bitters

[crabapple]

There's a lovely thread about bitters, digestion and liver energetics here. (It developed from questions about heart health / metabolic syndrome.)

I noticed that Darcey was coming to the discussion from a TCM perspective on liver energetics, while jim was thinking about bitters in the larger digestive ecosystem.

Some interesting questions from the discussion:

What about the cold nature of bitters? (How to balance / how much is too much)

What is the effect of bitters on mood?


Favorite bitters recipes, anyone?
_________________
Rebecca Hartman
Crabapple Herbs: http://crabappleherbs.com/
The Herbwife's Kitchen: http://crabappleherbs.com/blog/

[dreamseeds]

My friend, herbalist Nicole Carter orders aromatic bitters and club soda while eating in restaurants since she knows her choices may not be as good at that time.

I shared my recent story down on that heart thread. I saw first hand how it helps and the emotional release almost immediately upon my first cup of dandelion, milk thistle and burdock tea with ginger and cinnamon.
The phycial part came a few days later..each day getting better.

The symptom originally was rapid weight gain and a burning in my gut almost like I had holes in my body.

I fully agree that sluggish digestion = sluggish emotion and I think Jim and Darcey had some interesting points to explain why.
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~Kristena~
http://www.dreamseedsorganics.com
Dreamseeds Organics Blog

[Bear_Medicine]

I think that it's also important to note that while bitter greens are a great nutritional addition for almost anyone, bitter herbs medicinally are not necessarily appropriate for everyone. Dry people who already pee too much with a tendency to excessive thirst and spacing out probably don't need bitters, except perhaps as a small addition to a basically nutritive formula. jim already said something similar to this in the other thread, but I thought it could use repeating.

Here's a good Henriette post on some bitter differentials and their application to hot or cold livers http://www.henriettesherbal.com/blog/?p=294

Bitters are also great at clearing infection, Matt Wood talks about Dandelion root helping clear infections that are clear down to the bone.

And like I said in the other thread, I find bitters to be distinctly anti-depressant in myself and in other people who have sluggish digestion, lack of digestive fluids (what jim said, again) or long term eating disorders that have effected the digestion. For the last scenario I really like a combo of Evening Primrose, Mugwort and a little Rosemary.

Jeremy Ross divides up the actions of bitters this way
Tonic actions: general, digestive and hepatobiliary tonic
Cooling actions: antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory and antipyretic

He also talks about the varying temps of bitter herbs from his perspective

warm bitters: Myrica
neutral: Marrubium
neutral-cool: Gentiana
cool: Berberis (note the difference between Henriette's Western constitutional perspective and TCM perspective on Berberis and other herbs)
cold: Asclepias

In general, I'd worry more about inappropriate use of bitters being excessively drying before worrying about the coldness factor because it's fairly easy to use a warmer bitter to to warm it up with another herb, but more difficult to negate the drying factors. Wild Licorice is a great herb for this though: fairly neutral in temp, moistening, bitter and all around general tonic.

I've found bitters to be directly helpful in reducing "leaky gut" and multiple food allergies. Jeremy Ross suggests that this may be a result of the fact that reduced gastric fluids may result in in inadequate breakdown of polypeptides = increase in potential antigens and increased allergic reactions to food. Increasing amount of digestive secretions with bitters can then lessen and possibly prevent some food allergies. Hope that's understandable as I'm writing from memory. Seems like bitters also reduce inflammation in the gut which also helps lessen reaction.

Traditional wisdom also suggests that bitters can help regulate blood sugar, I think this is especially effective combined with some sort of adrenal tonic (Nettles or Burdock, for example) for people with adrenal sufficiency spiraling into insulin resistance (or is it the other way around, or all together? it's hard to tell sometimes).

That said, I add a little bit of bitter to almost all of my formulas, usually in the form of dried orange peel or wild licorice. These herbs are usually energy/Qi moving (as Darcey was referring to about stuck liver energy in the other thread ) and help get things going in the body. Great for long standing problems that just seem to move ~around~ treatment rather than really responding. Catalyst herbs, if you will.

I love the really bitter herbs for some acute situations, there's nothing like watching a terrible, red, hot, two week long rash just ~disappear~ after a few squirts of dandelion, or bloating, headache, nausea, and weird yellow color just drain away after a single dropperful of Western Mugwort. It can be kind of shocking, but very satisfying.

I used to HATE bitter tastes, I wouldn't even eat Dandelion or Mustard greens, they literally made me gag. I had SUCH a thing for sweets (and stimulants, ah, the beginning of lifelong adrenal and insulin problems) and couldn't abide the bitter. Turns out bitter was just what I needed. I can't even begin to emphasize what an important part of my digestive and emotional recovery it was. In food, medicine and beverage. You should have seen me trying to get them down, i made some awful faces. Now I actually like them, and think salad is really weird without some bitter greens.

And re: what MDV was saying about liver, hormones and bitters. Yeah, bitters are an underappreciated aspect of successful of PMS treatment, or for recovery from birth control pills.
_________________
~*~ Kiva Rose
Anima Lifeways & Herbal School http://animacenter.org
Anima Healing Arts Health & Herbal Clinic:
http://animahealingarts.org
Traditions in Western Herbalism Conference: http://traditionsinwesternherbalism.org

[MaDonaVerde]

[Bear_Medicine]

or nearly any other medication that has significantly altered the metabolism of the body, for that matter. I haven't tried it in cases of steroid treatment recovery, but it's an excellent thing to know.
_________________
~*~ Kiva Rose
Anima Lifeways & Herbal School http://animacenter.org
Anima Healing Arts Health & Herbal Clinic:
http://animahealingarts.org
Traditions in Western Herbalism Conference: http://traditionsinwesternherbalism.org

[jim mcdonald]

ok, so... I should ~totally~ be writing something else at the moment...

but bitters. ah, bitters....

What kiva said about the acquired taste factor is totally right on. peope dread the flavor, until, if they use them a bit, they register that their body is reacting to them in an "Oh, ~finally~" manner. Once we feel them satiate a craving we've been having, and trying to fulfil with everything else, it clicks. Lots of folks, once they get used to bitters, really appreciate them.

In regards to taking bitters to restaurants: I often bring a handful of greens, which I add to my food. Makes a lot of restaurants much nicer, a handful of dandelion leaves.

re-reiterated: some bitter herbs, primarily bitter "food" herbs/alteratives are suited to regular use. They're used nutritionally. More "medicinal" bitters, like gentian or berberis, should be used when indicated. When people talk about how certain people should avoid bitters, these are the herbs they're talking about, not bitter greens & foods. I have a hard time thinking that any traditional system imagined a time would come when people ate ~no~ bitters.

figure bitters stimulate all digestive secretions. Saliva, acids, enzymes, hormones, bile.... Of course, each of these fluids, especially in the upper GI, is acting as a solvent. The upper gi is, after all, a multistep extraction process which ensures that when your food gets to the lower GI, its properly processed for absorption. This leads to better nutrition, since the nutrients are properly broken down. Remember as well that the bile secretion stilumated by bitters doesn't only ensure the proper breakdown of lipids, but provides lubrication for the intestines. So, deficient bile & sluggish liver/gall bladder function is a cause of constipation. Bitters also help with B12 absorption, and tend to act as "tonics" to GI mucosa/muscles.

If there's gas, aromatic bitters, or aromatics combined with bitter herbs will add a dispersive element.

It's also worth noting that bitters that are also diaphoretic (say, boneset) will favor diaphoresis over GI effects when drunk hot, and GI effects over diaphoresis when drunk cool/cold.

Bitters tend to be grounding (their "energy" is a downward one). Bitters tend to help strengthen ones connection to instinct. Bitters help shift people from intellectual "brain" energy (looks at things, takes them apart, and sees pieces) to gut energy (reacts to things instinctually). So, think about them for the person who meets someone, gets a bad vibe for them, then goes on a headtrip about how they're being judgemental and how they're probably projecting and they're going to let go of their preconceptions... and they get screwed. In "not here" situations, bitters will help bring someone from wherever they're at back to the present. That actually has to do with the head energy/gut dynamic. Head energy is notorioulsy "not present".

and all the stuff I said about the enteric nervous system in the other thread.
_________________
jim mcdonald
~herbalist~
www.herbcraft.org

[Bear_Medicine]

I absolutely agree about the energetic tendency to move focus from the head to the gut.

On the other hand, I have observed bitters having the ability to space out already airy people. This seems to be because of the drying qualities, and these vata-ish airy people need extra moisture to keep them grounded and present, when they dry up, they have a tendency to blow away.

I bring wild greens to restaurants too, and here I thought I was uniquely weird. Arugula, dandelion, watercress and mustard, mmmm. Sometimes I even pick the dandelion greens and flowers from right outside my favorite local restaurant and bring them in with me, I used to get the funniest looks, but now the owners ask me if I have my greens and if I want to get some basil from their greenhouse out back.
_________________
~*~ Kiva Rose
Anima Lifeways & Herbal School http://animacenter.org
Anima Healing Arts Health & Herbal Clinic:
http://animahealingarts.org
Traditions in Western Herbalism Conference: http://traditionsinwesternherbalism.org

[MaDonaVerde]

[shamana flora]

What a great discussion. I only wish i had more time to participate...i'll toss this one out for you, MDV, a really nice bitter warm demulcent herb...
FENUGREEK. Grind up the seeds and make a nice long infusion...strangest thing i ever did taste, but I think very nicely indicated for those dried out cold vata times and consitutions. ( especially suited for the vata transition between fall and winter....everyone i know is all vata disturbed at the moment!)

I also made up a nice demulcent tea formula this week which includes demulcent flax and licorice, bitter roots ( burdock notably), and warming aromatic spices ( cardamom, ginger etc). I 'm finding it quite lovely at this time as well.... You could adjust it, adding more bitters to your liking, dandelion or elecampane...


the joy of formulating is that you can always balance out extremes in energetics of one herb with another or a combination of others....
:)
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Medicine woman in the heart of the Sonoran Desert

Blue Turtle Botanicals
http://www.blueturtlebotanicals.com
http://desertmedicinewoman.blogspot.com/

[Ygraine]

Thank you so much, everyone - I have learned so much from these posts!

Would you count sorrel as a bitter as it seems to explode in my mouth a bit like dandelion greens and both go well in cheese sandwiches?

Kiva, you said you add bitter to most of your formulas in the shape of dried orange peel. Is this for teas, or do you add it to tinctures you're making as well, or do you make a tincture of dried orange peel to add in with others?

Like the wonderful recipe for grapefruit liqueur (which I'm going to have people make during my workshop!), I'd not though of orange peel as a bitter. Could you make an orange peel liqueur or a mixed orange and lemon peel liqueur as a bitter too?

[Bear_Medicine]

Hmmm, I haven't tried Fenugreek... but i've smelled it, definitely strange. I'd think honey-fried licorice could be used the same way for Vata-ish people. More emphasis on the sweet nutritive side but with enough bitter to affect the system. Lots of nice bittersweet herbs out there and quite a few with demulcent properties too. When I have a second I want to dig out some of the better constitutional indications and contra-indications for bitters I've written down.

Do other peoples' Burdock taste very bitter? Mine doesn't, not the stuff I've bought or the fresh stuff from the asian market or even the stuff I'm growing. The dried herb tastes the most bitter to me but still with a strong sweetish-nutritive kind of taste with a bitterish aftertaste.

[shamana flora]

well, there are times for formulas, and times for specifics. I hate muddled kitchen sink formulas as well, and see all too many of them sold on the market, but it's a dance. sometimes you want one thing over another. it all just depends.
_________________
Medicine woman in the heart of the Sonoran Desert

Blue Turtle Botanicals
http://www.blueturtlebotanicals.com
http://desertmedicinewoman.blogspot.com/

[greenheart]

Well...ask and you shall recieve! I was determined to find something growing around my house that would qualify as a bitter, and I found it today: horehound! Any suggestions on how to take it, or if it truly qualifies as a "bitter"....I am drying some to make some cough syrup...what do you all think about making tea out of the fresh leaves to sip on? Has anyone used this little beauty before?

[shamana flora]

oooooh yah....thats on the top of my list as a bitter. I find it completely and utterly unpalatable, personally. I can handle mahonia bitter, or gentian, but i dont know why me and marrubium don't get along so well..
but yes, it is a GREAT bitter. :D
i once tried to make horehound candy w/ molasess...i didn't like it either. But is a such a common weedy bitter mint, it should be put to good use. I've never formulated with it, I bet a little ginger, or orange peel or cardamom might make it nicer.

i know kiva is surrounded by it , so she might have better recipies.

:D
_________________
Medicine woman in the heart of the Sonoran Desert

Blue Turtle Botanicals
http://www.blueturtlebotanicals.com
http://desertmedicinewoman.blogspot.com/

[Bear_Medicine]

Ah yes, surrounded by it would be an understatement. Horehound has a really weird taste, and some people really like it and some people hate it. My daughter loves Horehound syrup and would drink it as a beverage if I'd let her.

You can use the fresh or dried leaves for tea. If you dry it, store it carefully because it can lose its volatile oils easier than some of the other mint family aromatic plants. The tea tastes better with mint and lemon juice/peel added I think.

The syrup can lose some of its flavor if boiled down for too long. I (as usual) prefer a cold process elixir with a mix of horehound honey and horehound tincture (you can make it together or separately). I don't like boiling leafy things generally, especially not aromatic leafy things.

And, Michael Moore mentions it for treating asthma in children. He's right (as he tends to be), and it can be a big help

I really should know this plant a lot better, but haven't worked with it much outside of resp stuff. Another incredibly useful member of the mint family. I think there's family member for damn near everything. You could have your whole materia medica made up of them and probably do as well as anyone.

Horehounds a great bitter though, very effective.
_________________
~*~ Kiva Rose
Anima Lifeways & Herbal School http://animacenter.org
Anima Healing Arts Health & Herbal Clinic:
http://animahealingarts.org
Traditions in Western Herbalism Conference: http://traditionsinwesternherbalism.org