‘fire cider’ is essentially an herbal extraction using apple cider vinegar + honey. It’s been used for centuries known as an oxymel. Hippocrates used it as a means to ‘extract the properties of pungent herbs for a variety of respiratory and immune issues, including coughs, mucus, and difficulty breathing.’ (On Regimen In Acute Diseases, 400BC; http://classics.mit.edu/Hippocrates/acutedis.1.1.html )

The term ‘fire cider’ was originally coined by the great Rosemary Gladstar back in the 80’s. She started teaching folks how to make it, with a recipe of her own, freely sharing the term ‘fire cider’ for herbalists to make/sell/share their own versions of it. About 7 or so years ago a random new company decided to put a trademark on the term ‘fire cider’ causing an uproar in the herbal commUnity, targeting and suing a trio of herbalists known as the Fire Cider 3 — Mary Blue, Kathy Langeller + Nicole Telkes, for using the term. They WON this in trial, along with Rosemary Gladstar and the herbal commUnity’s support, and Fire Cider is FREE!  *Read more about it on freefirecider.com

My blend is loosely based on the ancient 4 Thieves Vinegar and Rosemary Gladstar’s fire cider. I often add and/or omit different parts based on what I’m feeling drawn to include with each batch, but for the most part have my own original base recipe that I stand by for its efficacy. It’s a nutrient rich, heat moving, immune stimulating + energizing decoction. My children and I use fire cider as a component in what we call ‘wellness shots’.

Wellness shots are something I started making over 16 years ago when I felt myself coming down with something + I wanted to attack it from a different angle than, but in conjunction with, my elderberry syrup.

I take a shot glass + squeeze the juice from half a red grapefruit, add in one dropperful of my astragalus tincture, one dropperful of my sword + shield tincture, and a tablespoon of my fire cider. It’s wonderfully effective if you feel something coming on + helpful should you be sick/need that extra boost to knock it out.