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Digestive Bitters
Digestive Bitters
Relieve your digestive disturbances and support your digestive fire with Digestive Bitters.
$16.00 – $42.00
Available Options: Single or Pack of 3
*SHIPPING ONLY AVAILABLE TO CANADA AND US RESIDENTS.
“You are what you digest”
Digestive Bitters - “You are what you digest”
The use of herbal bitters has been an integral part of almost every cultural tradition in the world. Used as an aperitif to stimulate gastric juices, these mixtures tonify the digestive apparatus in preparation for mealtime. Individuals who have trouble with flatulent dyspepsia—gas, burping, bloating and indigestion—will benefit from this formula. In addition, this combination wonderfully stimulates agnivardhana - the Ayurvedic term for digestive “fire”, a quality that diminishes with age.
The appropriate rule of thumb may not so much be “you are what you eat”—as important as it is—but rather, “you are what you digest”. Vibrant health is achieved by a variety of means. Among the most important of these is good digestion.
Extensively taken in Europe—from which we best know it—herbal bitters enhance digestion and assimilation by stimulating the taste receptors on our tongue. With many nationalities, it is common practice to consume bitters before a meal, especially if it is apt to include heavy, fatty foods. Bitters can also be taken after the fact, if you find you have overeaten. The bitter taste of the herbs—hence the name of this tonic—is essential to their good effects. The bitterness increases the flow of bile, which supports both digestion and the body’s natural cleansing processes.
Herbal bitters are an extremely valuable aid in maintaining good health. By enhancing secretions of the liver, pancreas, stomach, and small intestine, they revitalize a whole range of digestive functions, providing rich enzyme catalysts, which improve nutrient absorption. As well, the herbs in our Canadian Bitters formula protect the liver from toxins.
Further indications include cholesterol build-up, hyperlipidaemia, constipation, digestive distress, and sluggish peristalsis. Sluggish elimination is often the result of reduced secretions by the digestive organs and small intestine.
The following is a brief explanation of the individual herbs and the rationale for their use:
Globe Artichoke
Herbalist Kerry Bone classes globe artichoke as a bitter tonic, useful for dyspepsia and its associated symptoms, such as constipation, abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, flatulence, belching, and fat intolerance. One clinical trial confirmed improved digestion, noting that artichoke improved the assimilation of fat due to insufficient bile secretion. 1, 2
Dandelion
Eclectic physicians like John M. Scudder, M.D. praised this lowly weed for its “stimulant influence upon the entire gastro-intestinal tract”. 3
Gentian
With its unparalleled bitterness, Gentian represents the standard in digestives. No doubt this inspired herbalist Mrs. Maude Grieve to state emphatically that gentian is “unrivalled as a stomachic tonic…” Eclectic physicians Harvey Wickes Felter, M.D. and John Uri Lloyd, Pharm. D., Ph. D. explain further that gentian should be used “where the powers of life are depressed and recovery depends upon (the) ability to assimilate food.” 4
Chamomile
"As a popular remedy, (chamomile) may be thought of as the European counterpart of ginseng," writes Varro Tyler, as quoted by herbalist Steven Foster. “The Germans describe it as alles zutraut – ‘capable of anything’,” Tyler adds. The great German herbalist and physician Rudolph Fritz Weiss, M.D. asserts that “patients with chronic stomach complaints would greatly benefit from” chamomile. 5, 6
Burdock Root
Eclectic physicians used burdock to aid digestion. Finley Ellingwood, M.D., for example, writes that, “Its influence upon the mucous membranes of the stomach encourages normal … secretion and promotes digestion.” 9
Black Walnut
The hulls are very bitter in taste. Alma Hutchens explains that black walnut hulls are “highly extolled as a remedy in the treatment of bilious and cramp colic.” She adds “flatulence” as the clinical indication.
Cardamom
The British Herbal Pharmacopoeia gives “flatulent dyspepsia” as a specific indication for cardamom. Cardamom is pleasant tasting and, as a “warming” herb, counteracts the “cooling” nature of bitter digestives. 10
Ginger
In most traditional systems of medicine, including the Ayurvedic and the Chinese, ginger is standard as an aid for the digestion. 11, 12
In a base of alcohol, distilled water and vegetable glycerine.
Combination rationale: Virtually all the herbs in this formula aid digestion in one way or other, each acting in its own unique manner to create a complementary symphony of benefits. In traditional Chinese medicine, herbs are classified as to effect. In other words, they can have heating or cooling, moistening or drying (etc.) properties. As many of the digestive herbs are cooling in effect, we have added herbs with warming properties, which means that this formula can be safely taken over the long term without the harm of imbalance.
Administration: (adults) take 1-1.5 ml (30-45 drops) three times daily in a little water before meals.
Contraindications and Cautions: Consult a health care practitioner prior to use if you have been diagnosed with a medical condition or if you are taking prescription medications. Do not take this product if you are pregnant or breastfeeding. Do not use this product if you have an allergy to members of the Asteraceae or the Umbelliferae families of plants. Do not use if you have acute stomach irritation, inflammation, or stomach ulcers. Reduce dosage or discontinue use if you experience a hypersensitivity reaction.
Copyright 2023 Josh Gitalis, all rights reserved.
