Medical herbalist Nicola Parker explains the benefits of bitter herbs

Bitters are the on switch to the digestive tract and our lack of bitter foods combined with a diet high in sweet, refined carbohydrates can often be to blame for many digestive discomforts we experience today.
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The word “bitter” has all sorts of unpleasant connotations. We avoid things that taste bitter, preferring foods that are sweet and flavoursome. When someone is acting

resentful, we call them bitter and we associate a sour face both with unfriendliness and strong tastes.

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To a herbalist, the word bitter is much more beautiful. We think of digestive bitters and the power they hold. Bitters are the on switch to the digestive tract and our lack of bitter foods combined with a diet high in sweet, refined carbohydrates can often be to blame for many digestive discomforts we experience today.

Bitter herbsBitter herbs
Bitter herbs

Western society has evolved rapidly over the past few generations. We have access to supermarkets all year round, with a wide choice of foods, from raw to pre-packaged, from health focused to junk food, fibre rich to sugar laden. It’s easier than ever to be tempted by unhealthy choices and in an age that values convenience, who has time to cook from scratch the way our ancestors would have?

Yet although society has evolved rapidly, our physiology changes much slower. We are still the children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren of people who had no access to easy to digest foods. Wild food, dark green leafy veg, home grown and fresh vegetables would have been a staple. The wild foods, that our ancestors foraged are bitter and strong tasting, which is why they have fallen out of fashion. Yet their medicinal uses are still much treasured and in our modern age, needed more than ever.

Our digestive system is like a long factory line. Can you remember the last time you ate something bitter, like strong watercress or rocket and felt your mouth flood with saliva? The bitter receptors in the mouth, send signals that digestion needs to begin. Raw, bitter foods are often chewy and need to be chewed for some time, giving the body ample time to prepare.

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Saliva is full of digestive juices, including the all-important lipase, that helps break down fats. In contrast to a mouthful of leafy veg, pastry, fried foods, sugary treats and pre-packaged foods are soft, high in fat, low in bitters and only remain in the mouth for a short time. Digestion is rushed and these foods enter the stomach too quickly, causing bloating, indigestion and discomfort as they travel further down the digestive tract.

Medical herbalist Nicola ParkerMedical herbalist Nicola Parker
Medical herbalist Nicola Parker

Bitters also stimulate the production of bile, another digestive secretion that helps breakdown fats. Bile release acts as a natural laxative, helping a sluggish bowel release waste more effectively. Bitters won’t cause diarrhoea, because that’s not how they work, but if you are bloated and constipated, you should find that using bitters can aid with this.

Bile acts as an emulsifier, breaking fat down the way that washing up liquid and hot water can clean a greasy pan. Without enough bile flow or production, fatty foods can cause indigestion, heartburn and general digestive discomfort.

Bitter foods are not that common, so it can be difficult to include them in your diet on a regular basis. Dark green leaves, especially watercress, dandelion, rocket and globe artichoke will all help but the best sources of bitters are usually herbs.

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As a remedy, I use a liquid blend of bitter herbs that has been designed as a digestive bitter. The formula contains strong bitter compounds and calming aromatics to help break down food, improve absorption of nutrients, move gas and waste through gut and ease bloating and indigestion.

These herbal bitters include yarrow, lemon balm, blessed thistle, dandelion and gentian, which blend beautifully to act on all aspects of food digestion.

For niggly digestive complaints, like regular bloating, constipation, mild IBS symptoms and indigestion, using herbal bitters for a month or two can be a game changer.

By turning your digestive system on and allowing it

to function at its best, as nature intended, these benign but bothersome symptoms can fade to a thing of the past.

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While they may not taste amazing at first, it’s well worth the initial discomfort. After all, medicine isn’t there to taste good, it’s there to be good for you!

For more information or to schedule an appointment with Nicola, contact her clinic on 01524 413733.

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