Master Tonic, also known as Fire Cider, is a powerful immune booster that has been around in some form or another for ages.  I recently saw a tiny bottle for sale in Brooklyn, for like, $25 or something ridiculous.  This is a recipe you can make at home from a few simple, yet potent ingredients.  It stores for ages, so make enough to get you through cold and flu season!

Onions, horseradish, ginger, garlic and hot peppers are combined with apple cider vinegar and herbs, then fermented for two weeks to create a tonic that could basically cure the plague.  All of these ingredients have known antibacterial, antiviral and antifungal properties and also stimulate circulation as well as detoxify the body.

A food processor or blender makes short work of this recipe, just blend the ingredients in batches.  Goggles are optional and you might want to open a window while you’re making it…or at least maybe don’t wear mascara the day you make it, especially if you’re sensitive to chopping onions.  The mason jars pictured here are a half gallon, but you can scale this to any size using equal parts of all the chopped ingredients and just enough vinegar to cover.

One part onions, diced 
One part horseradish, grated
One part ginger, minced
One part garlic, minced
One part hot peppers such as serrano or thai, minced
One bunch fresh oregano
Bragg's apple cider vinegar

Layer the first five ingredients in a mason jar. Slide sprigs of the oregano down the sides of the jar.  Pour the apple cider vinegar into the jar all the way up to the top.

Seal and store in a cool place away from direct sunlight for two weeks, turning over daily. After two weeks, strain the solids from the liquid. You may want to reserve the solids and use in salad dressings or marinades.

Drink 1-2 ounces twice daily for an immune boost, three to four times daily during times of imbalance. Cheers!