As flu season gears up, it’s wise to have some remedies on hand that can help you feel better. While the mainstream websites are already beating the flu shot drum, it’s important to recall that past vaccines have not historically been very effective. It’s totally up to you what preventative methods you use, but if you or a loved one get sick, you will want some relief fast.
One of my favorite remedies for cold and flu season is fire cider. It’s loaded with anti-inflammatory, immune-supporting, and decongestant herbs. Best of all, it’s super simple to make. Even though the combination sounds bizarre, it’s actually tasty in a sweet and sour kind of way.
Fire cider can be made entirely with items from the grocery store, or customized with more exotic herbs from an herb shop. I even have an “instant” version to share with you.
The 2018 flu season was a rough one
Flu season here in the US is from October through May, with the peak in February. We hadn’t even hit peak flu season yet, and already Alabama had declared a state of emergency and California was running out of Tamiflu. According to the CDC’s flu map for the week ending January 6, 2018, the flu was widespread in 49 states, and active in all 50 states.
In general, most flu cases do not require hospitalization. Sometimes, it may not even be the flu, but a bad cold instead. While the symptoms are similar, this guide can help you sort out the difference.
Why Fire Cider Makes Us Feel Better
When we have the flu, we feel congested, achy, feverish, and have a bad cough. The traditional recipe for fire cider is loaded with simple, familiar, yet potent, ingredients which address each of those complaints.
Garlic
Garlic is well-known for its immune-supporting effects. It also acts as an expectorant and an anti-inflammatory, which helps those painful coughs and body aches. It is also known as a diaphoretic, which means it causes the body to sweat. This helps to reduce fevers naturally. Thankfully, fresh garlic is a common ingredient in most grocery stores.
Onion
Onion and garlic are both alliums, and therefore are related plants. They also share some similarities in properties. The unassuming onion is a potent expectorant and eases coughs. Onion is often used in cough syrups for this reason. Onions are so accessible in every store, please do use fresh onion.
Ginger
Warming ginger root also helps to induce sweating and fever reduction. Ginger also acts as an antispasmodic, which helps to ease those terrible coughing fits. It is highly recommended to use fresh ginger root (technically, it’s a rhizome, but no one ever bothers to call it that).
Horseradish
Horseradish is excellent for relieving congestion. It is also an effective diaphoretic (sweat-inducing/fever-reducing) herb. On top of that, horseradish is also an expectorant. What could be better for the flu? Sometimes, horseradish can be hard to find at the grocery store. It is in the mustard family, so go ahead and substitute some crushed mustard seed or mustard powder if you need to.
Cayenne
Cayenne is hot, but it is also a superior anti-inflammatory. I use it every time I’m congested to relieve the inflammation in my sinuses which make the sensation of congestion worse. This hot pepper can also get a congested nose running again, making blowing your nose a lot more productive. You can use any kind of hot pepper you wish. You can use fresh hot peppers, cayenne powder, or red pepper flakes.
Turmeric
Is there anyone left who doesn’t know that turmeric is anti-inflammatory? Because of this, turmeric is a huge help for reducing that achy feeling we get with the flu. There’s only one grocery store near me that sells it fresh. If you can find it fresh, great. If not, use the powdered herb.
Apple cider vinegar
Of all natural health products, apple cider vinegar has probably more health claims to it than any other. I’m dubious about most of these claims. However, it is a good menstruum (solvent) to extract the benefits out of the other ingredients. It also does seem to help ease coughing and congestion. I stick with the raw apple cider vinegar, and thankfully, this is also a common grocery store item.
Lemon
There is just something so wonderful about lemon. It lends both its bright flavor and its powerful decongestant properties to this recipe. You can use fresh lemon slices or add lemon juice at the end. Also, play with adding lime and other citrus fruits for fun.
Honey
Honey is effective at calming coughs. Our kids’ pediatrician was thrilled when we told her we keep bees, as cough suppressants had been found ineffective for children, while honey had been shown effective as a cough suppressant. Honey lends the sweet flavor to this hot, sweet, and sour remedy. Honey is added at the end.
How to Make Fire Cider
You’re going to be surprised at how easy this is.
- Layer the garlic, onion, ginger, horseradish, cayenne, turmeric, and any citrus slices you may have into a quart or gallon mason jar. You can make multiple layers. Keep layering until you have filled about 3/4 of the jar.
- Fill to the top with apple cider vinegar. Use a knife or canning tool to get out any air pockets. If the vinegar isn’t in contact with the herb, it can’t extract anything from it.
- Let it steep for two weeks or longer depending upon your tastes.
- Strain out the plant material, and reserve the vinegar.
To this herbal vinegar, also called an acetum, you can add lemon juice and honey to your tastes. Once the honey has been added, this is known as an oxymel (a sweet and sour recipe).
Nothing could be easier. But, just in case you still have questions, or want ideas for other herbs you can use, check out this video tutorial. It’s from the Herbal Skills Intensive, a course available on HerbalPrepper.com. The tutorial is a bit lengthy, but it is a thorough explanation of the remedy and how to make it.
“Instant” Fire Cider
I know, I know, a lot of people are thinking, “It takes two weeks or longer to make, but I”m sick now!” That’s ok, I’ve got you covered with an instant version. Check out the video below to see how this herbal wizardry comes together.
One last thing
Don’t be afraid of the heat from the cayenne. You can add as much or as little hot pepper as you wish. Missing an ingredient? Substitute or skip it. This is literally the most forgiving recipe I’ve ever seen.
There’s a lot of cold and flu season left to go. Mix up a batch today, and be ready in case you get sick. Let me know what you think of the recipe!
I make cough syrup with local honey, lemon and ginger. I do add a little ACV and garlic, but keep it on the sweet side. Keep a jar of it in the fridge year round for colds and allergies.
I made the “Instant Fyre Cider” and we love it! The taste is great and it really helps with congestion. =)
I have been taking something very close to the formula and it works phenomenally. The idea of adding honey, lemon, and turmeric, to me is a great idea. Thanks so much for posting. My family take equal parts of the various components, all organic and fresh if possible, and place it into our Vitamixers, making a slurry with it, using the apple cider vinegar as the liquefier. Then we just take a teaspoonful at a time as many times a day as you can handle. It not like anything there is going to kill you unless you are allergic to any of them. It’s just pretty hot but we even go with the hotter peppers like habaneros, so to each their own.
If you’re allergic to any of the ingredients, just cut that one out, so they are no excuses for wimping out.
No bacterias or funguses can live in that, for very long and everyone who takes it generally feels much better relatively quickly, as compared to the nonsense, minimize the symptoms strategies, big pharma provides. The stronger your immune system, always the better. Stay healthy.
I made a jar with lemon slices, crushed garlic, ginger powder (didn’t have fresh), lemon juice and honey. Put in a tablespoon of vodka too. Put it in the fridge for 2 weeks. It’s pretty runny so I will eventually divide it into two jars and add more honey to thicken it.
Turmeric is good, but it has low bio-availability (in one end; out the other) unless taken with black pepper to irritate the intestinal lining for better turmeric assimilation.
FYI – every article I’ve read about turmeric mentions only black pepper but not any other type of pepper.
One can purchase black pepper extract, trade name ‘Bioperene’, generic name ‘piperine’ online. I take it myself, and give it to my dogs 30 minutes prior to meals which is treated with a heaping 1/4 teaspoon of turmeric. At least one study showed a 20x increase in blood levels of turmeric compounds. Stuff is dirt cheap at Vitacost.com. i have no financial interest in the company; been doing business with them well over 10 years.
Excellent info! Thanks.
I steeped my fire cidar for over 5 weeks, is it still good? Will this help with chronic sinusitis?
I use this year round, in a hot drink (with or without added whiskey) in winter and added to cold water or soda water in summer for a refreshing ‘haymakers punch’ or switchel which is a huge help with heat sickness. Each batch I have made has been different. I also add dried elderberries and hibiscus flowers to mine. And some black pepper.
Wow, thanks Cat for the recipe! I’ve made a simplified version of this, but this seems so much better.
Do you think hot Chinese mustard is a good substitute for the horseradish? I always have left over mustard when I get Chinese food. 😉
Do I need to refrigerate this even with the vinegar and honey?
When you’ve finished steeping the chopped herbs and roots for fire cider, save them once the vinegar is strained out! You can freeze them if you wish–add to soups and stews. Somewhere I’ve also seen a recipe for making them into a chutney.
I use fire cider year-round. If by some chance I feel a stuffy nose or sore throat coming on in spite of taking a sip every day, I up it to a sip every hour or two. Really helps get rid of the problem.
I made my first batch, and put all kinds of ‘goodies’ in it…turmeric powder,, cinnamon, cloves, as well as the garlic, peppers, onion, ginger, etc. It’s been 4 weeks and I am getting ready to strain it. I know DH won’t touch it, it’s too ‘hot’ for him. I will refrigerate it, and add local honey and some lemon per dose. Keep in mind, this is a ‘f;uid’ recipe, if you don’t have one item, you can still make it, and add healthy ingredients that you may have on hand. The key is using ‘power’ ingredients that have healthful properties. Experiment with it. IDK if this first batch will taste very good. I expect to refine it over time.
Thanks for the tip! I’ll be trying this ASAP. I’d also like to say I’d like to see more articles of this nature in the future.
Stay Classy, T.O.P. !
Very interesting indeed. So much so that I decided to leave my first ever comment in this website. I am not afraid of cayenne in any way (have done the “master cleanse” a few times), but I just can’t conceive the onion ingredient. It feels intolerable. My dad finds it repugnant too, so I guess it could be something in the genes lol. Will the fire cider be any good without the onion and/or is there an alternative ingredient to replace it? I normally go for the Hot Toddy (with bourbon) but an alcohol-free alternative like this one seems more like a long term success.
I miss Cat’s website. It was full of good herbal info.