The Time Fire Cider Went to Court



The Story behind Fire Cider

Fire Cider is a vinegar concoction and its sobriquet exactly describes its flavor. Blended with typical kitchen ingredients, it helps with a plethora of health issues while providing a well-balanced intake of essential nutrients. Since vinegar macerations have been around for hundreds, if not thousands of years, Fire Cider’s developers couldn’t have predicted the legal circus that would spur it to viral fame.

This piece will explore Fire Cider’s beginning and its journey into becoming a national trademark controversy. The fiasco was and is so compelling that hundreds of people all over the country now buy or make Fire Cider regularly. Consuming it both provides an excellent all-around health tonic while also helping to protect the herbal inheritance belonging to us all.

The Genesis of Fire Cider

As long as humans roam the earth, vinegars were, are and will be ubiquitous. This twice-fermented liquid is common in tonics, washes, tinctures, preserving food, culinary uses, skincare products and so much more. It’s been a centuries-long remedy for diabetes, wounds, digestive issues, colds, flu and sinus complaints, among a host of others.

The popularity of vinegar is legendary as seen in classic writings and stories, which reveal the truth in its many applications. For example, Hippocrates of ancient Greece, also known as the “father of medicine,” extolled its benefits extensively. Several excerpts in the Bible discuss vinegar, with the most poignant being how a Roman soldier offered it to Jesus while suffering on the crucifix.

Carrying Heritage into the 21st Century

Fire Cider is merely one modern adaptation reflecting the praxis of vinegar-based concoctions. But there’s an additional back story to this particular tonic which made it an internet sensation.
When renowned American herbalist, Rosemary Gladstar, tinkered with Fire Cider in the late 1970s alongside students, they thought they were carrying on tradition. They combined apple cider vinegar with horseradish, onion, garlic, ginger, cayenne pepper and honey. After a month, they created a spicy tonic to boost immunity, allay cold/flu symptoms, alleviate respiratory issues and aid digestion.

After then, Rosemary showed people everywhere how to make and consume Fire Cider. It was a slow, hard sell at first since the name perfectly conveys its puckering punch to the taste buds. So, when a trademark dispute arose in 2015 over “Fire Cider,” it took seasoned herbalists by surprise!

A Fiery Trademark Dispute

In 2012, Shire City Herbals of Pittsfield, Massachusetts, trademarked “Fire Cider.” This meant anyone else selling “Fire Cider” can’t use the name. They sent a rash of “Cease and Desist” notices to herbalists all over the country, threatening lawsuits. These trademark protection efforts came to a head in 2015 after filing a lawsuit against three prolific herbalists: Mary Blue, Nicole Telkes and Katheryn Langelier. 

Per the case, Shire City Herbals demanded $100,000 in damages from each, citing three counts of trademark infringement, one count of false originality claims and one count of unfair competition. The herbalists filed counter claims since Fire Cider existed long before this company and that the term “Fire Cider” is generic. The defendants, supported by notorious herbalists like Rosemary Gladstar, believe such tonics and tinctures to be human heritage and not for corporations to bulldoze.

The lawsuit’s boldness with subsequent public outcry put Fire Cider in the national spotlight. It even found its way into headlines on the New York Times and the Boston Globe. After several grueling years, a Massachusetts judge in 2019 sided with the defendants: “Fire Cider” is a generic term and Shire City Herbals could no longer own the trademark.

A Tidbit of Info

However, there’s yet another layer to this, one not mentioned anywhere describing the debacle. A review of shirecityherbals.com on the Wayback Machine via web.archive.org, paints an interesting picture during the time the lawsuits were active.

In 2014, someone bought the domain shirecityherbals.com. For several months, there was a blog post displaying an instructional video by Rosemary Gladstar along with the author’s note of disdain. They explicitly mention the website is not associated with the company and share a letter from Rosemary Gladstar directed at the owners of Shire City Herbals.

Back then, Shire City Herbals operated under firecider.com. It’s only until 2021 that Shire City Herbals used the coinciding domain name. But, the site is now defunct because the company shut its doors in July 2022. The judge’s opinion and the company’s decline leaves Fire Cider open to the free market.

The Original Fire Cider Recipe

The recipe below is from Rosemary Gladstar’s book, Fire Cider! 101 Zesty Recipes for Health-boosting Remedies Made With Apple Cider Vinegar. Of course, you can adjust it according to availability, needs and taste. Understand, though, this is only a dietary supplement, do not chug it. A spoonful goes a long way. If you have trepidation in attempting this recipe, you can always 
buy it.

½ C Fresh Horseradish Root (grated)
½ C Onions (chopped)
¼ C Garlic (chopped)
¼ C Ginger (grated)
Cayenne Pepper to taste (fresh chopped or dried/ground)
Apple Cider Vinegar (raw and organic – enough to cover the vegetables)
Honey to taste
  1. After chopping the vegetables, put them in a ½-gallon glass jar and cover with vinegar.
  2. Seal the jar with wax paper and a tight-fitting lid. Wax paper prevents corrosion of the metal lid.
  3. Put the jar in a warm area and macerate for a month, shaking it daily to aid blending.
  4. After the maceration period, strain in fine mesh covered with cheesecloth, taking care to reserve the liquid. Discard the used vegetables.
  5. Warm the honey so it blends well with the strained liquid and stir in enough to taste. The resulting flavor should be hot but also sweet.
  6. Put the liquid into a clean, sterilized bottle with an airtight lid and label it. Keep it in the refrigerator for the next several months. Toss when odor or color noticeably turns.
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