Learn about Herbal Bitters
What are herbal bitters, and frankly, why would you care?
It could be because
- Your lover walked out on you and you've got the bitters
- You ate something that doesn't agree with you and your digestion is acting up and wanting bitters
- It's freezing cold out and that's giving you the bitters
What are bitters?
Bitters usually refer to a distilled alcoholic drink that has been strongly infused with aromatic herbs, barks, rinds, berries or roots. Bitters taste terrible. They're sharp, unpleasant, and acrid.
But that's exactly why they're good for you. Chinese medicine has a saying about sweet on the tongue being bad for digestion, while bitter on the tongue is good for digestion.
For those whose daily diet is close to the earth, roots, tubors, plants and berries are a common part of the diet and bitter is a common flavor. For those of us in industrialized countries bitter has almost entirely disappeared from our modern-day diets.
If it comes across our palettes, they are shocked. But bitter on the tongue is a great balancer for our entire digestive process.
What are bitter herbs good for?
Bitters are a bit of a cheat sheet. They are easily available, can be great fun in an alcoholic beverage and are good for you as well! They help mitigate the myriad of weight, nutrition and digestive issues caused by sluggish metabolism.
Examples of bitter herbs
Read up on these very interesting bitter herbs and what they can do for your digestion.
Typically herbal bitters are taken as a digestive after a meal to improve digestion or to help with upset stomach, but they can be used as an aperitif to stimulate the appetite.
Well-known bitters in the U.S. include quinine, orange peels, cascarilla, quassia, gentian, and angostura bark.
Where can I get them?
You can buy bitters at the grocery. If you're going that route, be careful as a little goes a long way. I believe the best way to take bitters medicinally is as an alcohol-based tincture. As always, wise and responsible use of herbs is required.
Most of the bitters mentioned above are from the rainforest. There's a lot more where they came from.
The Amazon Rainforest has many herbs that are used as herbal bitters.