Enkindling digestive fire with bitters

Angelica archangelica

I've been gearing up for the Bitter Herbal Medicine Webinar that I am presenting along with Michael Tierra. At this point I have 84 slides full of information to go over! 


I realize this is a little time optimistic so am trying to slim things down a bit. As a result I've had to cut a few recipes and formulations. Instead of filing this away in my own computer I thought it would be better spent sharing with you here. 


The webinar will take place on March 15th at 5:30 PDT. 
If you haven't yet registered for this FREE webinar, you can do so here. 
https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/772182875


In the Bitter Herbal Medicine Webinar I am going to look at the different actions we see within the bitter taste. 


One of the most prevalent actions within the bitter taste is stimulating digestion. The bitter taste on the tongue creates a cascade of events from stimulating saliva (our first digestive enzyme) to increasing bile production and the release of pancreatic enzymes. Thus small amounts of bitter taste help to enkindle our digestive fire and promote proper digestion. 


Eating bitter foods and/or drinking a bitter tonic with meals is seen throughout many different cultures. During the webinar Michael has several slides he'll be presenting on bitter tonics throughout the world. 


At our house we take a small amount of bitters along with our meals. Sometimes this comes in the way of food, such as dandelion greens, and other times it is a tincture blend that we keep handy on the table. 


Creating a bitters blend is pretty fun. I make these up a pint at a time and make it different each time. I follow a basic formula. 


bitter herbs that are cooling and drying
bitter herbs that are warming
carminative herbs that are warming
aromatic herbs




Here's my latest blend. 

Rosalee’s bitters blend

1/2 cup boneset leaf                      Eupatorium perfoliatum

1/2 cup Angelica                            Angelica archangelica

1/4 cup catnip                                Nepeta cataria

1 heaping teaspoon of fennel     Foeniculum vulgare

1 heaping teaspoon of ginger     Zingiber officinale

2 tablespoons of glycerin

Place all the ingredients in a pint sized jar. Fill the jar with brandy, stir well, add more brandy if necessary. Let sit for 6 weeks, strain. 


Use in drop dosages before meals.