A Fire Cider Recipe, and Remembering Herbalism as ‘Medicine for the People’
Fire Cider is a simple, powerful, seasonal folk medicine that is made predominantly from ingredients you’ll already have in your kitchen. It is a multi-purpose and versatile remedy that can be used for a handful of different health issues, as a preventative medicine, or to improve health and wellbeing overall. It is also a symbol of resistance amongst folk herbalists, after a landmark legal battle was won to protect our right to use it by its true name. Below you’ll find a recipe and information on why you might make and use fire cider as an immune and digestive tonic through the colder months. You’ll read a little about why protecting and engaging with these iconic folk herbal medicines is so important in our consumer driven world - especially when we remember them as being a ‘people’s medicine’, as they have always meant to be. And while on the topic of folk medicine, I also present some of the complex issues with practicing Herbalism while in a colonialism culture, particularly as is relevant to Australia, as an offering for your thought and consideration.
Fire Cider and a Garlic Oxymel freshly made, infusing to become a potent medicine!
Fire Cider - an Ancient Folk Medicine
Apple Cider, made from fermenting apples, is an ancient beverage with roots in Britain as far back as 3000BCE. Vinegar’s use can be traced back even further - as far as 5000BCE - and was used as a natural pickling and preserving agent in Ancient Greece, Rome and Egypt, with evidence of vinegar in Egyptian urns as far back as 3000BCE. In 400BCE Hippocrates was recommending Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV) to his patients for colds and coughs.
All of that to say, ACV, and the use of vinegar as both a preserving agent and a medicine in of itself is really, really old! Humans across many parts of the earth have been using this natural process for making medicine, pickling and flavouring foods for thousands of years.
Enter Rosemary Gladstar, an American Herbalist often referred to as the Godmother of American Herbalism, who around 1979 created and shared a formula of infused foods and herbs in apple cider vinegar and named it Fire Cider, a warming immune and digestive tonic with a wide range of health benefits.
When I’m referring to Fire Cider as a folk medicine, what I mean is that it has deep roots, and is a recipe that has been in use for a long, long time - for as long as vinegar has been used to preserve and extract and heal - thousands of years in fact. But most importantly, it means it is a ‘people’s medicine’ - a remedy that all should have access to regardless of position or affordability. A medicine that was created with that very thing in mind - to be made in your kitchen, with ingredients that can be sourced easily, locally, and inexpensively, with no particular skill set or specialist tools required.
Fire Cider - “Tradition, not Trademark”
A few years ago, a big company took the name Fire Cider and attempted, firstly, to trademark the name so no other Herbalists could use it. They then tried to stop the Herbalists that were using it by suing them! A few long years and a legal battle later, thankfully the brilliant Herbalists won, and the name and spirit of Fire Cider is free for us all to continue to connect with and use as a result! You can read more about it here, and here.
There is an interesting mytho-poetic medicine happening here in this story. Herbal Medicine is partly as precious as it is because it is supposed to be readily accessible, affordable, and abundant. Unfortunately urban lifestyles and expansion have significantly altered the accessibility and abundance of local flora and fauna, with much of what is nearby being limited to roadsides and small, manicured parks, which are usually contaminated by transportation, spraying, water pollution etc.
It is also a people’s medicine as it tends to be safe and has many formats and styles of use that are easy to participate in and don’t require specialist equipment or training. They also generally tend to be safer and with fewer risks compared to pharmaceutical medicines, as well as being more suitable for a layperson to engage with, where obviously pharmaceutical drugs require allopathic care and prescriptions.
The modern ‘Tale of the Stolen Fire Cider Spirit’ and the community that came together to protect and reclaim it is a reminder of the power and importance of grass-roots herbalism, and how community oriented herbalism is. When we buy medicine in a bottle from a shop (which is sometimes necessary and the best we can do) with no connection with where it’s come form, how it was made, or what its history is, we miss out on so much of the goodness, and we lose an opportunity to build a relationship with the parts of us that know, intrinsically, how to make medicine and heal ourselves. It is up to us to notice and remember that folk herbalism is the people’s medicine, medicine for us, and to re-integrate it back into our day to day lives, while happily destabilising models of consumerism and patriarchy within as we do it.
Folk Herbalism in Australia and Colonialism
In Australia, we are in a particularly challenging relationship with the land, which adds another layer of complexity and much needed discernment around local, native herbalism. It’s not just because of the obvious bloody history of colonising that has literally destroyed whole chains of native knowledge and understanding (to say the least), but because Australian indigenous herbal medicine changes from region to region. What a certain tree was used for in the south, may not be the same thing it’s used for in the north. If one grew by a river, it may have different properties to one grown somewhere drier. And so it’s not so simple as ‘this plant does that’, as it is in other Western ‘Materia Medica’ formats of Herbalism.
It is also important to note that this knowledge needs to be rebuilt and gathered and restored for the good and benefit of indigenous communities first, before non-indigenous folk. As a second generation German-Dutch Australian herbalist, while I long for connection with the native flora and medicinal knowledge hidden within leaf, root and bark of this beautiful land, I know that it is not and never has been mine to take, and I must mindfully navigate the difficulty of this with patience and respect for the culture that needs it far more than I do. There is a difference between native herbalism for my personal and family use, compared to harvesting and re-selling native medicines or formulas that my privilege allows me access to, that indigenous communities are still needing support with to reintegrate.
This can make Australian herbalism for non-indigenous folks nuanced and complex. There is a complexity at play that may have evolving and shifting answers and recommendations depending on what country you are on, and who you ask. There are some wonderful sources of information out there - I am deeply grateful for incredible local indigenous herbalists like Sonya from Dance of the Plants, who offers some of her wisdom of the local land, seasons and herbal knowledge specific to Bunurong country.
It can be a beneficial practice to all to use introduced species that are invasive such as blackberry, st johns wort, mallow spp. etc. as opposed to native plants, unless we have learned the native flora appropriately, and with care. I certainly don’t believe that non-indigenous people should be restricted from using or connecting with natural flora, but that we need to make sure we are really building relationship with rather than power over, and learning to listen to the “no“ when we hear it, whether from land, or from indigenous wisdom keepers. That is what folk herbalism is.
Lastly, this is just my take based on what I have heard elders speak of, the land’s whispers to me, and my own sense of what is right. I’m no authority, and this is all offered from my heart with no agenda. At the end of the day, the land loves each of us as we are just human-animal parts of the earth getting about on legs rather than digging deep with roots, and if we are willing to practise deep listening, we will know what is ok and what’s not. Plants are for everyone, the earth is for everyone, but we must also be for the plants and the earth in turn - that is reciprocity.
Herbalism Builds Community
Three Witches gathered, cackled and made Fire Cider on a cold May Day in ‘22.
There is almost nothing I love more than gathering around my kitchen table with like minded folk to talk herbs and make medicines. The words and laughter and story’s that flow over the onion and rosemary and vinegar is a whole extra layer of medicine that gets infused in every herb you chop, and poured into each jar, ready to become the remedy. Sharing responsibility, each bringing something to add to the medicine, brings people and plant together. Sourcing as locally as possible such as at farmers markets, community gardens or your own backyard brings such immense joy and pride, and creates a whole new level of respect for the gracious and beautiful earth we are in relationship with. Each time you pick up the finished product you are reconnecting to that moment of magic and medicine, and alone, that is a powerful healing agent in itself.
So make your fire cider with your kids, your parents, your friends, your neighbours, your work colleagues, your fellow plant nerds. Make it an Autumn or Winter ritual to come together, and make your own medicine together.
Using Fire Cider as Medicine
As mentioned earlier on, ACV alone has medicinal qualities, supporting the digestive fire, helping the body alkalise, and has been used for coughs and colds. Now imagine what it can do when it’s spent a few weeks hanging out with veggies and herbs like garlic, onion, ginger and horseradish! It becomes a bit of a super tonic - killing bugs, strengthening immunity, and building that digestive fire and keeping it stoked through the winter months. It can be used at first sign of cold and flu to help you kill a bug, can help sluggish or cold digestion warm back up again, and can be taken as a tonic daily to boost immunity overall and keep that vital fire toasty - especially in the colder months. It is also anti-inflammatory (especially if yours has a turmeric boost!) and alkalising, meaning it can settle an aggravated digestive tract and counter the effects of an inflammatory diet.
There are a few instances in which I would recommend caution, or not to use fire cider, and that includes if you have a really sore throat (especially if your fire cider has chilli in it, ouch! Wait til the throat is not so sore to use it, or just use ACV on it’s own), have an overactive/hot stomach, or if you have reflux, GERD or stomach ulcers. These are circumstances were the fire in fire cider can be too much for an already heated condition and could make things worse. If you’re unsure you can chat to your holistic practitioner for more tailored advice.
Fire Cider Recipe
“So here’s the recipe… but honestly? I just chop a whole bunch of these ingredients in amounts that feel right for me. There are some obvious ratios worth observing, like there is more onion than anything else, and turmeric has the smallest quantity, but trust what feels right to you. I’m a big believer in the ‘looks about right’ system of measurement. Once you’ve tasted it you can refine your next batch, adding more of something or less of another. And you can always add a little more vinegar to dilute it if you find you’ve overdone it with something!”
1 medium onion chopped
5 cloves of garlic chopped
4 tbsp fresh grated ginger
4 tbsp fresh grated horseradish
2 tbsp ground turmeric
Apple cider vinegar (acv)
Pinch of cayenne pepper
Honey to taste
Your own selection of herbs or spices (see below)
1. Combine onion, garlic, ginger, turmeric and horseradish in a jar, and any other ingredients you are adding.
2. Gently warm some ACV on a stove top – do not allow to boil or get too hot. If you are adding hard/dry herbs like fennel seeds, caraway seeds or star anise, you may like to add them while the ACV warms. Once warm, pour over combined veg/herbs.
3. Leave to infuse for 3-4 weeks, and shake occasionally. When ready, strain and remove herbs, and add honey to taste, and cayenne if desired.
Dosage: 1-2 tablespoons in warm (not cold) water at first sign of cold/flu. Repeat dose every 3-4 hours until symptoms subside. Or, take once daily as deep warming immunity, digestive, and vitality tonic. Reduce the dosage as needed depending on how you feel when you take it, and how spicy it is.
Warning: This remedy may have too much heat for those with high stomach acid, reflux, GERD or stomach ulcers, and either caution or avoidance is recommended depending on your circumstances. It may be ok as a ‘food as medicine’, used in salad dressings etc.
Consider adding other herbs such as cinnamon, rosemary, caraway, thyme, star anise, fennel, sage etc for variation, anything you have in abundance. You can use them fresh or dried. You can also add a piece of lemon or grapefruit to make it a drink if having it with warm water. I usually put a sprig of rosemary in the jar at the end.
I sometimes substitute fresh horseradish for dried, but use about ½ - 2/3 of the recommend amount as dried rhizomes like horseradish and ginger are more potent dry than fresh.
If Astrological Herbalism is your jam, try making your fire cider on Sunday at the hour of the Sun (google planetary hours) to really draw down those solar rays. To next level your Astro-magic, read the Orphic Hymn to the Sun as you chop and pour, and mark your label with the Sun’s glyph! In the cooler months when the Sun isn’t too hot, you may like to leave your fire cider to infuse in a sunny window for a few hours.
Make two batches so you can start using one straight away, and leave the second to infuse for a few weeks, or until you have need of it. The first batch obviously won’t be as strong as the second, but if there is a need for it, it is better used than waited for! The best medicine is the one you have available to you. Leave the veg/herb material in it so it infuses as you use it, strengthening over time.
If you have loved this article or gotten use of the recipe, share it! Leave me a comment or tag me on instagram - @rebeccaholly_vh - so I can see the amazing concoctions you’ve created.
Enjoy!
Rebecca Holly xx
Rebecca Holly is a Naturopath & Kinesiologist with over 9 years clinical experience.
She loves working with Women’s health, Mental & Emotional wellbeing, and is always balancing the healing needs of both body and soul.
Her focus on folk herbalism and the Wise Woman Tradition of healing makes her Naturopathic practice truly holistic.
References:
https://www.arcanemoonapothecaria.com/blog/fire-cider
https://havnlife.com/fire-cider-three-receive-award-for-trademark-infringement-lawsuit-victory-to-keep-fire-cider-generic/
http://cms.herbalgram.org/herbalgram/issue125/hg125-feat-firecider.html?ts=1654816635&signature=5c6f3b526d29a26c040fa41a9cfb84c1
https://scienceandartofherbalism.com/what-is-fire-cider/
All information shared on this website is done with the utmost care and consideration for its readers. Please consult and/or inform your healthcare consultant of any changes to your health routine to avoid unwanted or harmful side effects or reactions. While Rebecca champions self-motivation and empowering individuals to make healthful changes to their lifestyle, she recognises that the best way to engage in holistic treatment is in consultation with a trained practitioner, where your individual needs and safety of treatment can be taken into account and properly administered and monitored. This article is intended for personal and individual use only, and is not to be used for profit, or group education purposes.
This article is was written and is owned by Rebecca Holly van Horssen. Please do not copy, distribute or use any of it without permission. For more information or to gain permission to use any part of this written content please contact Rebecca directly. All photographs used are either personal or from the public domain.