why i love bitters

if i could choose just one herbal remedy indicated for the majority of us living here in america, it would be bitters. bitters help us digest, stimulating the liver and gallbladder to secret bile (yellow in color, reflected by many of our hepatoprotective plants which happen to be yellow in color) and kickstart the digestive process. bitters remind the body how to break down, assimilate, and eliminate. this is especially helpful in circumstances where digestion has become sluggish, perhaps after we’ve eaten foods we know cause us to inflame and bloat, and especially around this time of year.

i am always called back to bitters in the spring and fall, during seasons of transition where the body is preparing to shift with the earth. digestion slows down for the coming winter as we begin to eat heartier, more grounding foods that provide deep nourishment as cold days and long nights creep in. what better way to support your body’s natural system than to carry a bottle of bitters around with you? they are an excellent remedy for before a big feast, or if you forgot you can still take a serving after you’ve overindulged. one thing i love about bitters is that they are aromatic, due to their essential oil content, and help dispel states of dampness or stagnation associated with bloating.

dampness and stagnation translates into the energetic body and the etheric realm: stuck energy, stuck food. plant medicines work with the physical and emotional elements. anything bitter in taste will have an affinity for the liver, (stimulating bile secretion!). to get the body draining and keep the qi flowing, the liver must be working properly. according to chinese medicine, the liver houses anger. that means when you hold onto anger for too long, it can accumulate in the liver and cause stagnation and heat, interrupting the flow of qi and causing sluggish digestion. alternately, if your liver is overloaded and backed up, you may experience more irritability and agitation.

i keep a bottle of bitters in my car for momentary lapses of irritation. bitters tend to be energetically cooling, and with the downward draining energy, they help cool and bear down on the heat instead of letting it rise and cause a moment of “hot-headedness.” the liver meridian follows a line all the way up through the neck and into the base of the skull. headaches, floaters in your field of vision, and irritation are all indicators that the liver needs some support. bitters are my go-to for liver support. if you are someone who prefers the idea of working with remedy once per day instead of before each meal, you can always consider adding bitters to your bedtime routine — according to chinese medicine, the liver organ system is associated with the time 10pm-1am, meaning it regenerates while we rest.

traditional bitter herbs like dandelion, burdock, and yellow dock all have roots that are harvested either in spring or fall. if harvested in the spring, the medicine will have an upward lifting quality, while fall harvests support downward grounding energy. i like to add a little orange peel and ginger into mine. angelica and gentian are two other classic bitters, though i find angelica to be a bit more warming than cooling (and an incredible ally for moving things through, with a supreme bite). tincture can be made from freshly harvested roots or dried roots, though my preference will almost always be for the fresh. we find such strength and support in these hearty roots that lead us into winter.

non-root herbs that happen to be bitter like skullcap, motherwort, and blue vervain fall under the nervine category. any herb with bitter qualities will have action on the liver, though their main affinity may be for the nervous system. there is a bit of overlap with nervine and digestive herbs: chamomile, lemon balm, even st. john’s wort (would classify this one as hepatoprotective and for the solar plexus). many nervines are antispasmodic, which can help release cramping in the gut. the nervines are fun to add into bitter blends depending on your constitution and needs. if you happen to prefer taking the bitters at night, something like skullcap could be a great addition to any bitters formula.

bitters are delightful. a single dropperful is enough to zap a little life back into your liver and digestive system. i like them on their own, but maybe you aren’t sure about having to taste something bitter... here’s a recipe for testing the waters. consider it a little mocktail or apertif, inspired loosely by a shirley temple:

1oz pomegranate juice

1oz cherry juice

1/2 oz orange juice

1 dropper hawthorn

1 dropper bitters

top off with sparkling water

bitters are a gateway for inviting plant medicine into your daily routine. they are fast acting, provide instantaneous relief, and when taken regularly, have a great balancing effect on the entire digestive system. most importantly, i love that bitters help us to digest what’s hard to digest.