Prevention is better than cure.
— Desiderius Erasmus
My husband is a funeral director, an undertaker, a mortician … he is a very hard worker – he works long hours at his job and then works long hours at home. He’s constantly in the public and in hospitals. If he is not careful, often falling sick, sometimes from pure exhaustion, other times from simply shaking hands with too many people coming through the funeral home! I’m constantly looking for ways to boost his health and build up his energy. He always asks what I’m “brewing” for him in my kitchen … this weekend found me chopping up loads of roots, onions, garlic and making up another one of our family medicines for our pantry.
This time it was Fire Cider for our natural home-pharmacy, but specifically for my husband.
There are so many benefits to Fire Cider that it is hard to write them all down!
But first – what is it?
It is an old folk recipe for amazing immune-building, super tonic, created from a mixture of root vegetables, onions, hot peppers and garlic among other items seeped in apple cider vinegar. [You can watch a video of Rosemary Gladstar, who brought it to the public in the early 1980s, making her fire cider here.]
Fire Cider boosts your immune system, it is anti-inflammatory, improves digestion, anti-viral, works against congestion, aids circulation, aids digestion, generally will help keep you healthy during the flu and cold season, it wards off illness, soothes sinus infections … yes, this tonic even aids in killing cancer cells!
Fire Cider is truly a super-tonic. My better half has begun taking his dose already, although typically you need to let it seep for six weeks. In this case, since winter is full swing, we thought it would be best to simply begin dosages at the present time. If I can plan ahead, I will make it around September when I have a large amount of hot peppers, onions, and such harvested from the garden.
What you will need:
1 ginger root
1 onion
1 garlic
cayenne pepper
tumeric
1 red hot pepper
1 horseradish root
juice of a lemon
raw honey {use your preference}
apple cider vinegar
Did you know, among multiple other fascinating health benefits (like clearing a sinus infection, easing headaches, sore muscles and cramps, just to name a few) horseradish is 10 times stronger than broccoli in the fight against cancer? I’m not a fan of eating horseradish but I *will* take it in this tonic. {Just a note – because I’m nursing, I am not going to take very strong dosages of this, but will see how it affects the baby.}
How to make it:
Chop up all your food with a ratio of 1:1:1:1 , place in a jar and cover with raw apple cider vinegar. Make sure all the vegetables are sumberged. Cover with a lid. If you are using a metal lid, place a piece of fabric or plastic wrap between the lid and the vinegar. Otherwise, simply store in a dark, dry location for about a month-six weeks. Then, strain the vegetables or keep them in – whichever you prefer. The tonic will keep for roughly six months in a cool location. Take daily to help ward off illnesses. How you choose to use the tonic is up to you. It can be used a salad dressing, mixed in water, you may add more honey if it is too hot, add it to your cooking … or just take it daily spoonful. Pretty simple.
Many recipes, which can be found with a quick search online, incorporate various herbs or other vegetables in the tonic. You can adjust it to your liking. My husband likes hot, hot dishes, so there is no problem in getting him to take this tonic.
Enjoy. 🙂
by Gigi
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