Herbs with a bitter taste have been used for centuries in many cultures, including traditional Chinese medicine and Ayurvedic medicine, to help support and improve digestion. Over time, bitter herbs dissolved in an alcohol tincture have been used for a variety of health issues and are even used in alcoholic beverages that serve as aperitifs or beverages that you drink before a meal to stimulate your digestive system.
Digestive bitters like ginger, wormwood, gentian, burdock root, dandelion root, and artichoke leaf stimulate the bitter taste buds in your mouth to signal your digestive system to start the process of digestion by producing more saliva, gastric juices, and enzymes. Taking digestive bitters may help to reduce nausea, relieve indigestion, ease heartburn, balance blood sugar levels, support your liver, and bolster your immune system.
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What Are Herbal Bitters?
Wild bitter plants and herbs have been used for centuries in many cultures to support healthy digestion and breakdown of food. Bitters are made up of a concentrated blend of bitter herbs, roots, spices, barks, fruits, and/or flowers. Common digestive bitters include ginger, wormwood, gentian, burdock root, dandelion root, artichoke leaf, chamomile, and bitter melon. These botanicals are usually infused in high-proof alcohol to make a tincture and can also be infused in vinegar or glycerin.
In addition, foods such as arugula, Brussels sprouts, cacao, cranberries, dandelion greens, kale, and radicchio are naturally bitter and can help support digestion.
Ginger (Zingiber officinale)
Ginger is a root that has been used in many traditions to support digestion and calm nausea. Modern studies show that ginger can reduce nausea and decrease inflammation that contributes to the formation of stomach ulcers in the lining of the stomach that can cause indigestion, fatigue, heartburn, and abdominal discomfort.
Wormwood (Artemisia absinthium)
Wormwood aids in overall digestion and aids appetite by increasing vascular tone to increase blood flow, stimulating gustatory nerves in the mouth, and increasing secretion of gastric juice and bile.
Gentian (Gentiana lutea)
Gentian is a commonly used bitter in European herbalism and has a history of use in bitter liqueurs and aperitifs. Like wormwood, gentian increases blood flow to the digestive tract by increasing vascular tone and increases the secretion of gastric juices and bile by stimulating gustatory nerves in the mouth.
Burdock and Dandelion Root
Burdock root and dandelion root are both members of the Asteraceae plant family. Burdock is commonly added to bitters and has been shown to improve inflammatory status and reduce oxidative stress.
Dandelion root (Taraxacum officinale) contains lactones that have a bitter taste, which stimulates digestion in addition to being a potent antioxidant that helps to reduce inflammation in the gastrointestinal tract.
Artichoke leaf (Cynara scolymus)
Artichoke leaf is cooling and drying energetically and is used in traditional Western herbalism to address slow digestion and support the liver.
Chamomile
Chamomile is a gentle bitter that is calming and soothing to the body. It can help to ease digestive issues like nausea and indigestion and can be taken before eating to break up gas in the digestive tract and optimize nutrient absorption from food.
Bitter Melon
Bitter melon is a plant that is traditionally used in India, Asia, and South America as a natural remedy to help balance blood sugar. Studies suggest that bitter melon may help the body release and use insulin more effectively to lower blood glucose levels in people with diabetes.
How Do Herbal Bitters Assist Digestion?
Bitters help to stimulate digestive juices and enzymes and can also help to relax smooth muscle that lines the digestive tract to help relieve cramping. In addition, bitters might lower blood sugar levels by stimulating the release and use of insulin and taming sugar cravings.
There are several theories regarding how herbal bitters aid digestion and support the gastrointestinal tract. Digestion involves three major phases. During the cephalic phase, chewing, tasting, and swallowing of food stimulate nerves that prepare the digestive tract by stimulating the release of saliva to help with the breakdown of starches and fats and increasing blood flow in the celiac artery.
As food enters the stomach, the gastric phase begins. In this phase, the presence of food or liquids expands the stomach, which triggers mechanical receptors to increase blood flow to the digestive tract. Finally, food empties from the stomach into the intestines, where it is fully digested. During this phase, the blood flow in the superior mesenteric artery increases based on factors such as the food composition. Greater blood flow generally occurs when carbohydrates are consumed and decreases when proteins are consumed with fats.
The digestive tract is intertwined and connected with the nervous system and brain via the gut-brain axis. This bi-directional communication network is largely facilitated by actions of the autonomic nervous system and associated nerves such as the vagus nerve.
Many classic studies of the autonomic nervous system and digestion purport that herbal bitters stimulate the glossopharyngeal nerve, which innervates the tongue and sends signals to the brain. There, the taste is interpreted as bitter, which causes stimulation of the vagus nerve. In turn, the salivary gland and the stomach are stimulated to produce saliva, digestive enzymes, and gastric juices that stimulate the digestive process and appetite.
Studies have shown that bitters stimulate cholecystokinin (CCK), which is released from the small intestine to stimulate the digestion of fat and protein; glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1), a hormone produced by the brain in response to food consumption that causes reduced appetite and the release of insulin; and ghrelin a hormone produced in your stomach when it is empty that signals your brain that it is time to eat.
A simple local reflex model has also been proposed to explain the impact of bitters on digestion. This idea asserts that stimulation of bitter receptors in the mouth (oropharyngeal) and gastrointestinal tract produces local responses that increase digestive secretions.
Others have suggested that bitters act mainly by bitters enhancing blood flow in the gut to improve digestion or that the alcohol in which the bitter herbs are dissolved helps stimulate digestion.
Who Should Use Herbal Bitters?
Digestive bitters are frequently used to increase digestive secretions, promote adequate digestion, and enhance nutrient absorption. Since bitters help to stimulate saliva, gastric juices, and digestive processes and support the relaxation of smooth muscles along the digestive tract, they may benefit those with various digestive issues.
Bitters can be a gentle but effective addition to support you if you deal with bloating, gas, low stomach acid levels, gastroparesis, gallbladder dysfunction, problems with protein breakdown, atonic constipation, issues with fat absorption such as exocrine pancreatic insufficiency (EPI), or constipation.
For example, a lack of stomach acid can lead to digestive troubles. You need enough stomach acid to digest food properly, and taking bitters before a meal can help boost acid production.
Similarly, bitters may help those who have cramping and bloating by relaxing the bowel muscles.
Digestive bitters and other digestive enzyme supplements are also often used to help prevent dysbiosis. Since an insufficiency in digestive enzymes impacts the pH of the digestive tract, people without adequate secretion of enzymes are more likely to suffer from dysbiosis, small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO), and intestinal fungal overgrowth, stimulating greater secretion of digestive enzymes and juices can help balance the microbial environment of the gut.
Who Should Not Use Herbal Bitters?
While bitters are derived from plants, some precautions should be noted. Herbs are processed by similar pathways in the liver as medications, so they can interact with some medications in a way that may increase or decrease the blood levels.
People with chronic health issues like epilepsy, kidney disease, liver disease, low blood pressure, and bleeding disorders should discuss if certain bitters are safe to take based on their individual circumstances. If you experience irritation and chronic inflammation of the digestive tract due to conditions such as ulcers or inflammatory bowel disease, bitters may be irritating and not appropriate.
In addition, since bitters stimulate the release of additional gastric acid in your stomach, people who are predisposed to acid reflux, heartburn, bloating, cramping, or other stomach issues should discuss their use with a healthcare professional to see if bitters would be helpful or not.
Especially because they are often infused in an alcoholic tincture, bitters may not be appropriate for children or people who are pregnant, breastfeeding, or in recovery.
It is also important to consider that some people may be allergic to the herbs used in bitters.
When Should Herbal Bitters Be Taken?
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.
They should be placed on the tongue so you get the full bitter taste in order to work most effectively. Place a dose on your tongue and hold it there for about 10–15 seconds until you start salivating before swallowing.
Functional Medicine Labs to Evaluate Digestive Health
Functional medicine laboratory testing can help to assess ways that the digestive system may be imbalanced. This testing can evaluate the health and function of the gastrointestinal tract to bring the gut-brain axis and body back into balance.
Comprehensive Gut Testing
A comprehensive gut test like the GI-Effects evaluates gut health and function using a stool sample. This test provides an extensive look at the byproducts of digestion to indicate any maldigestion and malabsorption that may suggest digestive enzyme insufficiencies, as well as measuring markers of intestinal inflammation and microbial markers that can indicate dysbiosis, infection, and immune dysregulation that can contribute to gut symptoms. Using this test can help guide an individualized approach to optimize digestive health.
Micronutrient Testing
Nutrients like zinc are required for the production of stomach acid (HCl), and proper levels of stomach acid are required to digest and absorb proteins, vitamin B12, and minerals like iron and calcium. A micronutrient test assesses the levels of various nutrients to help target nutrition and supplement recommendations aimed at the restoration of nutrient status for optimal digestive function and overall health.
SIBO Breath Test
If a patient presents with a history of bloating, abdominal pain, and abnormal bowel movements, a breath test can help to diagnose and subtype SIBO.
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Summary
With a long history of being used to support and soothe the digestive system, herbal bitters are a traditional remedy that continues to offer benefits today. Working with a healthcare practitioner can help you determine if these botanicals may benefit your bloating, nausea, indigestion, gastroparesis, SIBO, and other digestive issues and help you determine the best individualized bitter formula to target your specific needs. Further, functional medicine laboratory testing can help determine the root cause of digestive dysfunction contributing to digestive symptoms to bring the body back into balance.
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