DIY Fire Cider Recipe—Simple & Powerful

Brent DuBois

date_rangeOctober 28, 2023

In just two weeks after mixing it, you can start putting this illness-fighting, immune-boosting fire cider tonic to work for you.

Traditional Fire Cider Recipe

With all the anxiety surrounding the novel coronavirus, I thought it would be a good idea to share a very potent, effective, and super easy-to-make formula for warding off pretty much any sickness. You’ll recognize this recipe as a type of fire cider (a.k.a. four thieves tonic). Please note that I can’t take credit for creating this recipe, which has a decades-long history in the herbal community.

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This fire cider has an indefinite shelf life. (I still have some bottles that I made almost 8 years ago, and their contents are still just as good as the day I pressed them.) This tincture has saved me from food poisoning, flu, colds, etc., many times. There are places on the Internet selling this for crazy prices, but you can make it for pennies on the dollar.

Let us do the prep work for you! Check out our DIY Fire Cider Kits in the TGN Store!

I believe that everyone should have something like this on hand at all times.

Here is the recipe for all to use:

How to Make Fire Cider

Ingredients

Image by Zemiya Negra from Pixabay

The amount of ingredients will depend upon the size of the mason jar that you are filling. Whether this is a pint, quart, or gallon size, you will need enough vegetables to fill the jar full with the 5 different layers of ingredients.

1 part freshly chopped garlic cloves (This is antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral, and antiparasitic.)
1 part freshly chopped white onions (Whites have a higher sulfur content and are strongly antibacterial.)
1 part freshly grated ginger root (This helps with circulation and is anti-inflammatory.)
1 part freshly grated horseradish root (This stimulates the immune system and will help clear sinus and upper respiratory issues.)
1 part freshly chopped jalapeños, or habaneros. (I recommend habaneros, as jalapeños are very inconsistent with their heat, and the heat is what you want for circulation.)
Raw apple cider vinegar with the mother (I find the Eden brand to be the best, and you get your dark amber storage bottles at no extra charge.)

Directions

Use organic vegetables for this tonic.
You can use a food processor for chopping the peppers, onions, and garlic, but you will need to cut the horseradish and ginger with a strong chef’s knife.
Smash and remove skins from the garlic.
Wear gloves when handling the hot peppers.
Fill a pint-, quart-, or gallon-size jar 3/4 full by layering the above ingredients in 5 equal parts.
Then, fill to the top with raw, unfiltered apple cider vinegar. You can briefly put the whole concoction in a blender and blend on a lower speed until you have a mash-like consistency. This will make the final product stronger.
Close tightly, shake, and then add more vinegar if needed to fully cover the vegetables.

Brewing

Store on the counter or in a cupboard, and make sure you shake it vigorously several times a day. It can be ready in as little as 2 weeks, but if you do not need it right away, I suggest brewing it for 3 to 6 months.

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If possible, make it on a new moon, and press it on the full moon.

When it is done, filter the mixture through a clean piece of cheesecloth:

Place the cheesecloth into a strainer, and set the strainer over a large pot.
Let it drain.
Then, with gloved hands, squeeze the cloth tightly to release the remaining liquid.

Put the tincture into amber storage bottles if possible. If not, then just make sure you store it in a dark place. This tincture will last pretty much forever when stored properly.

Dosage

As far as dosage, I can only speak to how I have used this tincture. I have taken as little as a few droppers full for something like mild indigestion, and up to an ounce every 2 or 3 hours when fighting something more serious. In these latter instances, I also employ other strategies, like eating a much lighter diet and juicing so my body can take the extra energy that would be involved in digesting heavier foods and use it for getting me well, instead.

What Do You Think?

What’s your favorite recipe for fire cider, and how do you use it? Let us know in the comments below!

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This is an updated version of an article that was originally published on April 9, 2020. The author may not currently be available to respond to comments, however we encourage our Community members to chime in to share their experiences and answer questions!

COMMENTS(14)

mbrio says:
April 11, 2020 at 8:49 am
This recipe is well-known and available with variations in many places. But! To title this article as “(Almost) Instant” is a completely misleading come-on. Nothing that needs to sit for 3-6 months can be called that by any stretch! Would seriously appreciate knowing if there truly is an “almost instant” version of the recipe, but not calling this one that.
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1. Kate W says:
  April 11, 2020 at 11:43 am
  This sounds powerful, Brent. Thanks for sharing. Making tonics takes time and I think 2 weeks qualifies as ‘almost instant’, even if leaving it sit for a few months would be preferable. Sometimes we just can’t wait – good to know it’ll work after 2 weeks. Nevertheless, best to get brewing now!
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2. nksunshine27 says:
  April 12, 2020 at 10:32 pm
  I kinda agree that its not instant, I have found a recipe that claims its instant fire cider makes a qt ingredients are @ lemons squeezed = 1/3 c cider vinegar 1/3 c. , 1 tsp. ground cayenne pepper, 1 tsp. powder ginger, 1 tsp. turmeric powder, dash of fresh ground black pepper, 1/2 c. honey this is what i used until my steeping regular fire cider was ready.
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3. Michael Heffernan says:
  October 17, 2020 at 11:20 am
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  I blend together equal parts of garlic, ginger, horseradish root, ginger root and any hot pepper (all organic, of course) with as much apple cider vinegar to come up with the consistency that I want. I like mine the consistency of apple sauce. Then it is ready to eat, immediately. No straining necessary. How’s that for being instant?
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  1. Michael Heffernan says:
    October 17, 2020 at 11:25 am
    By the way, I’ve used anywhere from a tablespoon at a time up to 12 tablespoons when I was coming down with the flu, which never materialized into a full blown sickness. If the mixture is overly spicy to tolerate you can put a tablespoon or two on a piece of bread, fold it in half and eat it like that.
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olt426 says:
April 13, 2020 at 4:07 pm
I just made a big batch for this covid 19 stuff how long is it good for? Do I need to keep it in the re fridge?
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lana.sajaja says:
April 17, 2020 at 4:33 am
I don’t have horseradish root, what can I substitute it with?
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1. camper_01 says:
  October 17, 2020 at 10:48 am
  what do you have? more garlic? jar of horseradish? maybe even mustard.
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camper_01 says:
October 17, 2020 at 10:47 am
Well, as the godmother of herbalists has said use what you’ve got” intent is so very important when making any remedy, Rosemary Gladstar has said there are very few strict measurements for this . I made a batch last year and man it was potent, and I didn’t get sick at all. Now we have covid all around us in the country and I will use this as a part of my prevention arsenal for the future, that and prayer.
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Frederica says:
October 18, 2020 at 10:05 am
Don’t throw away the vegetables! I dehydrate,then powder them to be used in stews, soups and sprinkled over veggies.
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1. lookn4heaven says:
  September 14, 2021 at 8:48 am
  That is a great idea “thank you”.
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lookn4heaven says:
September 14, 2021 at 8:52 am
I would like articles with recipes to have a print just for the recipe. Would be a great help! I like to keep paper copies, don’t trust the grid…
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Lisa Pizza says:
October 31, 2021 at 1:20 am
Make the five horseman type fire tonic, mentioned by Michael above:
Garlic-minced in a jar
Ginger-sliced for sushi in a jar
Horseradish-in a jar or sometimes Wasabi
Hot Pepper-a jar of sliced hot peppers
Peppercorns-whole in a spice jar
Herbs-vary: Oregano, Rosemary, Basil, other
Vinegar-any available ; usually home grown and dried
My method is weekly to put the liquid at the top into small, snack mason jars. There is usually enough for about 2 tablespoons in 14 jars. After getting the excess liquid I add one of the above, attempting to rotate, stir all contents with a wooden spoon, then squish all down, and finally add more vinegar.
Olives are added to the mason jars, both green and black, about 5-8 total. This makes a great low calorie (@50 calories) snack & positive reward for doing my chores. The vinegar is usually put over rice or beans as a flavor enhancer (but not heated with the food to keep the probiotics) or drank to maximize the healing properties if I’m not feeling well.
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WendyNeumeyer says:
October 30, 2022 at 2:27 pm
I use the vegetables as a garnish/relish, and in soup and bread recipes. Waste not! I make my fire cider (originally known as Master Tonic) with garlic, onion, horseradish, ginger, turmeric, black peppercorns, the hottest peppers I can find, and ACV. Some people like to add lemon juice. I often add the liquid to my lemon ginger tea, sometimes adding a bit of honey and a cinnamon stick. I’ve been making and using this tonic for the greater part of 40 years.
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