Page 36 - Summer2018

Consuming inflammatory burden across the body, which before eating. Beyond our historical linkage
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herbal bitters can help with everything from acne to arthritis. to bitter plants, we may in fact need them to
This is a remarkable and important benefit for function properly, eat in a balanced way and
makes us those living in modern Western culture, where metabolize our food effectively.
feel full more the presence of pro-inflammatory irritants is Recently, T2R research has uncovered the
quickly, widespread. ability of bitter flavors to activate a powerful
Cells that carry T2Rs on the gut side are innate immune response. Scientists have known
reduces also connected to the bloodstream on the other that bitter taste receptors are found in weird
overeating side, and here they have the ability to secrete places, like the sinuses, bronchial passages and
and powerful hormones that affect our whole sys- even immune cells, but why this is the case has
tem. Slavo Komarnytsky, at North Carolina remained somewhat of a mystery. Researchers
counteracts State University’s Plants for Human Health like Noam Cohen at the University of Penn-

insulin Institute, has documented how T2R-bearing sylvania are converging on an answer. T2Rs
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resistance. cells secrete hormones like cholecystokinin, in the sinuses, for example, are waiting for the
polypeptide YY, or glucagon-like-protein 1 bitter-tasting secretions of infection-causing
(GLP-1) when stimulated by a bitter taste. The bacteria. When they sense them, they activate
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first substance helps to increase the secretion immunity, open the airway and release power-
of bile, but the second and third play a deeper ful antibacterial and antiviral molecules known
and perhaps more important role: they help to as defensins. This new understanding gives us
increase feelings of fullness and satisfaction, a broader picture of the benefits of regularly
reduce appetite and make us more sensitive to consuming bitter-tasting plants: they can protect
the hormone insulin. In short, consuming herbal us not only from the effects of poor digestion,
bitters makes us feel full more quickly, reduces irritating food, poison and toxicity, but perhaps
overeating and counteracts insulin resistance. also from infection and harmful bacteria.
This is precisely what a new clinical trial
by a group of physicians in Naples, Italy has THE NEED FOR BITTERS
documented. Participants consumed 20 percent Overall, bitter taste receptors and their
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fewer calories at an all-you-can-eat meal when associated digestive, metabolic, hormonal and
they had been exposed to a strong bitter taste detoxification functions direct our response to

BASIC FORMULA FOR HERBAL BITTERS

1 tablespoon strong bittering agent (such as gentian root or wormwood)
1 tablespoon soothing herb (such as burdock or calendula)
2 tablespoons citrus notes (lemon balm and orange peel)
1-2 teaspoons warm spice, if desired (allspice or ginger)
1-2 teaspoons sweetness (honey or maple syrup)
12 fluid ounces alcohol solvent (one-hundred-proof vodka)
Take all the herbal ingredients, which should be in dry and chopped form, and place them in a pint-sized mason jar.
Add the sweetener and vodka, then cover, seal and steep for at least two weeks. Strain through a muslin cloth, squeezing
the herbs well to extract all the fluid possible. Bottle and store in amber dropper bottles to make for easy dosing.
The formula can be modified to suit specific tastes (see “Other Bitters Ingredients”). For example, use a cooling spice
like peppermint instead of ginger for a more refreshing feeling, or replace the citrus with vanilla for a rich, warm blend.
Herbs like fennel seed or anise (instead of, or alongside, citrus) can help dispel gas and bloating. A light, fragrant floral
blend can be made by replacing the citrus with herbs like linden or chamomile.
Bitters are best taken regularly, especially if there are digestive concerns present, at a dose of about thirty drops once or
twice a day. In a cocktail, use fifteen to thirty drops, add thirty to sixty drops to sparkling water before meals as an aperitif
or add up to two teaspoons to an equal volume of water as an after-meal digestive aid. Bitters mix well with almost any
cocktail but are featured mostly in classics like the Old Fashioned, the Manhattan, the Sazerac and the Negroni. Bitters
work well in sour cocktails, too—though one may want to keep the citrus and decrease the strong bittering agents a bit.

34 Wise Traditions SUMMER 2018