05/10/2025
THE BENEFITS OF BITTERS - A RECIPE!
Have you heard people talking about the weight loss medication Wegovy? It is very effective for weight loss, but there are issues when you stop it. Good new herbal bitters come to the rescue!
Wegovy are hormone-like drugs that through the stimulation of GLP-1 will curb appetite and balance blood glucose. Only problem is that there are side effects to stopping them including muscle loss and rebound weight gain. Using bitters instead of this medication, or after its use are an option many herbalists are offering.
Bitter herbs also stimulate bitter receptors throughout the body and throughout the digestive system and thereby increase incretin hormone production such as GLP-1. Bitter herbs assist in the regulation of appetite and satiety (feeling full), to enhance the benefits from weight loss diets by boosting the metabolism, and are useful in stubborn lack of weight loss due to insulin issues by balancing blood glucose levels.
Bitters also treat fatty liver, clear cholesterol from the body, stimulate peristalsis in constipated bowels, assist digestion and assimilation of nutrients, boost immunity and MORE!!
When you consider that the modern Western diet is primarily focused on stimulating the taste buds for sweet and salty or fatty you can see how bitter, sour, astringent have been pushed to the wayside, to our great detriment. I've always found it fascinating to see how when people eat more of these flavours they start to enjoy them more too!
I love this new supplement from Mediherb called Digest Forte. Its packed with bitter herbs and coated with the flavours of mandarin and gentian. You suck on the tablet for a minute or less and then swallow it, to wake up the bitter receptors in the mouth that send direct messages to the brain. $56.20 + courier for 60 tablets, let me know if you'd like to order this practitioner only product?
Alternatively make your own Bitter Drops!
Chop up some bitter herbs such as dandelion leaves (Taraxacum officinale), koromiko (H**e stricta), yarrow (Achillea millefolium) and globe artichoke (Cynara scolymus). Allow these to wilt overnight.
Add to a jar then cover with sufficient of either vodka or apple cider vinegar (with the mother ferment).
Additionally you can also add some goodies from your kitchen! For instance add in some coriander seeds crushed, cumin seeds crushed, fennel seeds crushed, dried orange or mandarin skin, roughly chopped up star anise and fenugreek seeds. Its all very rootsy in the approach to this Wild Woman Tincture, and can be adjusted to taste.
You need to make sure that all the ingredients are fully covered with either the vodka or the ACV.
Then simply infuse for 1-2 weeks, strain and add to dropper bottles. Take 10 drops ideally around 10 minutes before meals. But you can also take them afterwards, especially if you have overeaten!
Shine bright!
Nic
