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Hops is a very useful bitter tonic and is traditionally used in beer making imparting its characteristic bitter flavour. |
bitter tonics
Its the Bitter taste that makes your tummy sweet
The Bitters or Bitter tonics are a group of botanicals with a prominently bitter taste, due to the presence of a variety of chemical constituents including volatile oils, alkaloids and sesquiterpene lactones. These are all termed 'bitter principles'. The taste of bitterness is a common characteristic of many herbal remedies. This taste has a major pharmacological action through the stimulation of bitter sensitive taste buds in the mouth. These specialised cells do more than just signify the taste of food or medicine. They are actually connected neurally in such a way that their stimulation leads to the release of the hormone gastrin from the gut wall into the bloodstream, among other responses. The action in the body of gastrin accords closely with the claims made for the action of bitter herbs such as Swedish Bitters.
Taste does matter when considering the prescription of a bitter tonic, the bitter effect is lost unless one tastes the flavour, and the intensity of the effect is in direct proportion to the strength of the taste.
Bitters stimulate the appetite and thus are applied where lack of appetite or anorexia is a feature of any condition.
Bitters increases the flow of digestive juices and are thus indicated in conditions such as sluggish dyspepsia, to reduce the risk of enteric infections, to reduce the antagonistic action of proteins in the food as a cause of food allergies and generally to improve the micro-environment of the gastrointestinal tract even in problems of the lower intestines.
Bitters increase bile flow and dilution, reducing the chance of gall-bladder disease and effectively improving the self-cleansing reparative ability of the liver (liver drainage), thus finding application in a wide range of liver disease.
Bitters regulate the secretion of insulin and glucagon by the endocrine pancreas and have an important application in hypoglycemia and late-onset diabetes.
Bitters stimulate repair of the gut wall lining and are therefore not necessarily contra-indicated in (peptic) ulcers and other inflammatory or erosive conditions.
In short, the action of bitter principles enhances the whole upper digestive function and improves the assimilation of nutrients. Traditionally this property was highly regarded as leading to a real tonic improvement in health in even the most debilitated circumstances (the term tonic usually denotes a bitter medicine).
The best time to take a bitter remedy is 20 minutes prior to eating a large meal. This gives the stomach, liver, gall bladder and pancreas time to raise the digestive secretions to an optimum level.
Some foods with bitter action are: chicory, hops, endive, radicchio, dandelion greens, olives and dandelion root coffee (preferable drunk black without sugar). Centaury is a herbal medicine with a very gentle bitter action.
The Bitters or Bitter tonics are a group of botanicals with a prominently bitter taste, due to the presence of a variety of chemical constituents including volatile oils, alkaloids and sesquiterpene lactones. These are all termed 'bitter principles'. The taste of bitterness is a common characteristic of many herbal remedies. This taste has a major pharmacological action through the stimulation of bitter sensitive taste buds in the mouth. These specialised cells do more than just signify the taste of food or medicine. They are actually connected neurally in such a way that their stimulation leads to the release of the hormone gastrin from the gut wall into the bloodstream, among other responses. The action in the body of gastrin accords closely with the claims made for the action of bitter herbs such as Swedish Bitters.
Taste does matter when considering the prescription of a bitter tonic, the bitter effect is lost unless one tastes the flavour, and the intensity of the effect is in direct proportion to the strength of the taste.
Bitters stimulate the appetite and thus are applied where lack of appetite or anorexia is a feature of any condition.
Bitters increases the flow of digestive juices and are thus indicated in conditions such as sluggish dyspepsia, to reduce the risk of enteric infections, to reduce the antagonistic action of proteins in the food as a cause of food allergies and generally to improve the micro-environment of the gastrointestinal tract even in problems of the lower intestines.
Bitters increase bile flow and dilution, reducing the chance of gall-bladder disease and effectively improving the self-cleansing reparative ability of the liver (liver drainage), thus finding application in a wide range of liver disease.
Bitters regulate the secretion of insulin and glucagon by the endocrine pancreas and have an important application in hypoglycemia and late-onset diabetes.
Bitters stimulate repair of the gut wall lining and are therefore not necessarily contra-indicated in (peptic) ulcers and other inflammatory or erosive conditions.
In short, the action of bitter principles enhances the whole upper digestive function and improves the assimilation of nutrients. Traditionally this property was highly regarded as leading to a real tonic improvement in health in even the most debilitated circumstances (the term tonic usually denotes a bitter medicine).
The best time to take a bitter remedy is 20 minutes prior to eating a large meal. This gives the stomach, liver, gall bladder and pancreas time to raise the digestive secretions to an optimum level.
Some foods with bitter action are: chicory, hops, endive, radicchio, dandelion greens, olives and dandelion root coffee (preferable drunk black without sugar). Centaury is a herbal medicine with a very gentle bitter action.