Fire Cider is a popular traditional herbal remedy that is freely shared, made, produced and sold by hundreds of herbalists across the world. Unable to recall how she herself learned it, Rosemary Gladstar has been sharing this hot, pungent, sweet folk remedy with healers since the 1970's and has published copyrighted books coining the term “Fire Cider” from the 1990’s. Warming, circulator and immune enhancing in nature, Fire Cider gives an energy kick that moves blood and alleviates stagnation within the body.
The traditional Fire Cider recipe includes horseradish which aids digestion, eases congestion, sinus infections and headaches. Garlic that is a natural antiseptic, fights bacterial and viral infections, and warms the blood. Onion which is the most versatile of kitchen staples, cools a hot fever as well as dry an ear infection. Both ginger and turmeric are excellent small space kitchen medicines that can be cultivated in pots. They aid in digestion, stimulate blood circulation, and are anti-inflammatory. Cayenne and jalapeño decrease nasal congestion, stimulate and activate the immune system, and promote sweating for toxin elimination. These peppers are excellent antioxidants, which means they work within the bloodstream to help the body fight off and heal from damaging cells. Lemon helps treat throat infections, respiratory disorders, and fever. Raw honey contains a variety of vitamins and minerals, as well as antioxidant, antimicrobial and antibacterial qualities. Apple Cider Vinegar (unfiltered with the mother/scoby still bottled) naturally detoxifies the body and speeds up metabolism allowing infections to leave the body quickly.
Packed full of healing goodness, this medicine requires 4-6 weeks of steeping patience with daily shakes before its complete and ready for straining. Fire Cider is great added to soups, chili, rice, steamed vegetables, salad dressing, most anything you would like to zest up with added healing properties.
Similar in constituents and intention as the popular Four Thieves vinegar solution (a future blog post). As the story goes, four young boys who were notorious for robbing graves during the plague, applied this unique formula to resist contracting the deadly virus and thus maintained their nefarious activities.
Controversy: Fire Cider ~ A tradition, not a trademark
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HerbMentor. “Fire Cider Remedy, by Rosemary Gladstar.” YouTube, YouTube, 13 Oct. 2012. Digital.
"Rosemary's Story." http://freefirecider.com/rosemarys-story/, January, 2014. Digital.
Pursell, JJ. The Herbal Apothecary. Portland, Oregon: Timber Press, 2015. Print.
Maddocks, Sarah E; Jenkins, Rowena E (2013). "Honey: a sweet solution to the growing problem of antimicrobial resistance". Future Microbiology. 8 (11): 1419–1429.