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Fire Cider Recipe: How to Make it at Home

Fire cider, a name coined by herbalist Rosemary Gladstar in the late 1970’s is a remedy that has been around for a very long time. Fire cider falls into the category of oxymels, which can be traced all the way back to ancient Greece! An oxymel is a tonic made up of vinegar and honey and often has beneficial herbs added. It is also known as Four Thieves vinegar, based on the legend claiming that four young grave robbers during the black plague stayed healthy because they took a strong vinegar tonic resembling fire cider. 

Why Use Fire Cider?

Fire cider is a warming tonic that heats up your body and helps boost your immune system. If you’re trying to ward off a cold that’s starting to appear or quickly warm yourself up after being outside in the cold, try fire cider! With ingredients such as raw apple cider vinegar, horseradish, ginger, garlic, turmeric and more, the benefits are well worth making a jar and storing it for winter. 

a girl making fire cider

Health Benefits 

We all know that ingredients like ginger and turmeric are beneficial for us, but why? Let’s dig deeper. 

Ginger

Ginger is used in many remedies because of its amazing properties that aid digestion, boost immunity, help with nausea, and even ease arthritis and pain. 

Turmeric 

Known for its anti-inflammatory properties, turmeric can aid in respiratory infections, digestive troubles, and even help improve your memory. 

ingredients for fire cider in a jar

Horseradish 

Rich in antioxidants, horseradish can be used to clear mucus and fight infection, it can help boost your metabolism, and it is naturally antibacterial. It’s a good root to have around during the winter!

Garlic

Garlic has been used as a medicine for hundreds of years and can help fight things like fungi, bacteria and parasites in the body. We love garlic. 

Onion

Onions can fight bacteria, aid in heart health, and boost your immune system. 

Goldenrod 

Many people think goldenrod is responsible for their autumn allergies, but it is actually ragweed that’s to blame for watery eyes and noses. Goldenrod can actually help fight allergies and is a great medicinal herb to forage and dry for teas and tinctures. It can also help heal sinus infections and UTIs. 

Cayenne

Cayenne can improve circulation in the body (great for warming up after a chilly day outside), plus it’s high in vitamin A, which is great for your skin and hair. 

ingredients for fire cider on a cutting board

How to Make Fire Cider 

Homemade Fire Cider

Homemade Fire Cider

Yield: 32 oz
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 10 minutes

This fire cider is the perfect spicy remedy to get your immune system up and running.

Ingredients

  • * Raw honey
  • * 32 oz Organic apple cider vinegar with the mother
  • * 3-4 Fresh cayenne peppers (or ¼ -½ tsp powdered)
  • * 10 Garlic cloves 
  • * 1 Large hand of ginger
  • * 1 Red onion
  • * 1 Horseradish root
  • * 1 Lemon
  • * 3 Jalapeños
  • * 6 Knobs turmeric 
  • * Plus any vegetables or herbs you'd like to add like rosemary, goldenrod, thyme, juniper berries, lemon balm, etc

Instructions

    1. Chop all of your herbs and vegetables into small chunks and add them to a sanitized  jar.


    2. Cover with apple cider vinegar. 


    3. Let sit in a cool dark place for 4 weeks.


    4. After 4 weeks, strain your infused vinegar and mix with raw honey to taste.

    5. Store in a cool dark place for up to 4 months, or in the fridge for up to a year. Some claim it lasts even longer than this on the shelf and in the fridge, but jusrt do what feels right and stay safe!

Notes

1. Get creative! If you don’t have access to everything on this list, that’s ok. Fire cider recipes are really more of a base for you to work off of. 

2. We recommend purchasing all organic vegetables, fruits, and herbs, because you're infusing the apple cider vinegar with them and you don’t want all those pesticides in your fire cider.

How to Store Fire Cider 

How you store your fire cider is really up to you. You can either keep it in a cool dark area for a few months, making sure it is tightly sealed, or keep it in the fridge. I prefer keeping mine in the fridge as it keeps for longer and I like it cold. 

How to Use Fire Cider 

You can use fire cider in many different ways! You can take a shot of it straight, use it on salads, marinate foods in it, add it to tea… the possibilities are endless. 

We recommend taking 1-2 Tablespoons of fire cider a day for best results, but you can also take it when you start to feel a bug coming on. Taking it right when you feel yourself getting sick can help you get better sooner, while taking it everyday can help fight off infection altogether. 

Fire cider is one of the easiest at home remedies to make and we hope you give it a try!

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