Fire Cider Tonic

[Dawn419]

I recently came upon this tonic recipe and wanted to share it with y'all:

Fire Cider!

Quoted from the above link:

In my opinion, no kitchen should be without fire cider!
This recipe has been credited to many different herbalists, including the late Dr. Christopher, and I've seen many variations of the recipe over the years.

I first learned it from Rosemary Gladstar back in the mid 90's.

Some folks steep this recipe for 2 weeks - others say 2 or 3 months. Personally, I find the flavor and strength I desire by steeping at least 8 weeks. However, if you need it sooner you may certainly use it after just several weeks.

For me Fire Cider is a tonic. I have always been drawn to the flavors of its ingredients and drink small amounts daily starting in the fall and all throughout the winter months.

This recipe is an inexpensive, effective way to treat or stave off colds & flus, and to break up congestion.

Some of the traditional benefits of Fire Cider's ingredients include:

Horseradish ~ The antibacterial properties of Horseradish have been used to fight bacteria. Horseradish strongly stimulates the digestion, increasing gastric secretions and appetite. It's also a good diuretic that promotes perspiration, making it useful in fevers, colds, and flu. Horseradish is also an expectorant and mildly antibiotic, and can be of use in both respiratory and urinary tract infections.

Ginger ~ is valued for its ability to warm the stomach, to ease vomiting & nausea and to fight off colds, chills and coughs. Ginger is useful for all types of congestion in the body.

Garlic ~ supports the immune function and opens the pores of the skin to lower a fever. This herb's antibacterial and antimicrobial properties make it useful in treating bladder and kidney infections , yeast infections , strep throats and ear infections.

Cayenne ~ is useful for increasing circulation and to get mucous flowing. This herb is an anti-inflammatory and anti-irritant. It is used as a digestive aid to stimulates gastric juices. Many people report relief from migraines with this herb as well.

How to Make Fire Cider

Ingredients

1 quart Organic Apple Cider Vinegar

1/2 cup Horseradish root grated

1/8 cup of Garlic chopped

1/2 cup of Onion chopped

1/2 cup of Ginger grated

1 tsp Cayenne

Directions

Place all ingredients in a quart jar and cover with Apple Cider Vinegar.

Cover tightly.

Steep for 8 weeks.

Strain into clean jar.

How to Use Your Fire Cider?

~ Rub into sore muscles and aching joints.

~ Soak a clean cloth in Fire Cider to place on a congested chest.

~ Drink it straight or diluted in a bit of water or tomato juice.Start out with a tsp or so to test your tolerance level.

~ Mix with a bit of honey to ease a cough.

Individual tolerance to the heat will vary so you and your familywill want to experiment with quantity.

Personally, I can drink a small shot glass at a time. Others will want only a few drops mixed with honey, or only topically. (I once knew a woman in her late 80's who snorted small amounts from a spoon to clean out her nasal passages!)

Enjoy!

I've got almost all of my ingredients together and will hopefully get my horseradish root and cayenne pepper tomorrow. If I can't find the fresh cayenne peppers (or another type of hot pepper), I'm thinking about substituting chili powder. We're going to the big town tomorrow so hopefully Krogers will have what I'm needing.

 

[Dawn419]

Just wanted to give a quick update on our Fire Cider's progress.

It's been steeping for 5 weeks (we're going the full 8 weeks before we strain off the garlic, onion, horseradish and ginger) and we've been sipping on it here and there to check on it's progress.

I don't care for hot spicy and am pleasantly suprised that I've been able to drink this stuff straight out of the jar!

I've got 2 quarts steeping right now and can see that I'm gonna need to make more!

I wasn't able to find fresh cayene peppers so we just bought a jar of the powdered. Since this recipe only uses 1 tsp per quart, the jar will last quite a while and make plenty of this cider.

 

[hqueen13]

I think that is more than I have the stomach to try! I am a weeny when it comes to spicy stuff though.... LOL
I can't wait to hear about your tests!!

 

[so lucky]

Great link, thanks.

 

[doc_gonzo]

ok 1 st test of the fire cider. taste wise i love it. it's not hot like sear your mouth closed hot , it's more like a good brandy it warms you all the way down. the reason i got into it before it had done it's full 8 week steep is i had a tooth abscessing on me, last night it was swollen and very sore. i did a shot and then did another as a swish, gargle kinda thing, this morning when i got up the swelling was waaaaay down and it was just slightly tender. this stuff will definatly become a part of our holistic medicine chest!!
last time i had it checked my bp was a little high, a lot of the ingredients are good for keeping the bp down as well so i'll do this as a daily tonic and see how that works out also
doc

 

[Marianne]

O-M-G
Add me to the weenie group. It sounds just awful, but hey! If it works, then we all should keep some a 'brewing.

 

[Denim Deb]

I may just have to mix up a batch. Sounds interesting.

 

[Dawn419]

Strained off our two jars of fire cider tonight.

We both took a sip last night since we were both feeling a bit sinusy, clear sinuses all day today!



Fire cider brewing:




Finished cider:




Decided to try and get one more batch out of the garlic, onion, horseradish, ginger and cayene so I added them all to one jar and then added Bragg's ACV. This next pic is of the latest batch and the strained cider that has had a chance to settle (make sure to shake this up each time before you use it).

 

[snapshot]

Hi Dawn! No chance of getting fresh cayennes here or horseradish root that I can find. Have you ever used cayenne powder or ground horseradish? Seems to me like it would work but I am asking anyway!

 

[yourbadd]

I got my batch brewing a few days ago!! Can't wait to give it a try as spring ALWAYS brings on sinus congestion.

Do I need to shake the jar periodically during it's brewing period??