Herbal Healing

J Henry Hansen, author of Queerly Sober, uses her herbalism training to educate her audience about fire cider: a folk remedy for colds that contains a mixture of herbs and vinegar. She begins by writing about the importance of folk and herbal medicines throughout history and mentions an ongoing dispute between a company that trademarked the name "fire cider," and the herbalists who had traditionally been making fire cider for ages. Hansen calls upon her audience to "give the finger to capitalism," and make their own fire ciders. She provides a list of the herbs and plants used to make fire cider, such as garlic, ginger, and horseradish, as well as instructions on how to macerate it. Additionally, she recommends that it be consumed prophylactically, and integrated regularly into meals. In addition to the text, the zine contains photos of herbs and diagrams pertaining to fire cider. -- Alekhya