Happy Holidays! And Fire Cider!
Here at PBNM, we are working during the Holidays, in Honor of Science. Cue the FIRE CIDER test!
A little personal history here. Early in my plant-based journey, herbology was one of the most exciting areas of study for me. Even while getting my degrees and working as a public health nurse, I always loved learning about home remedies, especially from my patients.
More than 30 years later, medicinal herbs and food still capture my attention. Knowing that we can ward off and cure some illnesses with poultices, teas, and tinctures has held my unwavering interest all this time.
Now that we are in the thick of cold and flu season, it seems like a great time to talk about the idea/fact that “food is medicine.”
I don’t want to go into a deep explanation of the origins of herbals, but a brief look can help. First, let’s consider that people began using herbal medicines and food to effect cures well before written records were kept, and certainly well before the records we have were found. Ayurveda, originally passed on as an oral tradition, is among the oldest documented medicinal systems. Clocking in about 5000 years ago, it details food, environment, meditation, and yoga as health-sustaining practices.
Around that same time-ish, in Egypt, Imhotep (c. 2667-2600 BCE), a well-recognized engineer, architect, and healer, used herbs, fruits, and other naturally occurring substances to rid people of disease and manage women’s ailments, including issues with pregnancy and childbirth.
We also know that native cultures all around the world have used herbs for healing for hundreds of years before colonizers landed on their shores.
In Herbal Medicine: Biomolecular and Clinical Aspects, 2nd edition, Wachtel-Galor and Benzie write:
“Traditional medicine is ‘the knowledge, skills and practices based on the theories, beliefs and experiences indigenous to different cultures, used in the maintenance of health and in the prevention, diagnosis, improvement or treatment of physical and mental illness.’ There are many different systems of traditional medicine, and the philosophy and practices of each are influenced by the prevailing conditions, environment, and geographic area within which it first evolved. However, a common philosophy is a holistic approach to life, equilibrium of the mind, body, and the environment, and an emphasis on health rather than on disease. Generally, the focus is on the overall condition of the individual, rather than on the particular ailment or disease from which the patient is suffering, and the use of herbs is a core part of all systems of traditional medicine.”
With that as the backdrop, I’m making the leap that many herbs are, and always have been, more and less medicinal, depending on local conditions and how they are used.
Now, on to the point. I have a dear colleague who believes in taking immuno-supportive tonics to protect against colds and flus. Not long ago, she gave me her recipe for fire cider. So, my friend and PBNM Board member, Carrie Bruno (writer of our Food Is Medicine column), and I made a batch to test it out. It was a full day of chopping, slicing, and grating.
And what is fire cider?? So glad you asked!
Fire cider is a spicy, mostly homemade drink. I say “mostly” because you could buy it, but more often than not, people make it themselves. Filled with root vegetables, citrus, aromatics, herbs, and spices, it is purported to strengthen the immune system against viruses.
Cleveland Clinic offers the following list of ingredients. We used this list, keeping all organic and fresh, as far as possible.
- Raw apple cider vinegar
- Garlic
- Ginger
- Horseradish root
- Onion
- Cayenne pepper
We also added:
- 1 sliced orange
- 1 sliced lemon
- 1 sliced lime
- ½ sliced grapefruit
- Sliced turmeric root
- Radishes
- Thyme
- Rosemary
- Oregano
- ½ jalapeno pepper
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- Black peppercorn
- Star anise
- Hibiscus flowers
- Bay leaves
- Cloves
We put all the fruits, roots, shoots, herbs, and spices, (in no particular order or quantities) in a gallon Ball jar and covered it with the apple cider vinegar and some agave to take the acidic edge off. Then we screwed the lid on, shook the jar, and left it in the closet to cure. We agitate it every 3 days. We will begin taking a Tablespoon of the fire cider when it has “matured”, in about 6 weeks.
Now, keep in mind THIS IS A TEST!
During this test period, we will also adhere to our usual WFPB diet, get enough restorative sleep and exercise, spend time with people we love and who love us back, drink sufficient water to stay well-hydrated, and not smoke or vape. You know, just to hedge our bets….and because the scientific method says if you are going to perform an experiment, you only change one variable at a time. Right now, the test is for fire cider. You can check out our “how to make it” video here. We will report our results over the coming months – in honor of science! Wishing Healthy and Happy Holidays, with Herbs, maybe???
References
1. Horton, K. (2023, May 2). The history of Yoga and Ayurveda – Kerala Ayurveda Academy. Kerala Ayurveda Academy. https://www.keralaayurveda.us/courses/blog/history-of-yoga-and-ayurveda/
2. Mark, J. (2017, February 16). Ancient Egyptian Medicine: Study & Practice. World History Encyclopedia. https://www.worldhistory.org/article/50/ancient-egyptian-medicine-study–practice/
3. Wachtel-Galor, S., & Benzie, I. (2011). Herbal Medicine. Nih.gov; CRC Press/Taylor & Francis. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK92773/
