Fire Cider: call it a folk remedy, health tonic, or homeopathic remedy, but one thing is certain, and that is that it’s delicious.
Raw apple cider vinegar is infused with the health promoting ingredients ginger, garlic, onions, citrus fruit, horseradish, turmeric, and hot pepper, then mixed with raw honey to balance the tart spiciness of the vinegar.
Fire Cider
This Fire Cider Health Tonic and Homeopathic Remedy recipe stands as one of the most popular on my blog. The beauty of this, beyond its all-star cast of healthy ingredients, is that it just plain tastes wonderful.
Well, okay, we MAINLY drink it because we like it, but the health benefits are nice.
Important Note: I am NOT under any circumstances claiming this will cure anything. I’m laying out a recipe that is both delicious and nutritious. I am also explaining some of the purported health benefits of the ingredients that go INTO the recipe.
This post is no substitute for professional medical advice, but is a classic folk tonic/remedy. I trust you all to use your own best judgment in the manner.
What is fire cider?
I have a little true story to explain to you how a girl who makes Kielbasa in Air Fryer and Dubai Chocolate Brownies also makes Fire Cider Health Tonic.
It all began with me hopping in my car and driving eight and a half hours to Maine to spend four days with my friends. We spent our days wandering Portland, Maine eating donuts, duck fat french fries, ice cream, bubble tea, cookies, more duck fat fries, fried cheese curds, fried chicken skin banh mi, bacon dusted french fries, and washing it down with beer.
It was great stuff, but oy. We were overstuffed.
We wandered into the a shop where the clerk enthusiastically offered a sample of something called Fire Cider to us. Given that I have been known to drink pickle juice and/or a shot of raw apple cider vinegar each morning (more on the health benefits of that in a moment), it didn’t take much to convince me to try it.
It was a SHAZAAM moment. It was exactly what we all needed to de-sluggify all of us after our rich food benders. One of my girlfriends gasped and exclaimed that it instantly cured her heartburn.
My friends each grabbed a bottle. I grabbed two.
When I got home, my husband looked at me sideways when I told him what it was, but he drank the sip I gave him and his eyes grew huge as he declared, “THIS IS GREAT! We’re going to need to keep this around!”
Fire Cider Controversy
I went online to order a larger quantity and discovered that the manufacturer had a bit of fire cider controversy surrounding them because fire cider was an old folk remedy and health tonic made by many herbalists and the company had trademarked the name. Okay, well, knowing me, you’ll probably have realized at this point that when I read I could make my own, that was a foregone conclusion.
The controversy has since been settled and the courts have decided that the company can no longer own the trademark for Fire Cider. And you may have noticed fire cider is sold just about everywhere now. But you can make a gallon or so for the same price you’d pay for a tiny bottle in stores.
Fire Cider Benefits
How is fire cider good for you? It’s full of vitamins and minerals, is anti-fungal and anti-viral. And it makes a great, non-narcotic cough suppressant and throat soother!
What is this magic? It’s all about the ingredients.
Fresh horseradish is known to be effective against the flu and common cold, tonsilitis, respiratory disorders, urinary tract infections, and pathenogenic fungus.
Ginger is used to treat arthritis, muscle pain, upset stomach (motion and morning sickness and general nausea), gas, upper respiratory tract infections, and cough.
Onions are used to boost cardiovascular health, bone and connective tissue benefits, and as an anti-inflammatory agent.
Garlic is used to treat high blood pressure, high cholesterol, coronary heart disease, heart attack, atherosclerosis, asthma, building the immune system, help level blood sugar, and is used topically to treat fungal infections.
Habanero peppers boost your metabolism, and offer headache, sinus, and arthritis relief as well as releasing endorphins.
Benefits of Fire Cider
Oranges are great for heart health. A part of a best-case-scenario-anti-cancer-diet, fighting cholesterol, to help in weight loss, and to break up or prevent kidney stones, oranges are invaluable.
Lemons are known to aid in digestion, alleviate Meniere’s Disease, kidney stones, and ringing of the ears. They’re also a cure for scurvy (chronic lack of Vitamin C) and treat colds and flu. Lemons also improve the function of blood vessels, and reduce inflammation and retention of water.
Turmeric is pretty much a cancer fighting beast. It’s known to delay liver damage and reduce carcinogenic compounds in other foods. It’s been shown to make cancer cells more vulnerable to chemo and radiation and inhibit the growth of malignant melanoma and breast cancer. As a bonus, it can alleviate arthritis symptoms and skin conditions.
Maybe I should let the experts describe what the main compound in turmeric -cucurmin- does. Advanced Experimental Medical Biology in 2007 states: “Curcumin has been shown to exhibit antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antiviral, antibacterial, antifungal, and anticancer activities and thus has a potential against various malignant diseases, diabetes, allergies, arthritis, Alzheimer’s disease and other chronic illnesses.”
Raw apple cider vinegar is known to be a good source of acetic and ascorbic acid (Vitamin C), mineral salts, amino acids, and other key components of good nutrition. But it is also a well-loved folk remedy thought to ease digestion, fight obesity and diabetes, kill lice, and reverse some signs of aging.
Does it do all of that? I doubt it. But it surely tastes good and its nutritional value is undisputed.
Raw honey (locally produced) is a fantastic, all-natural fighter of seasonal allergies. It’s best to choose raw, locally produced honey for the benefits listed above. Because bees collect pollen from flowers in your area and then convert it to honey to feed their hives, eating raw, local honey is like a tasty allergy shot.
The second choice is raw honey from anywhere. The third choice would be pasteurized commercial honey.
Fire Cider Recipe
There’s not too much to this, just grate or chop everything up and put it in a jar. But I do want to caution you about a couple of things.
If you cannot or will not use a plastic lid, do lay a piece of parchment paper on the rim of the jar before fixing your lid in place. Raw apple cider vinegar is quite likely to rust or discolour a canning jar lid.
You’d hate to have all your waiting and work ruined by a rusted lid. Replace that parchment sheet every week or so.
I prefer to use Bragg’s Raw Apple Cider Vinegar for my Fire Cider. I always keep it on hand because I love the flavour.
Because it still has the ‘mother’ in it, it packs a higher nutritional punch. Wegmans, Trader Joe’s, and Whole Foods also have in-house brand versions that are great.
I’d advise you to use organic produce if at all possible. This way you won’t be infusing your lovely health tonic with anything you wouldn’t want to have in it.
When you grate your horseradish, make sure you do it in a well-ventilated area or you will regret it. That stuff packs some serious oomph and will empty your sinuses in 30 seconds flat.
You may reserve the solids, dehydrate and grind them to use a spice blend or discard them. Either is fine!
You’ll notice there is not an actual quantity of honey listed in the recipe. You should add this to taste.
We tend to like ours less sweet, you may prefer yours more so. Start with 1/4 cup and whisk it well, then add 1 tablespoon at a time, whisking and tasting after each addition, until you reach your desired sweetness.
Store your finished Fire Cider Health Tonic & Homeopathic Remedy in a sterilized wine bottle or canning jar. It keeps well in a cool, dark cabinet for up to a year.
What Is Fire Cider Good for?
Oh! I’d be remiss if I didn’t tell you that the finished Fire Cider is fabulous as a dressing for cooked greens or in salad dressings. Boost your health while enjoying your dinner!
Guys. Gals. Friends, Romans, Countrymen… I have put Fire Cider IN A COCKTAIL. It was magical. Please experiment and report back.
How much Fire Cider to Take Daily?
We drink a tablespoon (or more!) every morning to maintain health. When we feel ill, we take a slightly larger dose of Fire Cider to help boost our immune system. Word has it on the street that it’s an extremely effective hangover cure.
So, I want to know… are you curious enough to try it? What do you think?
Fire Cider: Health Tonic and Homeopathic Remedy
Rate RecipeIngredients
- 1 large horseradish root scrubbed very well, about 7 inches long
- 1 large ginger root about 7 inches long
- 1 large onion root and stem end removed and peeled
- 1 large orange do NOT peel. Use the whole fruit.
- 1 lemon do NOT peel. Use the whole fruit.
- 16 cloves of garlic peeled
- 2-4 habanero peppers stems removed
- 1 tablespoon ground turmeric
- raw apple cider vinegar
- raw honey
Instructions
- Grate the horseradish and ginger roots. Roughly chop the onions, orange, lemon, garlic, and habanero peppers. Stuff them into a half-gallon glass jar with a tight fitting lid or divide evenly between two quart sized canning jars. Sprinkle the turmeric in on top (dividing evenly between the two jars if using quart jars). Pour the raw apple cider vinegar in over the contents, allowing it to settle in through the crevices and adding more so that the contents are submerged. Lay a piece of parchment paper over the rim of the jar, then screw the lid tightly in place. Let the mixture sit in a dark, cool place, allowing it to marry and infuse for 4 weeks, shaking once daily.
- After 4 weeks, pour the contents into a muslin or cheesecloth lined colander positioned over a stable pot. Let it drain for 30 minutes, then gather the corners of the cloth, twisting and squeezing until you cannot release any more liquid. When it’s fully strained, add honey to the liquid to taste and pour into a sterilized wine bottle or canning jar. Store in a cool, dark place for up to a year, shaking well before using.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is an estimate and provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe using your preferred nutrition calculator.
did you make this recipe?
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Originally published August 8, 2014. Updated August 2016 and January 2019.
Reader's Thoughts...
Brigette says
What size jar did you use to make the large batch?
Rebecca says
Hi Brigette- I used a gallon sized glass jar. 🙂
Ashley says
Wondering if there is a faster way to make this? Could you boil all of the ingredients rather than let them sit for 4 weeks? Or any other suggestions?
Thanks!
Rebecca says
Hi Ashley- I would definitely not boil this as you’d kill all the beneficial enzymes and the mother of vinegar. If you’re in a big hurry, you could probably use a vacuum sealer to infuse it more quickly!
Ellen says
Hi! Do you need to peel the ginger? Thanks!
Rebecca says
Hi Ellen! You do not need to peel the ginger! You’ll probably want to give it a good scrub, though!