Fragrant Bitters

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We can use our sense of taste and smell to ascertain the chemical profile of medical plants with surprising accuracy. This evolved ability has served to protect us by helping us to know what is food, what is medicine, and what is potentially toxic.

We can hone this sense and utilize it to determine the chemical makeup of plants and their general uses.

In the case of Fragrant Bitters there is a combination of aromatic constituents i.e. essential oils and bitter principles like those we see in the peel of bitter orange.

Fragrant Bitters tend to be slightly warming & drying and are used often when wanting to stimulate a sluggish digestive system, promote excretion, and support a healthy bacterial balance in the gut.

Some Examples of Fragrant Bitter Herbs:

  • Elecampane

  • Black Walnut Hulls

  • Wormwood

  • Tansy

  • Wormseed

  • Fever Few

  • Bitter Orange

  • Sweet Annie

Common Properties of Fragrant Bitters:

  • digestive stimulant

  • antiparasitic

  • expectorant

  • mild laxative

What is your favorite FRAGRANT BITTER? Tell me about it in the comments!

If you want to go big in your study of herbal medicines check out the next round of the Foraging & Medicine Making Intensive. Registration is open and live on my website and I only have room for 25 students so go ahead and snag your spot.