Discover herbal bitters with DIY recipes (2024)

FAQs

How do you use herbal bitters? ›

How to take digestive bitters: “To take bitters, drop one serving (usually around ¼ tsp) onto your tongue and hold them in your mouth for about 10-15 seconds, until you start to salivate. You'll want the bitter tincture to fall all across your tongue, as we have bitter receptors on our entire tongue,” says Zellner.

Here are some aromatics typically used to make bitters: Herbs and flowers: mint, sage, lemongrass, peppermint, sorrel, lavender, chamomile, hibiscus, passionflower, yarrow, rose, milk thistle, and valerian.

Bitter herbs are some of the most beloved by herbalists and fundamental to gut health. When you taste the challenging flavor of bitterness, you strengthen your digestive response and enhance the secretion of the body's natural digestive juices which in turn optimizes digestive function.

The reason why people take digestive bitters is to aid their digestion and help mitigate symptoms of indigestion. A 2021 review of studies in Nutrients found that bitters can help with regulating hormones related to gut health and can increase gut motility (i.e., how foods move through our digestive system).

Because of the gut-brain connection, not only can bitters enhance digestion, but they can reduce depression and improve mood. They also support your liver's natural detoxification processes, and thus can improve skin health.

Bitter foods are generally recognized as anti-inflammatory agents in traditional Chinese medicine.

“They may also provide support for liver function. Digestive bitters can help the liver's natural detoxifying activities. Bitters can relieve bloating, gas, cramping, nausea, heartburn, and other digestive discomforts.”

All bitters are tincture, but not all tincture are bitters. Tincturing is the process of macerating, or soaking, your plants in alcohol for a period of days to months to extract, intensify, and preserve their flavor potency in alcohol. Many botanicals have bitter compounds.

The Mishnah is the first major written work that describes Jewish traditions and it specifies five types of bitter herbs that may be eaten as maror. They include lettuce, chicory, horseradish, dandelion greens, and possibly clover. Other potential bitter options would include parsley, endive, green onion, and celery.

Do bitters help with weight loss? ›

Bitters rev up your fat-burning metabolism and your body processes more fat – which means storing less of it. Studies show healthy bile also reduces insulin resistance, which is essential for weight loss and healthy blood sugar levels.

Just because you're "not supposed to" drink bitters straight doesn't mean you can't. It might not taste great, but it'll get the job done.

Andrographis paniculata, commonly known as the King of Bitters, is named for its intensely bitter tasting leaves. In traditional Chinese and Indian medicine, it is used to reduce fever, inflammation, blood sugar and high blood pressure.

People who are pregnant and breastfeeding shouldn't take bitters. They also shouldn't be given to children as they often are infused in alcohol. People who have gastrointestinal disease shouldn't take bitters as they might irritate your digestive system.

In 1870, Siegert's three sons migrated to Trinidad and established the bitters as an essential ingredient in co*cktails and food. With four bitters variations: Aromatic Bitters, Orange Bitters, Cocoa Bitters, and Amaro Di Angostura, Angostura is a staple for bartenders and professional and home cooks.

Your homemade batch won't be as strongly bitter, but you'll see what I mean about this being an unusual, not fully palatable flavor on its own. Bitters are meant to be used in conjunction with something else (a co*cktail, a glass of seltzer) and should be composed with this future blending in mind.

Since bitters help prepare the digestive tract to digest food, they are best taken about 15 minutes before a meal, although taking them with or just after eating can still be helpful if you forget to take them ahead of time.

▸How many drops/dashes of bitters should I use in a drink? When creating our own co*cktails we always start with 2 dashes, or in our case 20-24 drops, of bitters for a co*cktail 6 oz or larger and then increase or decrease as we see fit.