Bitter is better -
Gentian a classic simple Bitter
There is a long history of taking bitters with meals to improve digestion. When the Israelites were going out of Egypt, they were told to eat bitter greens with the Passover lamb. The practice of eating a salad at the beginning of a meal may have its roots in the idea that eating bitter greens at the beginning of a meal stimulates digestive secretions. This has carried over into the idea of taking herbal bitters as a tonic with meals to improve digestive function.
The oldest of these herbal bitters formulas is Swedish bitters, which is said to have been created by Paracelsus in the sixteenth century. Alcoholic bitters, such as Angostura bitters and underberg bitters, have been used to flavor cocktails but are also used to stimulate digestion. Today, there are many digestive bitters formulas sold by a variety of herb companies that one can take to improve digestion and general health.
Health Benefits of Bitters
Although a wide variety of compounds can be responsible for a bitter taste, all “bitter principles” in plants have some general actions because they all stimulate receptors for bitterness, which are not just found in the mouth, but also in the stomach, intestines, liver, and pancreas. These bitter receptors are much more sensitive than the receptors for the tastes of sweet, salty, and sour, because bitterness is often a sign of poison in plants.
Nevertheless, simple bitters, herbs that have a bitter taste but don’t have toxic effects, have some very important health benefits. Stimulation of the bitter receptors stimulates digestive secretions in the stomach, liver, and pancreas, aiding digestion of food. They also help stimulate the liver enzyme systems that detoxify the body. And, via the gut-brain connection, they can also help ease stress.
About Gentian
Gentian Flower Essence
Gentian is also one of the original Bach flower remedies, although a different species is used, Gentiana amarella. The emotional indications for gentian flower essence are also a good indication for its use as an herb. The person who needs gentian starts out being optimistic about the success of something but is easily discouraged following any setbacks or disappointments. In other words, they lack the ability to persevere.
They suffer from self-doubt and get depressed because they feel like a failure due to their lack of confidence in themselves. They don’t have the faith to continue a course of action when they face obstacles or challenges.
Gentian for the Discouraged Client
Gentian for the Sensitive Appetite
Dorothy Hall paints a slightly different picture of the person who needs gentian. Anxiety, stress, or other difficulties cause this person to lose their appetite. They not only can’t eat, but they also have difficulty swallowing. The emotional stress causes them to lose all desire to eat because they’re unable to “stomach” what is happening to them.
Hall says, “For these people, more than any other person-type, peace around the dinner table and congenial relaxed surroundings are essential.” I can relate to that, since my stomach starts getting tied up in knots and I completely lose my appetite if people start arguing during mealtime. I also simply cannot digest food eaten on the run, even if it’s healthy food and not the unhealthy fast food.
Bitters, Digestion, and Life
Using Gentian
