Fire cider is a powerful health tonic made with pungent roots, herbs, spices fruits , honey and vinegar's - designed to give your body a super charged boost during cold and flu season!
Like most sane human beings, the idea of a nasty cold plugging up your sinuses is less then ideal. Most people will be heading straight to the pharmacy for over the counter cold and flu medications, NyQuil and other OTC drugs designed to simply mask your symptoms. When these drug are used, the cold or flu will actually hang around a lot longer then it should- a nasty bug that sticks around for 1 to 2 weeks is not a bad bug, you just have a horrible immune system that is struggling to fight it off!
So what can we do ?? You need to give the immune system and your body the proper nutrition, vitamins and minerals that it needs to stack up some powerful defenses against any cold of flu that enters your body. When you give it what it needs, your immune system WILL WORK FOR YOU. When you mask the symptoms and suppress the immune system function, you are literally fighting AGAINST your own natural defenses. Fire cider is a great tonic to use as a preventative daily measure, or dosed at the first signs of infection. You can drink it as a daily shot, or sip it slowly in a cup. Some other ways to use this is topped on salads and vegetables, even simmered in stews to help bring flavors to life!
Now, Fire cider is not some crazy witchery concoction that you brew up in a cauldron in some dark lair deep in the woods. You can make it easily in the comfort of your own kitchen! Whilst this concoction has been used for centuries and passed down by cultures generation after generation, The term “fire cider” was first coined by herbalist Rosemary Gladstar, in the ‘80s and her traditional recipe includes apple cider vinegar, horseradish root, onion, garlic, ginger, and cayenne pepper. The ingredients used in fire cider typically have a warming effect on the body, which makes the term "fire" true to its name. This warming effect will help to increase body temperature, clear sinuses and open up your airways and stimulate mucus drainage and can also stimulate gastric juices which help the digestive tract- So lets take a more in depth look at whats inside this jar of fire!
Apple cider vinegar- an amazing source of vitamin C and has often been used to increase digestion, reduce symptoms of allergies, balance blood sugar and aid in weight loss. Raw apple cider vinegar that contain "The Mother" is the best as it contains highly beneficial enzymes and probiotics. Braggs is a great brand, but there are many other brands, choose non gmo, organic and a label that says "contains Mother" Mother will look like a gross sludge at the bottom of the jar.
Ginger- Highly known for its anti- inflammatory properties, a powerful root for upper respiratory infections, respiratory distress and bronchitis. High antioxidant activity.
Garlic- With powerful anti viral, anti fungal and anti bacterial properties, garlic is a great powerhouse root for your fire cider. It has been used for centuries to prevent the common cold, treat flu and help with blood circulation (reduces cardiovascular risk)
Onion- naturally contains the plant polyphenol quercetin which is helpful for reducing allergies and relaxing the muscles in the respiratory airways associated with asthma. They are also well known for helping to fight cancer, aiding in antioxident production, and helping to fight off cold and flu.
Horseradish- A root vegetable, very helpful in the treatment of sinusitis as well as cough, colic, bronchitis and sore throat. Recommended for cleansing the blood, expelling kidney stones, helps to promote sweating and as a diuretic.
Cayenne pepper- This is the "fire" in most cider recipes, and rightly so. Cayenne pepper will help improve blood circulation, and is a great way to make you sweat in the cold winter months. These fiery peppers will help to protect your heart, anti tumor, antioxidant, improves digestion, high in vitamin C, reduces inflammation.
Citrus fruit- Loads of vitamin C ! need I say more?
Turmeric- Very high anti oxidant effects on the body- which neutralizes free radicals in the body that cause cancer. reduces the risk of inflammation and heart disease, helps to reduce oxidation. fights cancer cells and even can promote cancer cell suicide, improves memory and potent antiviral activity.
Rosemary- Rich supply of antioxidants, warming effect on the body, antimicrobial, helps fight head colds by clearing out congestion and stimulating the sinuses.
Additional add ons for my own personal recipe-
Rose Hips- High in Vitamin C, helps boost the immune system, relives upper respiratory symptoms, increases circulation.
Cedar- High in vitamin C, cedar is a powerhouse for the lungs. Used for centuries to aid in upper respiratory infections, clears phlegm in the lungs and gives a boost for the immune system.
This is the list that I have compiled for use in my own kitchen, but keep in mind there are many variations that can be combined and used. Another ingredient that I did not include is honey. This is usually added AFTER the fire cider has completed its process, and is used as a sweetener. Use raw unpasteurized honey to get the full benefits of the enzymes and antioxidants.
The majority of the ingredients should be fresh, however, especially in winter some of these ingredients can be off season, or at least hard to find. In my recipe , I have switched out the cayenne pepper and turmeric for organic powdered form, becasue I was unable to find any fresh ones in my grocery store.
Now that you know about the amazing health benefits of fire cider, I bet you are wondering how to make it ?
ITS SO SIMPLE.
Get yourself a clean cutting board, a sharp knife, and a 1 quart mason jar. In my recipe, I was able to source:
Fermented onions, fresh garlic, fresh ginger, fresh lemons, fresh rosemary, dried organic cayenne pepper, organic dried turmeric, dried rosehips, dried cedar, and my men strum for extracting all of the constituents from these ingredients- organic, unpasteurized non gmo apple cider vinegar with The Mother. YUM!
The process: Finely chop up of your fresh ingredients, the more surface area for your ACV to penetrate, the better! Peel your garlic, but Ginger can be left with peels on and sliced.
Place your jar on the counter and start adding the good stuff! I added my onions first. I have a cupboard full pickled onions, so those are what I used, and the vinegar juice from the jar goes straight into my recipe becasue it already has all of the amazing compounds from the onions infused into the vinegar. It was too perfect to waste so in it goes.
Next, start layering in your roots, in goes chopped garlic, and ginger, and then I added my rose hips.
If you have any fresh herbs to add in, now is the time. Make sure to roll and bruise the leaves of fresh herbs to help release the oils from their leaves, this allows for more of the beneficial compounds to be extracted out. Use a fork to pull them down through the middle of the jar or stuff them on the sides.
Now I am ready to add in my powdered spices, In goes turmeric and hot cayenne pepper! I used about 2 tablespoons in total of each, the amount of heat really depends on your own personal tastes. Alternatively you can add in a layer of freshly slices cayenne or jalapeno peppers instead.
Be sure to use organic non GMO spices if possible, the regular spices you get at the grocery store are irradiated during processing and the majority of health benefits are destroyed that way. Using organic ensures that your spices have exactly what you need in them!
Next I added my citrus fruit. So they fit nicely in the jar, I sliced fresh lemon. To make the jar look pretty for you fine folks, I used a fork to pull them down the side of the jar. You can use as many slices as you like, I used one slice for each side of my jar. If you have any other spices to add in, now is the time. I added in dried cedar for an extra dose of vitamin C and rich antioxidants. Lastly, add in your ACV!
Make sure you are using unpasteurized ACV, It will contain the mother, which looks something like this:
When you shake the bottle, a long string like formation happens with that pile of goop, this is the healthy beneficial bacteria and probiotics that makes apple cider vinegar so great.
Once all of your ingredients are in the jar, put the lid on and give it a good mix!
A good tip to prevent any metal leaching into the jar from the metal lid is to place some parchment paper in between the lid and jar. Now that your witches brew is complete, the hard part starts......the long wait. You cant touch this jar, aside from occasional shaking, for a minimum of 1 month. That sucks! Next time I will have to prepare for the winter months by making a few jars of fire cider in September. If you are anything like me, and are horrible at planning ahead ( I made this fire cider AFTER a cold started circulating around our house) then a faster alternative is to make a daily shot of:
2 tablespoons of ACV
1 tablespoon of fresh lemon juice
dash of turmeric
dash of cayenne pepper
Take this in a shot glass and pound it down! gives you a quick immune system boost, and helps with digestion and to stimulate the liver and gallbladder function.
I hope you really enjoyed my fire cider recipe and its many benefits! I will say that fire cider is no quick fix for a crappy lifestyle and diet! Fire cider is PART of a healthy lifestyle and good diet habits. If you have a bad diet and lifestyle, and get a bad flu, a few quick shots of fire cider isn't going to magically cure you one day so you can go back to eating McDonalds and pizza 5 times a week. I know that's a little harsh, however, I have seen many times people making fun of home remedies, becasue they are expecting a quick fix, like taking a pill, and do not change anything about their own lifestyles. Home remedies work best over time and in conjunction with smart lifestyle and diet choices. Period. There's no way around it.
How many of you have made fire cider? How did it turn out ? Did you use it for an illness or as a preventative measure? I would really love to hear about it ! You can comment below, or send me a message on facebook! I would love to see photos of your fire cider!
Once your cider is ready to be used in 1 month, you can simply strain out ll of the solid material using a fine mesh strainer. Discard the material and pour your cider into a clean glass jar. Your cider can last in the fridge up to 1 year !
Disclaimer- Please make sure to do your own research when making tinctures, herbal remedies, or medicines. This blog post is meant for educational purposes only, and the information therein is limited to my own personal experiences with my family, and my own research and is not meant to treat, diagnose, cure any disease or illness. Please make sure to consult your doctor or trusted health care practitioner if you are feeling unwell, and consult with them prior to making, or using any herbal remedy.
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