Traditional fire cider is a whole foods based herbal remedy. It is one of my favorite home remedies to have on hand through cold and flu (ugh, and the new virus) season. Whole food as medicine is the best kind of medicine!
What is Fire Cider?
Fire cider is an oxymel, which is a fancy way of saying “a vinegar and honey”. Fire cider is a folk health tonic that utilizes onion, ginger, hot peppers, horseradish root and garlic to stimulate and support the immune system. Raw apple cider vinegar is infused with these warming herbs then, sweetened with a bit of honey.
Health Benefits
Onion and garlic are well known herbs/whole foods that have antimicrobial and antibacterial properties. Onion and garlic are also super prebiotics and very beneficial for gut health. Raw, organic apple cider vinegar is a great source of probiotics also benefiting gut health. Effective immune well-being begins in the gut! Added to horseradish root, ginger, and some hot peppers these herbs have the power to warm your whole body constitution. The spiciness of fire cider is good as a mild decongestant too.
Traditional Fire Cider
Ingredients
- 1 medium Onion Chopped
- 10 cloves of Garlic Chopped
- 2 Jalapenos Chopped
- ½ cup organic Ginger Chopped
- ½ cup organic Horseradish root Chopped
- organic Apple Cider Vinegar Raw
- ¼ cup Raw honey
Instructions
- Chop and prepare all the herbs and roots.
- Combine chopped herbs and roots in a half gallon jar.
- Add enough apple cider vinegar to fully submerge herbs.
- Cover and steep herbs in vinegar for 4 to 6 weeks.
- Strain herbs from oxymel into a clean quart jar. You can compost used herbs.
- Add honey to oxymel. Stir and sample. Add more honey if needed.
How Much Fire Cider Do I Take?
When I feel a sickness coming on I will take about 1 Tablespoon of fire cider every 2 hours. I will also start high dose vitamin C (2500mg every 2 hours until bowel tolerance) and vitamin D (500mg morning and night).
Fire cider is delicious! It doesn’t have to be something used only when you are sick. If your body constitution is a little cold and damp a shot of fire cider will warm you up. Fire cider is also delicious as a salad dressing with some olive oil. Food as medicine is the best kind of medicine!
How Do I Store My Fire Cider?
While you are a steeping your fire cider you should store it in a warm dark place in your kitchen or in a cabinet. Once you have strained the fire cider oxymel and added some honey, I store mine in the refrigerator. Fire cider should last about 9 months in the refrigerator. In our family it is gone in about five months.
We also use some essential oils during time of illness in our home. Here is some information on using essential oils during illness.
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