Fire Cider is a health tonic made from a unique blend of medical herbs seeped in an apple cider vinegar to create a balanced mix of hot, spicy, and pungent flavors.
Food is medicine, and wellness starts at home in our kitchen. Fire Cider is a health tonic made from a unique blend of medical herbs seeped in an apple cider vinegar to create a balanced mix of hot, spicy, and pungent flavors. This tonic is easy to make and incorporate into your daily routine to restore and invigorate the immune system!
Rosemary Gladstar is an American herbalist and environmental advocate who has dedicated her life to educating others on health through herbalism. She has created accessible education courses to ensure the world of herbalism can be practical for all. Her classes range from plant identification to medicine making, which leads to hundreds of herbal recipes for health and healing. As Gladstar says, “herbalism is for everyone interested in self-health, well-being, and healing, and is easy for everyone to learn.”
Gladstar is known for creating the first widely-used Fire Cider recipe, intended to be shared freely! This recipe uses apple cider vinegar as a tonic base, then infused with superfoods such as garlic, onions, horseradish root, ginger root, and hot peppers. Her health tonic boosts energy, wards off cold and flu, eases sinus congestion, lowers blood sugar, and aids digestion. This recipe is easy to make, and you likely have all the ingredients in your kitchen right now!
Rosemary Gladstar’s Fire Cider
Ingredients:
- One bottle of apple cider vinegar
- ½ cup grated fresh horseradish root
- ½ cup or more fresh chopped onions
- ¼ cup or more chopped garlic
- ¼ cup or more grated ginger
- Chopped fresh or dried cayenne pepper ‘to taste,’ meaning it should be hot, but not so hot you can’t tolerate it. It is better to make it a little milder than too hot (you can always add more pepper later if necessary!)
- Optional ingredients include turmeric, echinacea, or cinnamon.
Directions:
- Place herbs in a half-gallon canning jar.
- Fill with enough raw unpasteurized apple cider vinegar to cover the herbs by at least three to four inches. Cover tightly with a tight-fitting lid.
- Place the jar in a warm place and let sit for three to four weeks. Best to shake every day to help in the maceration process. (I like to keep my jar on the kitchen counter or pantry where I can see, so I remember to give it a shake every day.)
- After three to four weeks, strain out the herbs and reserve the liquid.
- Add honey to taste. Warm the honey first, so it mixes in well. Your Fire Cider should taste hot, spicy, and sweet.
- Rebottle and enjoy! Fire Cider will keep for several months unrefrigerated if stored in a cool pantry. But it’s better to keep in the refrigerator if you’ve room.
A small shot glass daily serves as an excellent tonic, or take teaspoons if you feel a cold coming on. Take it more frequently if necessary to help your immune system do battle.
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