Fire Cider!

Winter is here and it is a great time for fire cider!  This is fun and easy to make with friends, great to give to loved ones and also very tasty! Making and taking Fire Cider can be a simple way to take care of yourself and those you care for.  Here is a recipe from the website Community Herbalist (thanks).  Also, at the bottom of this post I included a couple of other links to other sites that have info on Fire Cider.  Enjoy.

Fire Cider

Fire Cider is a classic herbal remedy for use at the first sign of a cold or flu. It is also an excellent external liniment for use on the chest for congestion, or to ease the pain of sore muscles. The vinegar is a preservative so you don’t need to refrigerate this after you press it out. It is a long lasting remedy.

Get organic ingredients if you can, and, the most potent, freshest cayenne that you can find.

Onion- chopped: 1/2C
Ginger- Grated: 1/2C
Horseradish Root- grated: 1/4C
Garlic- chopped: 1/8 C
Cayenne: 1 Teaspoon
Apple Cider Vinegar: 1 Quart

Place the above ingredients in a Quart jar and cover with Apple Cider Vinegar. Use wax paper with a rubber band on top of jar as the vinegar will eat through metal lids.

Leave to steep for 4-8 weeks. Shake daily for best results. I prefer to steep a full two months but it can be used anytime before that if you need to.

Use a strainer to separate herbs from vinegar. Then, take the remaining herbs and put in a thin cloth and squeeze that last vinegar out.

Pour into a clean container. Store in a cool dark place.

At the first sign of a cold take a shot or a half of shot a few times a day.

Medicinal Properties of Fire Cider: 

Ginger – Zingiber officinale is antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory and settles the stomach. It helps stimulate digestion.
Garlic – Allium sativum improves immune function; antibacterial and antimicrobial properties. It is a diaphoretic (opens pores to reduce fever).
Horseradish – Armoracia rusticana is an anti-bacterial herb, mildly antibiotic, stimulating herb, stimulates mucus surfaces throughout entire body, and topically is a rubefacient (increases circulation).
Onion – Allium cepa is an expectorant and relieves congestion, antiseptic, antifungal, anticoagulant (reduces hypertension), rubefacient (when externally used dilates capillaries, and has analgesic or pain relieving properties).
Cayenne – Capsicum spp. stimulates circulation blood flow and heats body to clear out the mucus.
Apple Cider Vinegar – balances your body’s ph

Contraindications: The herbs in this formula can affect individuals who are taking blood thinning medications or aspirin. Anyone undergoing any surgical procedures should stop taking blood thinning herbs at least two weeks prior to and one week following surgery. This formula should be used with caution by any individual with a sensitive stomach, acid reflux or chronic heartburn, gastric ulcers, irritable bowel syndrome, Crohns, or flatulence. (from http://herbaleducation.net/recipe-fire-cider.php)

Also check out the site Herbal Remedies Info for more Fire Cider information.