White Vinegar - From Kitchen to Medicine Cabinet - Ted's Q&A

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Difference Between White Vinegar and Apple Cider Vinegar?

Posted by Megan (Boston, MA) on 05/11/2008

What's the difference between white vinegar and apple cider vinegar? Does white vinegar have the same health benefits as ACV? Can one substitute white vinegar for ACV? (I ran out of ACV and was thinking of using white vinegar as a substitute.) Thanks for taking the time to answer our questions and sharing your wisdom with all of us! Megan from Boston, MA.

Replied by Ted
Bangkok, Thailand
392 posts

ACV and white vinegar are different, but in some ways are similar. The differences between an apple cider vinegar and the distilled vinegar is apple cider vinegar contains minerals and malic acid as the common healthful effects. The organic components if often alkaline forming, in the long run.

The similarities between a white distilled vinegar and the apple cider vinegar is the acetic acid component, where if it is reacted inside the body of bicarbonates become an acetate, which has properties of anti-inflammatory conditions conditions and limited antibiotic properties. I often use white distilled vinegar for external application, to reduce eczema and other skin problems, or even to improve skin condition as the white distilled vinegar reduces excessive calcium on the skin and often improve the skin condition to be more supple. Now, I may use this sometimes in alkalizing remedy if I wanted the sodium acetate portion to reduce excessive calcium buildup in the tissues, but that's only if lemon or citric acid weren't available since the body responds better to the lemon, perhaps because of the addition of the vitamin C too, and that citric acid in the lemon juice is a more effective chelators of calcium and some heavy metals, but it may not be effective in reducing
inflammations as the white distilled vinegar.

So the white distilled vinegar may not have the same quality as the apple cider vinegar and I used them only when such is not available while I find or try to get the apple cider vinegar, because apple cider vinegar contains minerals, and alkalizing components from the organic materials. However, there are very few people who are allergic to organic compounds, in which I may substitute completely (but not used white distilled vinegar) with just lemon and baking soda remedy.