Fire Cider

This is what I started my herbalist journey with. Gathering the items and making sure I had enough of everything was a big effort, when I realized I needed everything around the same time and couldn't get everything at the store. Which is one thing that I realized as I continued my journey, I either need to find the items I need in the wild, grow my own, or order online and attempt to find the best price for the quality I wanted. I ended up ordering the items I couldn't get at the store, and waited until they arrived to get the rest of my items at the store.

Putting this together in the jar was an experience, and I wish I knew where the pictures were. All of the ingredients make the jar look beautiful before the first shake. I know you'll be hesitent to give it it's first shake, but to help the benefits infuse with the vinegar it's best to shake it then place it in your cool dark spot. I picked a cupboard in my kitchen, since I'm in the kitchen a lot of the time, making this the perfect spot to store it for the time being.

So, why should you make this? And what benefits will come from using this?

Both are wonderful questions, and ones that I'm hoping to be able to answer. People who make Fire Cider claim that it helps boost immune systems to help fight off infections and to keep you healthy. The ingredients in the cider sound like a bunch of nonsense, but there are healing properties in the ingredients. I don't plan on going into detail on all of them in this post. One day, I'm hoping to give them their own pages. I will go into detail on a few of them, tho.

Garlic is a known purifier. 

Lemon can be a disinfectant.

Turmeric is an anti-inflammatory (I like to take turmeric pills when I have colds, it seems to kick the symptoms right out of me if I catch it early enough).

Apple Cider Vinegar can help even out pH in the stomach (or so I've read a while ago. I'll be researching this again to back up this claim in the future).

Honey not only is antimicrobial but can help soothe an irritated throat from a cough.

This isn't all of the ingredients, but I will be going back to research them more in depth at a later date. If you give this recipe a try, please let me know how it turns out. One thing to note is that there are several different versions of this recipe and the one I use is not the end all of all Fire Ciders. Find a recipe that works for you, or tweak it to suit your own needs. I'm excited to see what benefits everyone notices from making their own fire cider, and how it helps them. 

Fire Cider 

Ingredients

- 1 Large Red Onion, Chopped

- 3 Heads Garlic, Chopped

- 1 Lemon with Peel, Diced

- 1/2 Cup Fresh Ginger Rhizome, Grated

- 1/2 Cup Fresh Turmeric Rhizome, Grated

- 1/4 Cup Fresh Horseradish Root, Grated

- 1/4 Cup Fresh Thyme, Arial Parts, Chopped

- 2 Teaspoon Freshly Ground Black Pepper

- A Few Fresh Cayenne or Jalapeno Peppers (optional)

- Honey To Taste (1/3 Cup)

- Raw Apple Cider Vinegar

- Half-Gallon Jar

Directions

Place all ingredients (except honey and vinegar) in a half-gallon jar, and cover with raw apple cider vinegar (cover herbs by a few inches).

Place a piece of natural wax paper over top of jar before tightly capping with lid.

Store in a dark cupboard for at least three weeks. Shake jar daily.

Strain herbs out of fire cider. Add warmed raw honey to taste, mix thoroughly and bottle.

Use within 6 months of bottling date.

To Use

Take 1 Tbsp (half a shot), once a day as a tonic or up to 3 Tbsp daily with active infection.

Notes

- Adding the wax paper between the cap and the liquid will help prevent the lid from rusting from the acid in the vinegar. 

- The ingredients can be left to sit for a couple of months. This will make it a stronger concoction. 

- The garlic may turn blue, this is a normal reaction.

- Sediment will form at the bottom. This can either be strained or shaken into the liquid before serving.

- Because the cider is made with a vinegar, equal parts water & fire cider can help

Observations

- When taken consistently, can help with infections

- A small dance after downing the shot can help the taste

- I'm terrible at consistency. This batch has lasted me over a year, and still seems to be going strong.

- We can store the cider in the fridge, but it makes the taste stronger

Citation

Herbal Academy Calendar. (2020, October).