Hi there Scissors & Sage community,

My name is Liz, also known as Victoria’s sister! Victoria asked me to share a recipe and tradition that I introduced to our family several years ago. I’m a practitioner of acupuncture & herbal medicine, and of all the remedies I’ve brought back to our family over the years, this one has probably been the biggest hit. 

How are you feeling these days? Winter is just around the corner, and this year it is important to keep our immune systems strong and have tools at the ready in the case that we do start to feel unwell. Fire cider is a perfect remedy to have on hand for treating any sort of viral or bacterial infection, from the flu to the common cold. It can also be taken in a prophylactic manner, meaning on a regular basis in order to prevent getting sick. A teaspoon a day can keep the doctor away! Fire cider is an extraction of various plants and herbs, many of which you are probably familiar with already through cooking, which has been used for hundreds of years. 

One thing that I love about making fire cider is that it’s quite simple, and there are no exact measurements involved. If you try making it and love it, I encourage you to play around and try out various recipes. First, here are the basic ingredients and instructions that you will always want to include and follow:

• ginger root
• horseradish root
• garlic cloves
• onion
• apple cider vinegar
• honey

1. chop ginger, horseradish, garlic and onion
2. put above ingredients into a jar that can be sealed with a lid
3. pour apple cider vinegar into the jar, covering the above ingredients
4. place a piece of parchment or wax paper under the lid
5. store in a cool, dark place for 3 or 4 weeks, shaking daily
6. strain using cheesecloth, squeezing out as much liquid you can
7. add honey to taste

Ginger, horseradish, garlic and onion all have anti-microbial properties and therefor help our systems fight off microbes that cause things like the flu and common cold. Apple cider vinegar helps lower blood sugar and improve health of the heart. Of course honey helps make this remedy more tasty, but it also offers great health benefits! Honey is both antibacterial and anti-inflammatory. In addition to the ingredients listed above, here are other things that I love to include, most of which are also anti-microbial and add wonderful flavor:

• cinnamon sticks
• rosemary springs
• citrus peel
• turmeric root
• hot peppers

Here is a video I love where the legendary herbalist Rosemary Gladstar walks through the steps of making fire cider and gives some fun history of this remedy along the way. It is a real joy to make medicine, one that I hope you will love as well. A few years ago, there was a company that started selling fire cider and actually tried to patent it. The nerve – to try to make an ancient folk remedy exclusive! Many herbalists, including Rosemary Gladstar worked hard to make sure that this did not come to pass. By making this remedy for yourself and your community, you are helping to keep this tradition alive and accessible. 

I wish you all great health this season, and I’d love to hear how it goes with your fire cider! You can find me on instagram @OceanHeartAcupuncture, or OceanHeartAcupuncture.com. 

With Heart,

Liz