Hi, I just used water instead of apple juice. They recommend apple juice to make it taste better. You don't have to use it though. You can actually mix it with any juice except citrus but since we candida people can't really have fruit juices anyways.. but I used P&B shakes and never got the results I got from just the first day of my blessedherbs cleanse. I don't know what secret they have that makes it work so well but lemme tell you I felt like a new person when it was over. My mood was so light and happy and I was so much more energetic.. not so "tired and bogged down" feeling. But I am going to do another one in the next few months because I don't think it got out all of the plaque. I was STILL passing strands of plaque which looked like it had weird rotting strange things EMBEDDED in it even on the last day of the cleanse (day 5 I believe) I had a stone from a Liver Flush that was stuck in the mucoid plaque and was rotting or something it was freaking disgusting!! I can't tell you how happy I was to get that garbage OUT of my body. Also, getting rid of the mucoid plaque will lessen the burden on your internal organs espescially your liver so it can handle the poisons from the candida more effeciently...
you may be getting hives from die off.. I have not heard of this problem with xylitol before.. I am sorry to hear you have such a problem! I love the stuff- its just a bit pricey thats all.