'Penile Brain' — Websites Debunk the Apple Vinegar = Viagra Myth
Apple Cider vinegar has become something of a miracle cure of late with many touting its numerous benefits. In April, the Cleveland Clinic cited three of its benefits — lowering blood sugar, calming acid reflex, and weight loss. Though, they write, "One small study showed that adding apple cider vinegar to a healthy diet might help people lose more weight. But these findings haven't been proven with large, controlled studies."
But one thing it doesn't cure is erectile dysfunction.
How it became the subject of two features — one on Vice and one on the HuffPost — is due to the weird ads turning up on porn sites that feature veiny, cartoon penises and bottles of a product called Bragg's Apple Cider Vinegar, suggesting "that the vinegar can make one's dick bigger and harder." The ads caught the eye of Vice contributor Samantha Cole.
One ad in particular — which features a bottle of vinegar being poured over an erect penis — has been around since 2009, she writes, and she has seen it recently on PornHub and XTube.
Clicking through the ad led Cole to a lengthy video narrated by a "couple's therapist" named Bill, who extols the virtues of a product called InstaHard, which purportedly contains "a bunch of 'natural ingredients,' " the effect of which, supposedly, "restores the natural function of your penis by working on the cellular level to re-activate the 'Penile Brain.' "
"The 'PENIS BRAIN' motif repeats several times throughout the video and is absolutely hilarious every time he says it. In the works cited section for this video is a�CBS article�from 2008 that uses this incredible phrase to describe the autonomic nervous system, which also controls things like breathing and heart rate (and hard-ons), but is not a literal thinking brain inside the head of your penis," Cole writes. The product sells for $69.00.
But can soaking a penis in Bragg's Apple Cider Vinegar cure erectile dysfunction? Is it possible to become InstaHard after soaking a tampon in vinegar and sticking it up your ass? That is seen in eye-catching animation in another ad with the text "This Weird Odd Simple Trick Makes Penis Hard As A Rock."
"But, please. Don't try it," writes the Huffington Post's Faima Bakar, citing the erectile dysfunction website�Mojo's statement on the use. "Step away from the apple cider bottle," the site's co-founder Angus Barge tells HuffPost UK. "Many men are drawn to seemingly simple home remedies because it feels like there is something natural and wholesome about them.
"However there is no evidence that it will get you harder or larger. It is thought that this old folks tale originates from the fact that apple cider vinegar can be good for your cardiac health and blood flow. Taking it orally it can help lower your cholesterol. Bathing your penis in it can make you smell like a chip shop."
Yael Cooperman, MD, medical editor for�Ro Health Guide, recently addressed the folk remedy of taking�apple cider vinegar for erectile dysfunction
"There's no evidence at all that apple cider vinegar will make your penis bigger, but you might end up with some serious damage down there if you try," Cooperman told Vice's Cole. "There have been waves of claims around the benefits of apple cider vinegar and how it potentially helps with everything from diabetes to erectile dysfunction, but the research doesn't support those claims."�
She added that it would likely be harmful to your penis. Research for "a skin condition called atopic dermatitis showed that it actually hurt the skin where it was applied," Cole reported.
"Not only did the soaks not help, the treatment caused skin irritation and damage to the integrity of the skin barrier, increasing the risk of infection for these patients. And that's when it was applied to the arm," Yael told Vice. "The skin on your penis is more delicate. It will likely sting and can cause serious damage to the skin there, allowing bacteria there to cause infection."
As for the idea of soaking a tampon in apple vinegar then placing up the ass?
Tony Chen, MD, clinical assistant professor at the Stanford School of Medicine urology department, told Vice it isn't advisable. "I'm not aware of any evidence-based health benefits of that, but I would be similarly concerned about chemical irritations or burns on the anal mucosa with prolonged contact with ACV."
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"Vinegar can damage the delicate lining of your colon, causing bleeding and extremely painful ulcers," said Cooperman. "Also, any damage to your colon can allow the bacteria that live in your digestive system to enter your bloodstream, causing a serious and potentially deadly infection."�
As for making a penis bigger? "Sex expert Ruby Payne tells HuffPost that using apple cider vinegar could actually be pretty dangerous. "Sometimes I can't believe I have to say these things, but there is absolutely no evidence (and I really mean NO evidence) that apple cider vinegar will do anything to help your penis grow bigger."
She continued: "Not only will it sting like hell — especially if you shove it up your bum — it could actually burn where you have applied it. Damage to your skin can lead to infection, and nobody wants an infection down there."