THIS IS FIRE CIDER!!

I've had a horrible cold for the last 8 weeks.  I know my immune system is down and I am feeling altogether cruddy. My nose is blocked up and I have a chesty cough.  Im blaming Tom.. thanks for your Perth cold TOM..

Yeah Hi! It's me! 

Anyway I'm desperate for home remedies at this stage. I REALLY don't want to see a doctor for antibiotics.   I am taking multivitamins, vitamin c, cough medicine and and spending time outside in the sun.
However, trolling trough pinterest last night I came across THIS THING!!..

It's know by a few names:  Fire cider, Plague tonic, master tonic....
Basically it's a bunch of sinus clearing goodies steeped in apple cider vinegar; an apparently ancient recipe with variations and additions but always containing fresh grated or finely chopped horseradish, garlic, onion, hot chill, ginger and turmeric with raw honey added to taste.  

Everything minus the honey is added to a large mason jar (1 quart or 1 liter) and raw apple cider vinegar is poured over the top to totally cover the vegetables. This is very important.  The apple cider vinegar MUST totally cover all the food stuffs in the jar.    
Place a piece of waxed paper under the lid and return the lid to the jar, placing somewhere dark for anywhere between 2 weeks to 2 months depending on desire,  and shaking once a day to totally saturate and soak the vegetables.  

When the time elapsed has passed, carefully strain the vegetables making sure to drain all the liquid and add your raw honey to the liquid to taste before re-bottling.  Some people like to use amber or dark coloured bottles for this but I do not think it is necessary.   
This tonic does not need to be refrigerated although some say that it is more soothing cold.  Be aware this mixture will be VERY SPICY so take precaution.   

Also be aware that the mixture MAY turn greenish blue while it is steeping.  This is the garlic, which sometimes turns green when pickled if it was close to sprouting when picked.  It is still safe to consume and the tonic should return to an amber colour in a few weeks after it has been strained and rebottled.

So that's it!  

It might seem a bit full on at first but thanks to the honey the tingle and burn is followed by a lovely sweet heat that warms your bones and clears your sinuses like nobodies business.  Take a shot daily to boost the immune system, or if you have a cold or are feeling unwell, take two or three daily.  (if the heat is too much for you, chase the tonic with a glass of milk or a wedge of lemon.) 

Also, the vegetable mixture does not need to be discarded!  People are reporting that it is delicious on crackers or in a chow min or stirfry, dehydrated to use as a kitchen spice or as an addition to soups or stews.

Precaution: this tonic is not suitable for children under 6 or with sensitive palates.

So I think I've gone on enough..  It won't save me this time, but hopefully if I whip this up, I won't have to worry about getting another cold anytime soon!

The people over at thankyourbody have a BRILLIANT recipe with heaps of additions including lemon juice and fresh herbs, but also make a bunch of other herb addition suggestions including elderberies, parsley or peppercorns.
Find it here!