Fire Water, Baby!

This is our almost-gone version. Will post more pics of the whole process the next time I make some.

I make and share this crazy stuff every winter and because of its kick-tail effectiveness, many of my friends have requested the recipe over the years.  But first, a bit of history…

This was given to me by one of my Biola Resident Assistants (Hi, Hope!) who grew up chugging this stuff on the mission field in Albania. A few years later I found it called the “Natural Antibiotic” in Keepers at Home, a quaint Mennonite homemaking magazine and then again recently at the Weston A. Price conference where someone referred to it as the “Master Tonic.” The hubs has affectionately dubbed it “Fire Water.”  Whatever you choose to call it, make some, chug it, gag, sputter, feel your eyes water, and then kiss those little germies goodbye!

MISSIONARY MEDICINE RECIPE by an Awesome Missionary Mom


1/4 cup finely chopped garlic (use food processor)

1/4 cup finely chopped ginger

1/4 cup finely chopped horseradish root

1/4 cup finely chopped white onion

1/4 cup finely chopped habinero/cayenne peppers

1 quart raw vinegar (I use apple cider.)

(Or do a cup of each in a gallon of vinegar if your into bulk.)

Let ferment for two weeks, shaking it a couple times a day. Strain and put liquid in a tightly sealed container. If you dare, use the pulp in cooking. (Or be lazy like me and just leave it all together.)  Take a shot (1 1/2 droppers or 1 tablespoon) morning and evening when sick. Use 3 times daily if VERY sick. Makes a killer sore throat gargle.

Up close and chunk-a-ful. Don’t hate me because I take terrible pictures…

Bloggers note:  We like to let our immune system have the first shot at trying to battle the bad guys, but if and when we’re losing the fight, this stuff is a great back up plan.  And if you’re curious how and why it works, here’s a detailed explanation from Master Herbalist Dr. Richard Schultz.

Any tried and true recipes for home remedies out there?


13 thoughts on “Fire Water, Baby!

  1. Pingback: Traditional Remedies for Healthy Homes | Shesourceful

  2. That’s so interesting! It makes sense that all those potent ingredients that are healthy in their own right would combine to make a rockstar tonic. I’m looking forward to trying it 🙂 Thanks for sharing.

  3. Pingback: The Overwhelming Resource for “All Things Baby” (Part 1) | Shesourceful

  4. This looks great! We are currently dealing with strep/hand foot and mouth in our house. NOT FUN! I think I will make this up after I can safely get out of the house to get the ingredients. Hopefully it will help to ward off future sickness this season!

  5. Its easy to see how it works just by the ingredients. The peppers just make it seem to be more than it is. You could actually leave those out. ACV all by itself works miracles, as it goes through the lymphatic system and wreaks havoc on viruses and bacteria. The other ingredients have a direct impact on the immune system by strengthening it. Especially garlic. Ths is nothing new at all. Just take ACV and fresh garlic every single day. As well as coconut oil since it works against candida.

  6. how long will this stuff last once its all done and fermented? can i keep it on hand, will it keep in the fridge indefinitely? as in, if I feel im getting sick im gonna want to take it before the two weeks it takes to ferment…. so hopefully It keeps pretty well and I can always just kind of have some around

  7. How in the world do you get a 2 year old to take this? I’d love to try it. Seeking more natural alternatives to the constant prescription of antibiotics 😦

  8. As an antibiotic, chopped garlic is only effective when freshly prepared. Damaging the garlic clove cells causes two chemicals to react — alliin and alliinase — which then form allicin, the natural antibiotic compound. Allicin is unstable and decays into inactive compounds within a few hours. Although the crushed garlic still tastes and smells potent, it will do little to curb bacteria growth after 4-6 hours.

    The only way to prevent the alliin-alliinase reaction is to freeze-dry the garlic cloves before granulating, but that is beyond the capabilities of most of us at home. For the reaction to proceed, water is necessary, and by removing water from the garlic cloves before chopping them up, the reaction is inhibited. When the freeze-dried granules are ingested, moisture in the digestive tract triggers the reaction, forming allicin in the stomach and upper intestine.

  9. Please keep this recipe posted. I’ve referred others to it several times and come back every so often looking for this.

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