Ready to add this popular home remedy to your apothecary? Find out what fire cider is used for, its benefits, how to take it, and how to make your own recipe!

What Is Fire Cider Used For?

This is one of those home remedies that, once you make it and start passing it around, people want it. Once you avert that first cold, you are hooked…

At the onset of any head cold, you reach for the fire cider and the cold never settles in.

Let me say that over and over again: “At the onset of any head cold, you reach for the fire cider and the cold never settles in.” And so it goes time after time.

How many colds I’ve dodged with the aid of this home remedy, I cannot say…

The Fire Cider Controversy

This herbal remedy has been making the news lately. Awhile back I got an email…

The subject line was all capital letters: FROM ROSEMARY IMPORTANT.

Now, when Rosemary Gladstar appears in all caps in your inbox, you open it right then.

“Hey Kami, isn’t the fire cider recipe included in your book, The Herbal Kitchen? If so, could you send it to me, if possible today…”

“Uh, sure Rosemary, I’ll send that over to you right now!”

It turns out that Rosemary wanted to use the recipe in a New York Times article about the fire cider lawsuit. Wow, that thing really heated up.

fire cider ingredients

Fire Cider Recipe and Benefits

When I sent the recipe to Rosemary Gladstar, it reminded me that yes, indeed, the fire cider in my pantry was out of stock!

So, I decided to make a batch to share with you. It’s an old school recipe, one that I got from Rosemary and started making in the 1980s. It hasn’t changed it much, it has been so tried and true.

Fire cider benefits come from its warming and stimulating ingredients, including:

  • Ginger: increases circulation, gets rid of mucus congestion, and reduces inflammation
  • Horseradish: boosts circulation, dissolves accumulated mucus, clears the sinus, and warms the body
  • Onion: contains antibacterial properties, promotes circulation, opens the sinus, and clears congestion
  • Garlic: has antimicrobial compounds and boosts the production of white blood cells, helping to fight bacteria and viruses
  • Cayenne: has antibacterial properties, clears out mucus and congestion, and stimulates blood circulation

People add all kinds of other ingredients now, but I just love this basic recipe. You don’t have to be exact with your measurements; the recipe is a general guideline.

Watch the video above and I’ll walk you step-by-step through how to make your own. You probably already have the ingredients in your kitchen. Well, you might not have the horseradish, but you’ll most likely be able to purchase that at the grocery store. Horseradish is also incredibly easy to grow.

How Long Does Homemade Fire Cider Last?

Store your homemade fire cider in a clean container in a dark cabinet out of heat, light, and temperature variation. It should be good for about a year.

Make sure that you store it in a container with a nonreactive lid because vinegar can eat any metal it comes into contact with. If your vinegar turns black or develops mold or a funny smell, throw it away.

How Often Should You Take It?

At the onset of a cold, take 1 tablespoon of fire cider. You can take this straight out of the spoon or add it to a cup of water.

Then, continue to take 3 to 4 tablespoons a day until symptoms subside.

If you’d like to learn more about herbal vinegar, you can check out an entire chapter of herbal vinegar recipes in my book, The Herbal Kitchen. 

Print Recipe
5 from 1 vote

Fire Cider Recipe

Ingredients

  • 4 cups apple cider vinegar (raw, unpasteurized)
  • 3 tbsp fresh grated ginger root
  • 2 tbsp fresh grated horseradish
  • 1 yellow onion, chopped
  • 4 garlic cloves, chopped
  • 1/2 tsp cayenne powder OR 1 fresh cayenne pepper, chopped
  • 2 cups honey

Instructions

  • Finely chop or grate all ingredients.
  • Put into jar with apple cider vinegar.
  • Put a non-metal lid on the jar or put two pieces of wax paper on top of the jar if using a metal lid.
  • Shake.
  • Let herbs infuse into vinegar for 1 month, shaking the mixture whenever you get a chance.
  • After 1 month, decant ingredients from the vinegar.
  • Add 1/2 part honey and shake well. For example, if you have 4 cups of the infused vinegar, add 2 cups of honey.
  • Take 1 to 4 tablespoons a day at the onset of a cold.

How to Make Fire Cider: Recipe and Benefits

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