Fire Cider and the Four Thieves

I recently recommended a recipe to a reader for a tonic we have been making for many years. The original formula given to me included only a rough outline of ingredients, mostly based on what was available locally. I have shared it over the years with anyone interested in homeopathy and homemade cures for common ailments. We’ve modified the recipe to our tastes and you can do so as well, but I thought I’d share the basics with everyone in light of the recent scare around the possible spread of the Corona virus. While researching this piece I discovered that it is commonly referred to as “fire cider” but feel free to call it whatever you want as long as it works.

According to the legend, during the Black Plague a group of thieves in France were able to enter the homes of the sick to rob them without fear of infection. Upon their arrest they brokered a parole by sharing their recipe for a tonic that protected them from the disease that later was to wipe out as much as a third of the population of Europe. That recipe is found below-

“Take three pints of strong white wine vinegar, add a handful of each of wormwood, meadowsweet, wild marjoram and sage, fifty cloves, two ounces of campanula roots, two ounces of angelic, rosemary and horehound and three large measures of camphor. Place the mixture in a container for fifteen days, strain and express then bottle. Use by rubbing it on the hands, ears and temples from time to time when approaching a plague victim.”

This concoction has been altered over time and according to local tastes and available herbs and spices but there appears to be more than tradition behind its efficacy.

My wife had a very serious case of the flu several years back and was able to eliminate all symptoms within 24 hours by trying a broth made from 52 cloves of garlic, and so we now use a great deal more garlic – something we produce in massive quantities compared to some of the other ingredients required – and it suits our particular recipe quite well.

This article gives some details about each ingredient to support the science behind its success and a recipe that is relatively close to our own.

While it can be made from dried ingredients available at most grocery stores, if you can obtain fresh, organic sources it makes for a much better end product. You can choose a variety of peppers based on your tastes – we like ghost peppers, most recipes call for jalapeños – and the addition of citrus is a nice touch we’ve never tried before. The basics are always garlic, horseradish, and apple cider vinegar with a sweetener like honey added at the end, whereas we use maple syrup. We’ve added fresh herbs to the mix – my favorite is oregano or rosemary – but the final decisions on what you prefer to use is up to you.

> I can’t prove that this works at cutting down on the symptoms associated with the cold or a flu virus, but I believe it to be effective for combating some of the more unpleasant side effects, such as respiratory distress, congestion, stuffy nose, myalgia, and headaches. It mellows to a spicy/sour finish that’s almost impossible to describe, but which is unusually piquant and zesty. It can be consumed by the spoonful like an elixir or added to cold drinks or hot tea as an additive.

Enjoy!