Fire Cider is an immune boosting tonic that is known to break up mucus, boost immune function, and aid in recovery of illness. This is made similar to other fermentation or herbal recipes and is incredibly easy to make. Most of the ingredients you can find at your local grocery store.
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This apple cider vinegar based tonic, was first talked about in the early 1970s by an herbalist known as Rosemary Gladstar. She used simple ingredients or horseradish root, ginger root, cayenne pepper, garlic, onion, honey, and apple cider vinegar. Over the years people have added and taken away ingredients to find what suits them best.
While big health organizations seem to dislike fire cider, mostly because it is spicy and my thought is people don't use their noggin when taking it.... the vast majority of people see huge improvements when fighting off respiratory illness.
Some people have said this can cause some intestinal upsets, while this is probably true for some... I do tend to think a little differently about this. The vast majority of people don't have proper enzymes in their diets to break down & absorb their food and vitamin/minerals. Their HCL in their stomach is typically too low even thought they might think it is too high due to indigestion or acid reflux. Then last but not least, when looking at TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) the lungs and small intestines are connected. So if you're struggling with your lungs, your small intestine might show some signs... So if you're going to clear out the lungs.. I'm willing to bet that you'll clear out your intestines too and you might get better a little quicker..
Okay so I know people hate reading blog posts that are long but I am a longer winded person and do my best to educate while we are here... but here we go..
Here is how I like to make Fire Cider.
In a 1/2 Gallon Mason Jar, combine the following. Please remember... you can do any combo of this you want!
-About 1/2 Cup of Peeled and Cubed Horseradish Root (you can find this at the grocery store, some small shops online, or please reach out to me and I will help you find some) You can replace with Mustard Seeds in a pinch.
-About 2-3 Inches Of Ginger Root Sliced. (This is great as anti-nausea, soothe the stomach, and break up congestion)
-1 Small Raw Onion (Any Kind) Sliced/Diced (fights infection, acts as a diuretic, flushes out viruses and toxins)
-4-5 cloves of Raw Garlic (Freeze dried garlic works too) works the same as onion.
-Jalapeno Peppers Sliced (I typically do 3 sliced... you can use other peppers as well. What you're wanting is the capsicum that is a natural compound in peppers.)
-Other Options I like to put in... Mullein (if you're someone who tends to get a lot of lung congestion, this will clear out the lungs), Elderberry (to stop viruses from replicating), Thyme (immune boosting, high in vitamin c, promotes white blood cells), Rosemary (stimulating to the immune system), lemons (vitamin c power house, tastes good)
-Fill your jar with apple cider vinegar with the mother.. Raw stuff.
Cover your jar with a cloth, cheese cloth, or a coffee filter. Store for 4-6 weeks, stirring occasionally. At the end of the 4-6 weeks, strain out the herbs from the vinegar and then add about 1 cup to a cup and a half of Raw Honey... must be raw.. bonus points if it is local to you! Put a lid on the jar and mix it up well. It might take a couple days for the honey to fully disintegrate into the vinegar.
I recommend storing in a swing top bottle and take 1-2 tbsp per day in water. If you take this as a shot without water it could be upsetting to the stomach.
If you're ill, I like to have hot water with 1 tbsp of fire cider in it and maybe a little more honey.
Enjoy!