Apple Season is Here!

Mother Nature's elixir

When fall season rolls around, so will the apples in the orchards! It’s the time of year that homemade cobblers, crisps, and pies are lining the window sills of Americana. But for today’s focus, I want to look at another gem that comes from apples— Apple cider vinegar.

A patient of mine gave me a book that was written by a farmer from Vermont in 1958. It touted the benefits of apple cider vinegar; proposing that its properties boosted the immune systems of cattle. 50+ years later, this tart elixir continues to be in the news; promoting health boosting properties that include controlling blood sugars, helping with weight loss, and fighting germs and bacteria.

Apple cider vinegar (ACV) is made from the fermented juice of crushed apples. Since it comes from apples, it contains the same nutrients as the fruit, such as vitamins B1, B2, and B6, folic acid, and vitamin C; minus the fiber, of course. 

So, is there really a science backing the benefits of apple cider vinegar? I first blogged on this in 2017 and I was amazed at the number of scientific articles that have been published since I first researched ACV back then. Let’s see how the science supports ACV these days. 

Check Mark #1: Heart Healthy

Like apples, ACV is a good source of the soluble fiber, pectin, which has been shown to lower cholesterol and blood sugars. A 2021 systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials corroborates these results. It can have a place in a heart healthy diet.

Check Mark #2: Weight Loss

A 2023 study in Lebanon recruited 120 overweight and obese individuals who were given three doses of ACV a day for 4-12 weeks. They reported  “significant reductions in anthropometric variables (weight, body mass index, waist/hip circumferences and body fat ratio), blood glucose, triglyceride and cholesterol levels.”  There’s no metabolic data that they considered in this study so I’m not sure how it affected weight loss. I suspect there are more studies to come.  

Check Mark #3: Lowers Blood Sugar

A 2025 publication included seven studies in a meta-analysis review that showed that ACV had positive effects on fasting blood sugars and HbA1c results patients with Type 2 diabetes.

Check Mark #4: Supports a Healthy Immune System

Vinegar is thought to have antibacterial properties that can help fight the infection behind a sore throat. The acidity decreases the pH of tissue, which helps prevent bacteria from growing on its surface. What I found was, that like all vinegars, ACV is high in acetic acid. According to a study published in American Society for Microbiology in February 2014, an international team of researchers reported that acetic acid effectively kills mycobacteria. 

On one last note, a popular homeopathic remedy for GERD (reflux disease) is making an apple cider vinegar and water tonic. The belief is that the acetic acid acts as a buffer in the stomach. I don’t recommend doing this without you physician’s okay. Never drink straight ACV! It can damage the mucosal lining of your throat and esophagus. Always dilute in water.

So, this brings me to my own personal experiences with ACV in cold season. Whenever I feel a sniffle or cough coming on, I pull out a product I swear by; made by Dr Schulze (herbdoc.com). His SuperTonic product has habanero pepper, garlic, white onion, ginger root and horseradish root in it. Pretty potent herbs that bacteria don’t like! And yes, its base is apple cider vinegar. It works for me, so I am sold on this particular tincture. 

Happy Fall!

In Good Health, 

Sophie 

1958 Publication on ACV benefits