Fire cider: A spicy elixir that warms your body & soul.
Have you ever heard of fire cider?
It’s a potent, spicy concoction that’s been passed down for generations as a natural remedy for winter woes. It’s been around for hundreds of years.
Fire cider is a mix of apple cider vinegar and a variety of different immune building and modulating ingredients, infused for a few weeks, with honey added to sweeten the pot just a bit.
Apple Cider Vinegar
Non-pasteurized apple cider vinegar is what you’ll want to use. It’s the kind with the mother still in it. Pasteurization will kill many of the beneficial enzymes.
Apple Cider Vinegar is loaded with beneficial bacteria, enzymes and antioxidants that can help you ward off illness and help promote gut health. And did you know your gut health is directly related to how strong your immune system is?
Other ingredients that can be used for Fire Cider
There are lots of ingredients that can be used for fire cider. The recipes you can come up with are only limited by your own imagination.
Here are just a few of the different ingredients you can use and why you might want to use them.
Garlic
Raw garlic has been known for centuries for immune boosting power. These anti-bacterial and anti-viral properties are perfect for helping to combat colds & flus. Used regularly it’s great for strengthening your immune system reducing the chances you have of getting sick.
Onions
This sinus-clearing superstar can break up congestion and encourage lymphatic drainage, helping you breathe easier during cold and flu season. And it’s rich in antioxidants helping you fight free radicals that can weaken your immune system. when not held in check.
Cayenne (or other Hot) Pepper
A fiery, anti-bacterial and anti-viral food that packs a punch when it comes to wiping out a cold or flu. It’s great at clearing congestion, stimulating the immune system, kicking it into overdrive, when you don’t feel well.
Elderberries
Elderberries have been known for years for their anti-viral properties. These little berries are great for protecting our cells, not allowing a virus to attach and replicate itself, thereby effectively killing the virus. You can never go wrong with elderberries.
Ginger
With it’s abundance of anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, ginger is great for protecting and clearing our respiratory system when a cold or flu strikes. It’s also great for spicing up your immune system and warming you up when that chill tries to come calling.
Horseradish
Horseradish is a highly pungent root. It’s great for clearing the sinuses and warming the body. Used in a fire cider with honey, it helps thin the mucus so it can be expelled, clearing the lungs.
Spicy and Sweet
We’ve reviewed the spicy, let’s look at the sweet.
Honey is added to sweeten and balance the fire in your fire cider. But it does more than just sweeten.
Honey is it’s own kind of herb, with properties that can help support you, like any other herb.
Honey has expectorant properties which means it helps thin mucus making it easier to get rid of.
It has anti-microbial properties, inhibiting the growth of pathogens.
Basic Fire Cider
Rosemary Gladstar, the grandmother of modern herbalism and one of the original herbalists of our time, has a wonderful basic fire cider recipe that she’s shared with the world for decades. You’ll find many other fire cider recipes she and others have put together in a book she wrote called “Fire Cider! 101 Zesty Recipes for Health-Boosting Remedies Made with Apple Cider Vinegar.”
This one is a super simple recipe that anyone can make or it’s a perfect base to create one of your own.
A Fancier Fire Cider Recipe
Here’s another fire cider recipe. This one by Juliet Blankespoor. She’s another great herbalist from North Carolina.
She’s written a beautiful herbal book called “The Healing Garden,” where I first found this recipe. I haven’t made it yet, but I plan to.
Juliet is one of those that can inspire you to try all kinds of herbal recipes. She’s inspired me to try a number of new herbal recipes.
This recipe looks beautiful and the ingredients tell me it’s going to taste really good. If you have occasion to try it, I really hope you’ll comment or send an email and let me know what you think.
My Own Creation
This recipe is my creation.
It’s a really simple recipe. And that simplicity came from Rosemary’s recipe above, with the color coming from the ideas I see in Juliet’s book.
I found it surprisingly tasty. You can add more or less honey to make it fit your favorite sweetness level. I hope you’ll enjoy it too.
So, What Can Fire Cider Do For You?
Well, it can do a lot! Here’s a few things fire cider can do for you.
- It can boost your defenses: The combination of a few of these ingredients can help boost your immune system. Helping you to fight off the winter nasties, including cold and flu nasties.
- Soothe a sore throat: The warming, anti-inflammatory properties of fire cider can ease a scratchy throat and provide relief from coughs.
- Clear congestion: A few of these ingredients can work their magic to loosen mucus and open up your airways, leaving you breathing freely.
- Aid digestion: It can help to support healthy digestion, keeping your gut happy and functioning well. In turn this healthy digestion can help boost your immune system and keep it work for you.
- Warm you up: This spicy tonic is like a fire from within, a perfect way to chase away the chills and keep you cozy on a cold day.
A gentle reminder
Fire cider is safe for most people. But it’s best to consult with a healthcare professional before trying it if you have any underlying health conditions or are pregnant or breastfeeding.
And for some, the spiciness can be quite potent, so be cautious if you have sensitive taste buds or stomach.
So, during these long winter days and cold temperature it might be worth giving a shot of fire cider a try. This potent potion might just be the key to staying healthy, happy, and warm.
If you’re feeling creative, get experimental with your fire cider! Add different herbs and spices to customize it to your taste and needs. Then if you’re feeling generous, share your creation in the comments below. You could be an inspiration for another creation.
