top of page
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn

Natural Medicine Chest - Fire Cider

diethelpscc

By Rebecca Zeff, ND



Natural Medicine Chest


Q: What is a “Natural Medicine Chest?”

A: A collection of natural medicines/remedies that can be used to treat common

ailments at home.


Q: What is the benefit of using natural remedies?

A: When used appropriately, natural remedies work WITH the body’s normal healing

responses & pathways to enhance & support them, rather than STOPPING the body’s

normal healing response in order to relieve symptoms. This means that used

appropriately, they help you recover more quickly and reduce chances of complications

without the consequence of worsened health down the road.



Fire Cider

Herbal vinegars have a long history of use in medicine and Fire Cider is likely the most popular medicinal vinegar in the U.S. today. Technically an oxymel, from the Greek “oxy,” acid, and “mel,” honey, the recipe was made popular by renowned herbalist, Rosemary Gladstar. There are countless variations, but the essence is - hot, pungent herbs extracted in vinegar and sweetened with honey until palatable. In this post I will discuss why you should add this to your Natural Medicine Chest, how to make it, and

how to use it.


Purpose of the Remedy

Fire Cider is meant to be taken in small doses from the first signs of a cold or flu, until

symptoms subside. Let’s look at the components of a typical recipe and discuss why

this is.


Vinegar - This is the liquid used to extract medicinal components of the herbs in this recipe, and it acts as a preservative. From an article, “Health Benefits of Apple Cider Vinegar and Other Common Vinegars: A Review” by Rebecca L Fahey, Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV) has compounds that are antioxidant, antidiabetic, can reduce cholesterol, blood lipids, and blood pressure, and, of chief importance in the context of Fire Cider, are antimicrobial.1 Using raw vinegar is ideal as there may also be probiotics present.


Horseradish - Is a stimulant that increases blood flow and secretions.2 In other words, it revs the engine, gets the fluids moving, and helps the body get rid of “crud,” as we say in professional medical circles.


Onion - While it has several medicinal qualities, what we will focus on here is - it’s antibacterial, anti fungal, and can help relieve the pain of sore throats.3 So it can help stop the growth of any germs that might otherwise take advantage of your wintery worn-down state, and provide some symptom relief at the same time! Thank you, onion.


Garlic - Also antimicrobial, garlic can be used specifically for upper respiratory infections (nose/mouth/throat), hoarseness, ear infections, and pertussis.4


Turmeric - Well known as an anti-inflammatory, turmeric has many other beneficial qualities. It is antibacterial and antiviral, plus, it protects the liver, the greatest detoxifier in the body.5 All good things when trying to defeat the seasonal “crud.”


Cayenne - Another stimulant, cayenne gets your blood moving! This is important. How are your white blood cells going to get to the areas of the body where they need to work? They’re going to ride your blood. Why do sinuses and lungs struggle in cold weather? The low temperatures constrict blood vessels, decreasing blood flow in the mucous membranes. Cayenne counteracts that mechanism of illness. It brings the blood, giving your sinuses and lungs much needed liquid so it can trap gunk (another technical term) in mucus and get it out of you! Cayenne is also specific for sinus congestion and chills.6


Honey - Honey is fascinating and its use in medicine is likely as old as medicine itself. Modern research suggests that the specific benefits of honey are heavily influenced by where it was made and what was growing (and blooming) there.7 It has been known to be antioxidant, immunomodulatory, anti-inflammatory, prebiotic, and antiviral, among other things.7 And as anyone who’s tasted it knows, its thick sweetness can coat a sore throat or soothe a cough, and tends to make medicine more palatable.

Note - for best medicinal value, try to find raw honey, don’t heat it more than you need to, and if you can find one that’s local, all the better!


Recipe

With a quick internet search you can find dozens of recipes for fire cider! If you’d like to look for herbal recipes online one of my favorite resources is the Mountain Rose Herbs blog.

The recipe I’m sharing is from the book, Herbs for Common Ailments, by Rosemary Gladstar.

  • 1 quart apple cider vinegar

  • ¼ cup grated fresh horseradish

  • 1 onion, chopped

  • 1 head of garlic, peeled and chopped

  • 2 tablespoons powdered turmeric

  • 1-2 pinches powdered cayenne pepper

  • 1 cup honey (or to taste)


Combine all the ingredients, except the honey, in a covered container and let sit in a warm place for 3-4 weeks. Then strain the mixture, retaining the liquid, and add honey. Rebottle & store in your refrigerator.


Dosing: Take 1-2 tablespoons at the first sign of a cold and continue every 2-3 hours throughout the day until symptoms subside.


Food Intolerances & Substitutions

If you are a patient at our clinic or know someone who is then you’re probably familiar with our food intolerance evaluation & know that we may strongly recommend avoiding foods that are considered healthy for the general population. If you or yours need to avoid any of the ingredients listed here, let’s look at some substitutions.


Fruit

Apple cider vinegar is, of course, made from apples! So if you are fruit-intolerant, don’t make this recipe with apple cider vinegar! If you can find an artisanal raw vinegar, like one made from carrots, then by all means use that. If not, a simple white vinegar or rice vinegar will do. Honey is considered “fruity”if it is made from fruit flowers, like orange blossom honey. It is easy to find non-fruit honeys like buckwheat honey or clover honey, and wildflower honey is generally considered non-fruity.


Honey

Some people are intolerant to honey itself. If that’s you, any sweetener can be substituted in. You might consider molasses for its high mineral content, especially if you tend to have low iron. If you can find cane juice or raw cane sugar that would be preferred over white sugar. And never use artificial low or zero calorie sweeteners.


Sulfur Sensitivity

While not the same as a food intolerance, some people are sensitive to foods that contain high amounts of sulfur. If that’s you, you might need to omit the horseradish and onion, and ginger would probably not be a good substitute either. Whatever spicy foods you CAN enjoy without consequences could be used, or this may not be the seasonal remedy for you.


There you have it! A seasonal home remedy, made using (mostly) commonplace kitchen ingredients, to add to your Natural Medicine Chest! Best of luck staying healthy this winter!



Sources

1. https://www.proquest.com/openview/9db6b9a61f9a3f127ab3f13f39566c26/1?p

q-origsite=gscholar&cbl=196259

2. King’s American Dispensatory by Felter & Lloyd, 1989.

https://www.henriettes-herb.com/eclectic/kings/armoracia.html

3. Naturopathic Botanical Medicine Vol 1: Botanical Medicine Monographs, by

Godfrey & Saunders 2010. p82-83.

4. Naturopathic Botanical Medicine Vol 1: Botanical Medicine Monographs, by

Godfrey & Saunders 2010. p84-85.

5. Naturopathic Botanical Medicine Vol 1: Botanical Medicine Monographs, by

Godfrey & Saunders 2010. p372.

6. Naturopathic Botanical Medicine Vol 1: Botanical Medicine Monographs, by

Godfrey & Saunders 2010. P89.

7. Honey as Complementary Medicine by MG Miguel, published in Integrative

Medicine Insights in 2017.



Feel free to download a copy of this blog post & the recipe:



49 views0 comments

Recent Posts

See All

AANP DEFINITION OF NATUROPATHIC MEDICINE

Adopted November 1, 1989, Ripping River Convention Naturopathic medicine is a distinct system of primary health care – an art, science,...

THE CORNERSTONES OF NATUROPATHIC MEDICINE

Jared Zeff, ND Naturopathic medicine is a defined discipline, a system of medicine. It is not the accumulation of various natural...

Comments


bottom of page