If you’re looking for a natural way to boost your immune system, support digestion, and keep your body resilient during cold and flu season, keep your sinuses clear with spring allergies, fire cider is a must-have in your herbal toolkit.

This traditional tonic is a powerful, spicy, and warming infusion made with immune-boosting herbs and ingredients steeped in apple cider vinegar. It can be easily adapted to what you have on hand and is something you can easily whip up in your kitchen.

So what makes fire cider such an effective and versatile remedy? It’s a combination of antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and circulation-boosting ingredients, all extracted in raw apple cider vinegar. Typically fire cider is taken as a daily wellness tonic or as a natural remedy at the first sign of illness. You want to take about a shot glass worth, you can mix in a little bit of local raw honey if you prefer.

To make fire cider you’re going to want to grab some fresh horseradish (I used one that was pre-grated), onion, garlic, ginger, and turmeric…. and then choose whatever other ingredients you have on hand or would like add to work on a specific action. I like to add herbs like rosemary, oregano, and thyme as a staple in mine, and then I’ll add a little bit of this and that depending on what I feel my body more or less of.

You chop up, slice, crush, and work everything into a mason jar. A tip I learned is if you are adding dried herbs, put these in first. The weight of the other ingredients will keep the leaves and plant material from floating entirely up to the top.

After your jar is full with herbal goodness, top it with apple cider vinegar (ACV). When you pour the AVC, fill it all the way to the top. Let it sit for a good hour or so and then off with more AVC. You will want to check it every 12 hours or so for the first few days, and then once a week or so after that. The plant material will soak up the ACV and you want to make sure everything is fully covered during the 4 weeks it macerates.

You also want to make sure you put a piece of parchment paper between the metal lid and the jar before placing the ring on. The ACV will corrode the metal and it will ruin your fire cider if you don’t. Lastly, write what it is and the date… you will not remember this later-trust me!

Let the jar sit for 4 weeks, strain all your herbs, and pour the liquid portion of your fire cider in a new, clean and sanitized jar. Label and store in the refrigerator. Your fire cider should stay good for up to 6 months.

Choose from any of these ingredients:

2 tablespoons grated fresh horseradish root
1/2 small chopped onion
3-5 cloves chopped garlic
1/2 small oranges sliced
1 nub of fresh ginger chopped
1 nub of turmeric chopped
3-5 cloves Cloves
3-5 Star anise pods
3-5 cardamom pods
1-3 sprigs rosemary
1-3 springs thyme
1 Cinnamon stick
Cayenne pepper
Jalepeno pepper
black peppercorns or all spice*
Raw apple cider vinegar, to cover
Honey, to taste* add after

Drink a small shot glass daily as a tonic, or take teaspoonfuls throughout the day when you feel stuffy, stagnant, or sense a cold coming on.

Download and print the recipe below, and feel free to make it your own!

Fire Cider: A Potent Herbal Remedy for Immune Support