bitters the revival of a forgotten flavor.pdf

7/27/2019 Bitters the Revival of a Forgotten Flavor.pdf

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Bitters: the Revival of a Forgotten Flavor

Written by Danielle Charles-Davies

Monday, 17 January !11 1:"

#f all the flavors to gra$e our %alate, there is %erha%s none as fas$inating as that of bitterness& 't is a

flavor that is universally des%ised(used linguisti$ally to $hara$teri)e %ain, harshness and thingsthat are e*tre+ely diffi$ult to bear&1et, it is also a flavor used in $ultures the orld over to

strengthen digestion, $leanse the body and build vitality(in short, $onsidered an ingredient

essential to good health&,.'n fa$t, so +any of the %lants hu+ans have traditionally used to tonify

and heal the body are bitter tasting that e still today often rate the strength and usefulness of our

+edi$ine by ho terribly bitter it tastes&

't is unfortunate, then, that our +odern diet see+s to be $o+%letely la$/ing in the ild bitter tasting

%lants our an$estors $onsidered so funda+ental to their health&0Many of the diseases riddling our

+odern $ulture(fro+ indigestion and gastri$ reflu* to +etaboli$ disorders ranging fro+ elevated

$holesterol to ty%e diabetes(see+ to all %oint ba$/ to the defi$ien$y of bitterness in our diets,

and the la$/ of the %rote$tion and tone it i+%arts to our digestion and +etaboli$ fun$tions&"

NOT A MEDICINE BUT A NECESSITY

$$ording to +any, bitter herbs and foods %lay a hel%ful role in alleviating +any of these

$onditions not so +u$h be$ause they a$t as s%e$ifi$ re+edies but be$ause they %rovide $o+%onents

ne$essary to overall good health&0,"'t is very %ossible that the $urrent national health $risis $ould

be radi$ally turned around si+%ly by rebalan$ing our %alate ith the +edi$inal virtues of

bitterness&

Why do so +any $ultures around the orld revere bitter foods and herbs, not 2ust as su%%le+ents,

but as a ne$essary $o+%onent of health3 4o anser this 5uestion, let6s first $onsider the $lass of

%lant $o+%ounds $olle$tively /non as bitters&8 4hese $o+%ounds(in$luding iridoids,

ses5uiter%ene, la$tones and al/aloids(o$$ur idely throughout the %lant /ingdo+& 4hey are

$onsidered se$ondary %lant +etabolites( +eaning that they serve no nutritional %ur%ose to the

%lant, or for that +atter, to us& Rather, these $o+%ounds are used by the %lant to %rote$t itself

against +i$robes and o*idative da+age, and to deter feeding by %redators 9su$h as us&.,;

AN EVOLVED TASTE

Resear$hers s%e$ulate that our bodies evolved to identify the bitter taste as an indi$ation of to*i$ity,

based on the natural aversion +ost +a++als de+onstrate toards bitter-tasting substan$es and the

highly %oisonous nature of so+e of these bitter $o+%ounds&7

When eaten in s+all a+ounts, es%e$ially in $o+bination ith $arbohydrates, the body is able to

tolerate their %resen$e? interestingly, +any herbivores $onsu+e bitter-tasting %lants sele$tively,

deliberately $hoosing %lants that are only +ildly bitter, thus building u% an i++unity that hel%s%rote$t the ani+al fro+ the to*i$ity of highly bitter %lants&1!4his ada%tation alloed us to %rofit

fro+ so+e of the benefi$ial roles these $o+%ounds %erfor+ in the %lant, su$h as inhibiting the


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groth of +i$robes, %rote$ting against o*idation, and redu$ing infla++ation& .,;But +ost

i+%ortant, the %rote$tive +e$hanis+ designed to e*%el these %otentially %oisonous $o+%ounds

fro+ the body be$a+e +uted and $hanged into a highly benefi$ial refle* that sti+ulates and

tonifies our entire digestive tra$t&


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its %rodu$tion of bile, and your gallbladder to in$rease bile e*$retion&,.,11Bile is ne$essary for fat

digestion and the absor%tion of fat-soluble nutrients su$h as vita+ins , D and &1


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arro :Achilles millefolium& floering %lant that %rodu$es a +ild bitter herb used as an

astringent and $old re+edy& 4he entire herb $an be used&

Aour$e: htt%:GGherbs&loveto/no&$o+G@istHofHBitterH


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'n the busy-ness of everyday life, the +ost $onvenient +ethod of using bitters +ay be to ta/e a

s+all a+ount of bitters tin$ture 9al$oholi$ e*tra$t in a little ater before you eat(as you +ight

lose your day 2ob if you fi* yourself a bitter $o$/tail at or/K Aedish bitters is a for+ula easily

found on healthfood store shelves, and is based on a traditional blend of herbs $reated by the

%hysi$ian ara$elsus in the si*teenth $entury& Do e*er$ise $aution ith this %rodu$t if you are %rone

to $onsti%ation, as several of the ingredients have a strongly sti+ulating a$tion on the $olon all,

$reating a %otential for de%enden$y& ,.,;Most herb $o+%anies offer various bitters for+ulas8$reated fro+ so+ehat gentler herbs, and they are be$o+ing in$reasingly available in natural

foods stores&


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REFERENCES

1& gnes, Mi$hael& Websters Ne World !ictionary& e or/, : o$/et, !!.

& Mills A, Bone &"rinciples and "ractice of "hytotherapy& !!!& @ondon: Chur$hill @ivingstone

.& P10=00

10& Bone &A %linical *uide to $lending )i/uid Herbs& At& @ouis, M#: lsevier, !!.

1"& Bergner & astrointestinal: @ea/y gut, +ole$ular +i+i$ry, +i$ro$hi+eris+, and

autoi++unity&8Medical Herbalism >90:10-17

1;& 4heDrin/Aho%&$o+ : 4he

bitters the revival of a forgotten flavor.pdf

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