Fire Cider is an immune-boosting folk remedy that herbalists have been making for a very long time. I learned how to make a basic fire cider during my apprenticeship. It’s a wonderful tonic to have around during cold and flu season.
A basic fire cider is made of various antibacterial/antiviral (hot) ingredients such as horseradish, ginger, garlic, onions, and cayenne pepper.
This is the recipe for my most current batch. As you get familiar with these recipes and ingredients, you can get creative and add other things to make the batch truly local and your own!
Just a note…my grater was giving me issues, so the above photos has a lot of chopped ingredients…grating will break the elements down better and put more medicine into the cider…
- 1/2 cup grated ginger root
- 1/2 cup grated horseradish root
- 1 chopped medium onion
- 10 cloves of crushed garlic
- 2 chopped jalapeño peppers
- 1 Lemon (zest and juice)
- 2 T dried rosemary leaves
- 1 T turmeric powder or 2 freshly grated root
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne powder
- Raw unfiltered apple cider vinegar
- Raw honey
Add all ingredients, except honey, to a quart sized mason jar and cover with AC Vinegar. Let sit for at least 8 weeks, strain out elements and sweeten to taste with honey.
Ginger aids digestion, infections and nausea and soothes inflammation…
Horseradish soothes sinus congestion and headaches…
Apple Cider Vinegar is a very common medicinal base. It is packed with good stuff, helps digestion, inflammation, kills bacteria…
Onion is antiviral, anti bacterial, packed with vitamin C…
Garlic is antimicrobial, antibacterial, expectorant, stimulating, warming (diaphoretic…makes you sweat)…
Jalapeno Peppers are a great nasal decongestant, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory…
Lemon has vitamin C and aids digestion…
Rosemary is anti-inflammatory, helps depression, antioxidant, and antimicrobial…
Turmeric is an anti-inflammatory, aids digestion, helps with depression…
Cayenne Pepper helps alleviate congestion, gets circulation moving, alleviates pain and inflammation.
Honey kills germs, yet is also hydrating, full of nutrients, immune boosting and, if local, helps with seasonal allergies.
You can use fire cider as a daily tonic to keep your immune system strong by taking a few teaspoons straight or in hot water. You can also use it as a medicine when sick, of course. You can also cook with it!