Fire Cider Benefits & Recipe - Raised on Mountain Sunshine

Fire cider! Or as I like to call it: “a roundhouse kick to the face of health and nutrition!” Ha, if that doesn’t make you want to try it… I don’t know what will (sarcasm 🤣).

The first time someone explained to me what was in fire cider I said, “Yeah, no! That’s not for me!” And went on my merry way. I was not willing to drink anything that tasted like straight vinegar… yet alone vinegar that was steeped for 4-6 weeks with things like horseradish! I mean, I didn’t even know what fresh horseradish looked like at the time. (Anyone else? Or just me?) But I do remember it burning my nose when I tried a pinch of it as a kid off my Mom’s plate. Yuck! Again, not for me. Then add to those two pungent flavors things like: jalapeños, ginger, turmeric, onion, garlic, peppercorn, and more! What kind of crazy person would willingly consume such a concoction?!

Well…. I would. Ha!

Not then. Not for several years, in fact. But I eventually tried it. And guess what?! I was right. I don’t like it. But…. And a big BUT here… it has effectively helped me to kick many sicknesses in record time or avoid them all together when my loved ones try to share theirs with me. (Hello, not ALL sharing is caring! Someone should tell them…) Fire cider is packed with immune boosting ingredients that help with a large list of things. In fact, fire cider helps with things like inflammation, bacterial overgrowth, viral infections, and much more.

Also, I am happy to report that I have actually gotten much more use to this potent tonic, and it’s not nearly half as bad as I thought it would be… though I don’t think I will ever love it. 😅 But, regardless of its potent flavor, fire cider will have you roundhouse kicking your sickness faster than you can say “Chuck Norris!” It is worth the shot! (Pun intended.)

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So what are the benefits? Glad you asked! Let’s discuss the benefits of each intentional ingredient:

[Note: most of the resources that I gleaned the following information from are listed at the bottom of this page.]

Apple cider vinegar (ACV) – raw organic unpasteurized ACV can aid with a whole host of wonderful things in your body to include stimulating digestive enzymes in your stomach, reducing acid reflux (gerd), improving blood sugar, reducing bacterial overgrowth in your intestinal system, decreasing gas and bloating by flushing the bile stored in your liver, and aiding in immunity with its antibacterial properties. ACV really is an incredibly healing nutrient.

Turmeric – turmeric is one of the most amazing ingredients you can add to your diet. It is chalked full of nutrients that aid in inflammation, reducing free radicals in your body (free radicals can lead to cancer and other chronic diseases), mental wellness by “modulating the serotonin and dopamine system.” Moreover, turmeric can also help reduce blood pressure and stabilize cholesterol. If you want to hear more about turmeric, Dr. Eric Berg has an excellent video breaking down 9 scientifically-backed benefits of turmeric. It is worth the watch!

Ginger – like turmeric, ginger is a spicy powerhouse of nutritional help. Ginger is full of antioxidants and will help aid with gastrointestinal (G.I.) stress such as symptoms from irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), colitis, nausea, and vomiting.

Garlic – this delicious superfood has been used for centuries as a natural antibiotic. I, personally, have successfully used garlic in place of antibiotics during several different bouts of mastitis during my years of breastfeeding! But wait, there’s more! Garlic is also antiviral, anti-parasitic, and anti-fungal.

Onion – onions can aid in protecting your cells from free radicals, help collagen production, and facilitate iron absorption in your body. Onions are also rich in vitamin C – helping to boost your immunity against sicknesses. Studies have even shown that allium vegetables such as onions and garlic, can help decrease the chances of some cancers (I.e. stomach cancer, ovarian, etc). and tumors from developing/spreading.

Horseradish – aside from clearing out your sinuses, 😂 horseradish is really quite amazing! Raw horseradish can protect your body against E. coli and other harmful bacteria. Like a lot of these ingredients, horseradish is also known as an anti-inflammatory and is rich in antioxidants – aiding in reducing cell damage and boosting your immunity. Horseradish contains a compound called sinigrin that aids in reducing inflammation at a cellular level. Reducing inflammation in your body is a whole other topic worth exploring for another time… but I will just note that there are countless benefits to reducing inflammation in your body!

Jalapeño – jalapeños are rich in vitamin C which can help with cell damage and inflammation. Spicy peppers, like jalapeños, can also aid in regulating blood sugar levels.

Cinnamon – cinnamon is another anti-inflammatory ingredient. Are you seeing a theme? Food that helps reduce inflammation is key to healing from a whole host illnesses and diseases. When inflammation occurs at a cellular level, chronic pain such as joint pain, gastrointestinal pain, etc. can occur. That is why fire cider is full of so many anti-inflammatory ingredients. Side bonus: cinnamon is also VERY helpful with insulin regulation and resistance. You can find a great article by Dr. Eric Berg on cinnamon in the resource list below.

Thyme – thyme is a seriously underrated herb. According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), thyme is anti-bacterial, anti-viral, anti-inflammatory, anti-carcinogenic, anti-fungal, and anti-oxidative stress. I hope you find yourself with too much thyme. 🤣 Pun intended.

Rosemary – rosemary, much like thyme, is a highly underrated herb! The following quote come directly from the NIH website: “Rosemary has significant antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant, anti-apoptotic, anti-tumorigenic, antinociceptive, and neuroprotective properties. Furthermore, it shows important clinical effects on mood, learning, memory, pain, anxiety, and sleep.” Amazing, right?!

Lemon – many know that lemons, like other’s citrus’s, are high in vitamin C which can boost one’s immune system…. but lemon has a many additional benefits that are less commonly known. Lemon also can aid as a detoxification for the liver by flushing out bad fats and enhancing enzyme functions. Even more impressive, lemon has phytonutrients which aid in halting and reducing cancer growth in cells! Lemon can also help with a whole host of other health needs such as weight management, kidney health, insulin resistance, and more.

Orange – oranges, as you might expect, have a lot of similar benefits as lemons. Moreover, oranges can also aid in digestion, inflammation, and immunity. Arguably the most noteworthy benefit of oranges is that, because of their high amounts of vitamin C, they aid in the body’s iron absorption. Iron absorption helps with energy and the body’s ability to use oxygen effectively.

Peppercorn – whole black peppercorn is not super useful on its own… however, black peppercorn has a very interesting compound called piperine that aids in the bioavailability (your body’s ability to process and use a given nutrient) of other ingredients! For instance, peppercorn can enhance your body’s ability to reap the benefits of other compounds by about 2000%. No, that is not a typo! Two thousand percent folks! This is the stuff of life that makes me nerd out 🤓.

Honey – the rumors are true. Raw honey is a wonderful health food for your overall health. While pasteurized honey has been heated up to the point of killing all the good nutrients your body needs from honey… raw, unpasteurized honey still contains valuable nutrients like B vitamins, calcium, magnesium, and potassium. B vitamins help with energy. Calcium and magnesium aid in stress/anxiety. Potassium aids with blood pressure. All things that your body will need help with while fighting off sicknesses. Honey is also antibacterial and anti-fungal. Moreover, raw honey contains small amounts of pollen that can, over time, aid will pollen-related allergies. This acts like a natural vaccine – healthy amounts of exposure – without any adverse side effects. Honey is God’s gift to mankind!

Though my local health food stores sell a fire cider tonic, I prefer to make mine because for about half the price, my recipe yields twice the amount of tonic. Bonus: it is super easy to make! This simple nutrient dense cider is as simple as roughly chopping up a few ingredients, placing them in a large jar (I use a half gallon canning jar from Azure Standard), and pouring apple cider vinegar over it until ingredients are fully immersed. Then let steep for 4-6 weeks in a cool, dark area in your kitchen. Shaking occasionally as you remember to do so. At the end of the brewing stage, strain the ingredients from the ACV and add honey for palatability and additional health benefits. Simple! If you’d rather try a ready-made fire cider tonic, Azure Standard sells a great pre-made tonic.

Recipe

Ingredients:

1/2 cup of horseradish peeled and roughly chopped

1/2 cup of ginger peeled and roughly chopped

1 bulb of garlic peeled and roughly chopped

1 medium yellow onion (I prefer sweet onions here) peeled and roughly chopped

1/4 cup of turmeric peeled and roughly chopped (you may sub 2 tablespoons of ground turmeric if it’s hard to find it locally. But Azure Standard sell fresh turmeric!)

3-4 medium roughly chopped jalapeño

3 sprigs of fresh rosemary

3 sprigs of fresh thyme

3-4 cinnamon sticks (you can sub a few teaspoons of cinnamon porder if needed.)
Organic Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV) about 40 oz
1 Orange
1 Lemon
1 Tbs of whole peppercorns
1/2 Cup of raw honey (you made add more if desired)

Directions:

Peel and/or chop vegetables, citruses, and fresh herbs.
Place in one half gallon canning jar (or 2x one quart jars – I prefer wide mouth but regular will do). NOTE: do not add honey yet! Honey will be added after fermentation process is over (approximately 4-6 weeks).

Add apple cider vinegar until jar is nearly full (about 1 inch of head room) and all ingredients are submerged.

Let ingredients soak for about 4-6 weeks (although more time won’t hurt). A few times a week, shake jar gently to mix ingredients well.

After the ingredients have steeped in ACV for 4-6 weeks, use a metal mesh strainer to strain everything from the ACV. Once the infused ACV is back in your jar, add raw honey.
You can take a 1-2 oz shot of this daily. I take my shot plain, but you can also dilute with seltzer water, juice, or combine it with a dash of oil and use it as a salad dressing, etc.

If after all this, you would rather try some pre-made fire cider tonic, Azure Standard has a great tonic available. The recipe is slightly different but has many of the same benefits as noted above. You can the tonic by clicking here.

Lastly, if you would like to read more about how to incorporate fire cider into your diet, there is a good book aptly named “Fire Cider” you can purchase here.