Ginger is our ingredient of the season, and you can find our complete archive of ginger posts here.

Have you heard of Fire Cider*? Some consider it a magic elixir others consider it crazy hippie medicine. No matter where you stand on the topic, we can all agree that it’s a bit hard to swallow without a good dose of honey.

This is a post has been on the back-burner for a while. I’ve been wanting to write it and share one of our trusted winter elixirs, but at the same time, I don’t like to spout magic without having a bit of science to back me up.

In the end, I decided to share a recipe for fire cider along with a few links and a suggestion that you do your own research into food as medicine.

What is Fire Cider?

Fire cider is traditionally apple cider vinegar that’s been infused with a combination of spicy/fiery ingredients known for their antiviral/antibacterial/antifungal properties. All great characteristics when looking for a tonic to help keep you healthy. Of course, to fight off the common cold or flu, focus on foods with antiviral properties. For example, elderberry is known for its amazing antiviral properties, as are a few ingredients in our fire cider (see the list of links below).

Simple Fire Cider Recipe

We use a very simple 4-ingredient recipe, but you can get fancy and add other spicy ingredients known for their antimicrobial properties (think cayenne and onions).

Here’s my simple method :

• peel and finely chop equal parts garlic, ginger, and fresh horseradish (creating about 2 cups total)
• place the chopped ingredients into a quart-sized jar
• place about three cups of apple cider vinegar in the jar and cover with a lid
• let the cider steep for a few weeks (I usually do 3-4 weeks, depending upon how quickly I need it).
• strain the cider, throwing out the solid bits and keeping the liquid
• place the liquid in a clean jar and take 1-2 oz as needed

How do you use it?

Some people will drink a shot of the infused cider every day during the winter months to stave off viruses. In our house, we typically take it when we feel something coming on or when we’re trying to avoid a known illness that’s going around.

Although it’s extremely strong, you can take the shot of fire cider straight up. You’ll feel a wave of heat wash over you and may even sweat for a quick second. If you can handle the heat, it’s good if you can give it a whirl in your mouth and a bit of a gargle before swallowing. I’m not strong enough to gargle the potion straight up, instead, I like to mix my shot with honey.

My boys (2 and 4) will also take this when sick. Yes, they are adventurous eaters, but I give them a hearty dose of honey to help sweeten it up and because it’s good for you too.

Where’s the science?

Finding supporting evidence for food-based medicines can be difficult because they are often passed down from one generation to the next, but they haven’t gone through rigorous clinical trials like pharmaceuticals.

Below I’m linking to a few peer-reviewed papers and abstracts available on the NIH website:

• variety of benefits from garlic
• antimicrobial properties of apple cider vinegar (abstract)
• an example of ginger’s antiviral properties (abstract)
• ginger (and garlic’s) antiviral properties shown against a strain of bird flu (abstract)

Finally, I feel that it’s necessary to point out that we believe in a healthy dose of both traditional and Western medicine. Along with taking fire cider, we get flu shots, wash our hands, and take other common sense measures to avoid getting sick.

*We still refer to this potion as Fire Cider. Others have begun to call it the Master Tonic. The name fire cider has been used for decades, but as these things go, newbs on the scene decided to trademark the name causing others (let’s call them the elders) to have to stop using the name. You can read more about the controversy here. But the #trademarkfreefirecider battle continues, and many (including us) are hoping that traditional herbal recipes will be protected from trademarks. WTF. We’re calling it Fire Cider. Don’t buy the trademarked stuff. Make your own.