which enzymes would be destroyed! I love that I can learn something new at EC (and everywhere!) every day.
~Mama to Many~
ACV and Tooth Enamel
Posted by Mama to Many (Tennessee) on 06/14/2014
I have seen concern expressed about the effect of long term use of Apple Cider Vinegar internally on tooth enamel. I have been using Apple Cider Vinegar for several years now. I put between 1 teaspoon and 1 Tablespoon in 16 ounces or more of water. I drink this almost daily, often several glasses a day. I do use a straw, but just out of preference.
Yesterday I saw my dentist. My tooth enamel is fine after using ACV in water for several years. Now, this is just one person's experience, but I thought I would pass along this information.
~Mama to Many~
Dental Enamel Issues
Posted by Doreen (England) on 03/02/2016
That is so true. It eroded my teeth enamel as well. I used to sip it every day. Now I use a straw and push it as far back as possible and swallow as quick as possible.
ACV and Breastfeeding
Posted by Mama To Many (Middle, Tennessee, Usa) on 06/15/2013
Yes, it is safe. I took it all through my last two pregnancies and drank it daily (mixed with water) all through breastfeeding my babies.
~Mama to Many~
