A WEEKEND Post article last month extolling the medicinal virtues of an apple cider vinegar concoction has resulted in a flood of letters from interested readers and arthritis sufferers inquiring about the “miracle” home remedy.

What’s more, alternative health experts say there could well be some truth to this “old wives’ cure”.

Many readers have written to say the concoction had changed their lives since the article was published last month about a woman claiming it had cured her arthritis. Some desperate sufferers have also been asking how they could use the remedy.

No major studies into the healing properties of the unusual blend have been done, but a doctor at the University of Edinburgh’s Arthritis Research Institute has explored it in recent years.

Angus Peters found a daily dose of apple cider vinegar and honey among a small group reduced pains by 90%.

Bay natural health pharmacist Andre Mulder, of Nature’s Own Pharmacy, said the use of apple cider vinegar for medicinal purposes wasn’t new. “It’s been going on for more than 200 years and has been used by many cultures.”

The “miracle cure”, however, only got widespread attention when Canadian doctor DC Jarvis published his book Folk Medicine: A Vermont Doctor’s Guide to Good Health, in the late 1950s.

One of the many Eastern Cape residents who have sworn by the “cure” is Tom Kirkup, of Jeffreys Bay.

Kirkup, 68, said he began struggling with arthritis about 30 years ago. Countless visits to doctors did not help with his intense pain, but one day he met a homeopath who suggested he take a mixture containing apple cider vinegar and honey. Two weeks later, the pain was gone. “I walk my dogs on the beach now; it’s magical,” he said.

Kirkup uses 100ml of apple cider vinegar, 2 tablespoons of honey, 1 teaspoon of Epsom salts, 1 teaspoon of saltpetre and 1 teaspoon of ginger and adds it all to a litre of water.

“Take one slurp first thing in the morning. It works.”

But how and why does it work?

Nutrition and lifestyle coach and author Tanya Wyatt said that, for starters, honey had many health benefits. “As long as the honey is raw (unprocessed), organic, unheated and unfiltered, it contains natural antioxidants, enzymes, amino acids, vitamins and minerals. It is an excellent foodstuff and a great immune-booster.”

However, honey should not be heated, she warned. “Anything above skin temperature will denature the enzymes.”

Apple cider vinegar alkalinised the body, she said.

However, Bay naturopath Rashid Abbas said he did not recommend the concoction to his patients and warned over-use could cause problems, for instance as vinegar could over-stimulate the thyroid if used for too long. “The best thing is to listen to your body,” he said.