Herbal Bitters and the Alchemy of Digestive Wellness

Have you ever wondered how the zing of dandelion or the tang of gentian could revitalize your digestive health? Join me, Demetria Clark, as we unearth the secret powers of herbal bitters, those potent plant allies that work wonders from your liver to your mood. In today’s rich discussion, we’ll concoct our very own herbal bitter blend and sprinkle in savvy ways to infuse these flavors into your daily meals, adding a dash of zest to everything from dressings to marinades. We’ll also pay homage to the ancestral wisdom of Chinese medicine and Ayurveda, where bitters have long been cherished for their digestive prowess and their capacity to balance our internal systems.

As the herbal community flourishes, let's nurture the roots of our collective knowledge in an environment that's as welcoming to budding enthusiasts as it is to seasoned herbalists. I'm thrilled to guide you through the landscape of plant-based healing, where we’ll exchange insights, share valuable resources, and offer personal support to each other’s herbal journeys. Whether through thoughtful articles on our blog or direct conversations, our exploration today is about planting the seeds for a deeper connection with the natural world and a richer understanding of how it sustains our health and well-being.

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The Heart of Herbs Podcast with Demetria Clark! 🌿 Tune in for herbal wisdom & wellness tips!

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Chapters

• 0:00 Exploring Herbal Bitters for Digestive Health
• 18:38 Connecting Students With Herbal Information

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:37

Hello, welcome to another episode of the Heart of Herbs Herbal School Podcast, where we dive deep into the world of herbal remedies, folklore and the healing power of plants. I'm your host, demetria Clark. I'm the director and founder of Heart of Herbs Herbal School, and today we are checking out the fascinating realm of herbal bitters out the fascinating realm of herbal bitters. Herbal bitters have a long history dating back centuries. They're renowned for stimulating digestion, supporting liver health and even uplifting our spirits. But what exactly are herbal bitters and what makes them so potent? So today I want to break it down for you and we'll talk about what herbal bitters are, some herbs that are used in herbal bitters, and I'll even share a recipe with you. And the great thing is, because we have the transcripts of the podcast, you'll be able to also read the recipe and see what we're saying. So if you need to prepare this, it'll all be there for you.

Speaker 1: 1:55

Bitters are herbal preparations infused with bitter-tasting herbs. These can include a wide variety of plants. Some common ones are dandelion, gentian, wormwood and burdock. The bitter taste is not just for flavor. It triggers the production of saliva and gastric juices, priming the digestive system for optimal function. Different herbs bring their unique profiles and benefits to a blend. For an herbal bitter blend, for example, gentian root is known for its intensely bitter taste and the ability to stimulate bile production, and this aids in the breakdown of fats. Bile production and this aids in the breakdown of fats. On the other hand, dandelion root supports liver function and acts as a gentle diuretic, helping to eliminate toxins from the body.

Speaker 1: 2:52

Herbal bitters can be used in a variety of ways. Some people prefer to take them neat, so just a few drops on the tongue before or after meals to stimulate digestion. Others may mix them into cocktails or mocktails, adding a sophisticated flavor depth while reaping their digestive benefits. I also like to put bitter blends into things like salad dressings, marinades and other ways to flavor foods and grains. I just really like that. I like having kind of like that little bitter bite to foods.

Speaker 1: 3:30

But perhaps one of the most interesting aspects of herbal bitters is their role in herbalism and traditional medicine. Different cultures have their own unique blends and recipes, each tailored to address specific health concerns or imbalances. For example, in traditional Chinese medicine, bitters like gentian and bitter orange peel are often used to clear heat and dampness from the body, making them ideal for conditions like indigestion and sluggishness, making them ideal for conditions like indigestion and sluggishness. In Ayurveda, the ancient healing system of India, bitters such as turmeric and fenugreek are prized for their ability to stimulate agni, the digestive fire, promoting efficient digestion and nutrient absorption. Adding bitters to herbs also a lot are to herbs adding bitters to cooking and adding bitters to things that you don't always think of when it comes to food. So adding bittered candy herbs and candy herbs and fruits to cakes or adding bitters to marinades and soups and stews and just all different ways that we cook also gives a more complex and satisfying feel to food. It really just helps our palate open up and it's a lot of fun.

Speaker 1: 5:05

Here are some commonly used bitter herbs. So dandelion root, taraxum officinale, is known for its slightly bitter taste and earthy undertones. It contains bitter principles that stimulate digestion and promote bile production and flow. It contains bitter principles that stimulate digestion and promote bile production and flow, making it useful for supporting liver and gallbladder health. Dandelion root is often included in herbal bitters to aid digestion, improve nutrient absorption and support detoxification processes in the body. Dandelion leaf is commonly used in foods, so you can do dandelion leaf tea. Of course you can do dandelion flour. People like to make fritters with them, or you can add them to cakes, you can use the greens in, you know, a sag paneer, or just you know you're cooking your greens or steaming your greens or in salads. You can really incorporate a lot of these bitter elements into your everyday life.

Speaker 1: 6:11

One of the things that's great is living in the South. I love the fact that you can find and of course, greens have spread to different parts of the country but I just used to always love that you could find, like collard greens and dandelion greens and turnip greens, like a lot of these bitter greens, in the grocery stores. Even when I was a child, they were very easy to find and you could find them frozen and it was just really great because it was just so easy to incorporate all of that into your diet and the greens are obviously so nutritious and all these other fun things. But it was just. I've always just really liked that and I love seeing how, when I visit other parts of the country, that this is becoming more and more common wherever you go.

Speaker 1: 7:00

So gentian root gentiana lutea gentian root has an intensely bitter taste, making it a powerful digestive tonic. Its bitterness stimulates saliva production and gastric juices, promoting an efficient digestion. Gentian root is a key ingredient to many traditional herbal bitters. It's prized for its ability to improve appetite, relieve indigestion and support overall digestive functions. Another one that's great that can also be used as a food and is used as a food in many places around the world is burdock root. So burdock has a slightly sweet and earthy flavor with a hint of bitterness. It contains compounds known as inulin and mucilage, which support digestive health and promote the elimination of just all the stuff we don't really want in our body. It just helps us process and get rid of things much better. It's often included in herbal bitters for its mild bitter taste and its ability to support liver function, improve digestion and purify and clean the blood. Now, I'm not a big like purify the blood, but that's like the way that they talk about it and the reality is is that just helps keep our system healthy.

Speaker 1: 8:19

Orange peel citrus anesis adds a bright citrusy flavor to many herbal bitters. It contains essential oils and flavonoids that stimulate digestion and provide antioxidant benefits. Orange peel is used in herbal benefits bitters to enhance flavor and to provide digestive support. It also offers that beautiful citrusy aroma which can help improve the mood and reduce stress. Fennel seeds have a sweet, licorice-like flavor with a slightly bitter aftertaste. They contain volatile oils, including anethole, which have carmative and digestive properties. Fennel seeds are often included in herbal bitters for their ability to relieve gas bloating and indigestion. They also add a pleasant aroma and flavor to a blend. Fennel is often used in a lot of cooking from India and Italy, and so if you think about all of these different places where our food comes from right and different flavors, I mean you really can allow this to open up your palate and open up the ways that you cook and bring food and herbs into your life.

Speaker 1: 9:41

Angelica root Angelica archangelica has a pungent, slightly bitter taste with earthy and herbal notes. It contains compounds such as coumarins and essential oils which have digestive and carminative properties. Angelica root is used in herbal bitters to add complexity to the flavor profile and provide digestive support. It's also valued for its aromatic qualities and traditional medicinal uses.

Speaker 1: 10:10

I used to love when we lived in Switzerland. We would always do our grocery shopping in France. We would always do our grocery shopping in France and, starting in the fall, I started having the most fabulous candied roots and fruits and peels and seeds and you could do like a real fruitcake with these items and it was just so so they were so delicious. I'm like no wonder people just like this stuff that we're getting. I'm just like in the in the United States, like those fruit cakes that people get. It's just so different than what you could make there with these items and so it really inspired me when we moved back to the US to candy a lot of this myself. But the Angelica root was just lovely and the stalks and you know they would just candy it and it was just. It was just really lovely and it really helped me explore cooking and herbalism in a completely different way.

Speaker 1: 11:12

So here's just a few examples of the diverse herbs used in herbal bitters. So here's just a few examples of the diverse herbs used in herbal bitters. They can add so much to our life and they're very simple to add to our life. Each brings its unique flavor profile and medicinal properties, contributing to the overall effectiveness of a blend when you're supporting digestive health and well-being. Now I'd like to share with you a really simple recipe for crafting your own herbal bitters, and this is courtesy of Heart of Herbs Herbal School.

Speaker 1: 11:52

So you're going to want to use parts. So what's a part Usually a part in recipes, especially in reference to herbs. A part is any measurement. Now the reason why you can do parts or do weights is it can allow you to easily add or subtract depending upon how big you want something. So you can. A part can be a teaspoon, a tablespoon, a cup, a gallon, a quart, it can be anything you want, but the one is permanent and then if you have half of that, it's half of the one, a quarter is a quarter of the one. So it makes it an easy way to record and keep things. So one part dandelion root, one part gentian root, half part burdock, half part orange peel, half part fennel seeds, a quarter part angelica root, a quarter part cinnamon bark, a quarter part codman pods and an eighth part ginger root. Now I like adding more ginger root often because I really love ginger. So you can tweak this and make sure that it's what you like. If you want a little bit more citrus or more fennel or more cinnamon, you can do that. You can. That is the great thing with herbal medicine is that you can kind of figure out. You know what I feel like. I need a little bit more of this from this herb and this action and you can work with it.

Speaker 1: 13:29

You're going to want to combine all of the herbs in a clean, dry glass jar. Okay. Then you're going to want to pour alcohol over it, so something like vodka or brandy. You of course, could use gin or rum if you wanted. It doesn't have to be brandy or vodka. We have students who make all of their tinctures with tequila. We have other students who use moonshine. It really just depends on what you like and what you will find yourself complying with and using.

Speaker 1: 14:08

Number one. Number two make sure it's at least 80 proof, because you want to have it be about 40% alcohol and that can just keep it preserved and make it so you're not, you know, having any spoilage or anything like that. So put your herbs in a jar, pour the alcohol over it and then go up about two to three fingers, because you're going to want to make sure that the herbs are completely submerged. Number one and number two when they puff up and start absorbing the liquid that they're still submerged. You can use a weight if you want, or you can add more alcohol. If, for some reason, you go, you know, the next day and there's not enough alcohol on the top you can add more.

Speaker 1: 15:02

Seal the jar and store it in a cool, dark place for about four weeks. Shake it gently every day, or to every you know, a few times a day, or you know, once a day is fine, don't, don't go crazy, don't like shaky, you don't want to break everything up. So, and then, after about four weeks, strain the liquid through a fine sieve or cheesecloth, and you're going to press out as much liquid as possible. Bottle the strained liquid in a amber jar, or, if you're going to just put it into like another canning jar, make sure that you know you can wrap a piece of paper around it to keep the light out, or you can paint them with chalk paint, or you can use a dark colored jar and then you can put some in dropper bottles if you want, and that is just to keep it preserved longer. And there you have it Homemade herbal bitters ready to support your digestive health and overall well-being.

Speaker 1: 16:13

Feel free to experiment with different kinds of alcohol, with different kinds of herbs, with different ratios, until you find what smells good and works well for you. You can have fun with this. So you can add a little bit of this tincture to salad dressings, to marinades, to herbal butters that you know, when you're melting butter in with something, you can add a little bit to cake recipes or confections. You can have a lot of fun with it. You can also add it to cocktails, you know. You can make your own old-fashioned. You can really have a lot of fun with it. But that part is up to you, right? How you use it and how you explore using it is up to you, and I want you to have fun with this. I want you to really explore herbs in a different way, and you know making cocktails or mocktails, or you know sodas. You know you can do this and really enjoy herbalism in a completely different way.

Speaker 1: 17:23

So thank you for joining us on this journey into herbal bitters. Remember, the power of healing lies in nature's bounty waiting for us to explore and harness. So until next time, stay curious, keep exploring. Know that we care about you and your process and your education and that we're here for you. Feel free to ask any questions and hopefully we can answer them and react and give you the information that you need. So listen if you want to learn more about herbalism, if you want to learn more about aromatherapy, if you want to learn more about taking control of your health, your wellness, your life, your well-being. Check out Heart of Herbs Herbal School. Check out all of my books on Amazon Just search the name Demetria Clark. Check out other podcasts and blogs and information that's out there, because this could actually be a really wonderful and viable career for you if this is something that you're really passionate about.

Speaker 1: 18:38

I really love connecting students with herbal information and watching their process grow and expand, so I'd love to be able to do that for you if that's something that you're into. If you're not into that and or you just want a referral to someplace else, connect with us too, and hopefully we can give you the information that you need. It's really important that we as an herbal community exist and support each other. Wherever people are at. There's no coolness, there's no hierarchy, it's just you and the plants. So if you feel like you want to deepen that connection, let us help you. Let us at least make some suggestions, or just go check out our blog at heartofherbscom slash blog and you can just see the different articles that we have out there and that's really just you know. Free education, free information and hopefully we can help you make that connection, I really appreciate you taking the time to listen today and have a wonderful, wonderful day.