Gentian, the King of Bitter Herbs

Gentian, the King of Bitter Herbs





Perhaps the most common bitter herb used in aromatic Bitters is Gentian, but the medicinal value of gentian should not be overlooked.  Pictured above is the Yellow Gentian, Gentiana Lutea, commonly  used in herbal medicine.  

According to NatrualMedicinalHerbs.net, "Gentian root has a long history of use as a herbal bitter in the treatment of digestive disorders and is an ingredient of many proprietary medicines. It contains some of the most bitter compounds known and is used as a scientific basis for measuring bitterness. It is especially useful in states of exhaustion from chronic disease and in all cases of debility, weakness of the digestive system and lack of appetite. It is one of the best strengtheners of the human system, stimulating the liver, gall bladder and digestive system, and is an excellent tonic to combine with a purgative in order to prevent its debilitating effects. The root is anthelmintic, anti-inflammatory, antiseptic, bitter tonic, cholagogue, emmenagogue, febrifuge, refrigerant and stomachic. It is taken internally in the treatment of liver complaints, indigestion, gastric infections and anorexia. It should not be prescribed for patients with gastric or duodenal ulcers. The root, which can be as thick as a person's arm and has few branches, is harvested in the autumn and dried for later use. It is quite likely that the roots of plants that have not flowered are the richest in medicinal properties."  

Yellow Gentian is native to the mountains of central and southern Europe, and is endangered, so familiarity with the other members of the family and growing your own would be advised. The aforementioned lists several Gentians. Some have unique documented properties, so be sure to look up each in your favorite herbal:

Gentiana acaulis, Gentiana andrewsii, Gentiana crassicaulis, Gentiana cruciata, Gentiana dahurica, Gentiana decumbens, Gentiana kurroo, Gentiana lutea, Gentiana macrophylla, Gentiana manshurica, Gentiana pannonica, Gentiana pneumonanthe, Gentiana puberulenta, Gentiana punctata, Gentiana purpurea, Gentiana saponaria, Gentiana scabra, Gentiana scabra buergeri, Gentiana straminea, Gentiana thunbergii, Gentiana triflora, Gentiana tubiflora

According to tradition, Gentian was named for Gentius, ruler of the Illyrian Kingdom (181-168 BC).  "Dioscorides (the Greek physician) believed that the king Gentius identified the properties of this plant and used the plant root in 167 BC by the incidence of Plague." (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5634738/

Saint Hildegard of Bingen recommended Gentian for one, “who has fever in the stomach, often drinks powdered gentian in warm wine and his stomach is cleansed of fever”.  Gentian's use in traditional European medicine was well established, being recommended by Hieronymus Bock and Fr. Sebastian Kneipp. (from The Kneipp Cure)




https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Y99bpdvQNH4/X1k6ZSgIDoI/AAAAAAAAALw/mvi--gjt14gEE_O8w1r2fEOHpBqV3pevwCLcBGAsYHQ/s322/g2.PNG



Although the use of Bitters medicinally had been widely used and acknowledged by physicians for centuries, the Pure Food and Drug Act of banned all commercial claims of the health benefits of Bitters.  Granted, some advertisements went too far, such as claiming to "strengthen, invigorate, tone and rebuild the entire system" (according to Bitters, A Spirited History of a Classic Cure All, by Brad Thomas Parsons). I'm not sure which company made that claim, but an ad for Brown's Iron Bitters is a good example:



 

However, Gentian based Bitters remained popular in the region of their birth. One of my favorite herbal authors, Maria Treben in her very popular book published in 1980, "Health Through God's Pharmacy", listed Gentian as a substitute for Aloe in her recipe for Small Swedish Bitters:




The Physicians' Desk Reference for Herbal Medicine states it succinctly:

"The essential active principles are the bitter substances contained in the herb.  These bring about a reflex stimulation of the taste receptors, leading to increased secretion of saliva and the digestive juices.  Gentian root is therefore considered to be not simply a pure bitter, but also a restorative and tonic.  There is also a possible Cholagogic effect, although it is not clear if the mode of action is sensory-reflexive.  In addition, a fungistatic effect has been proven for the gentian extract."

In terms of Herbal Energetics, we would say that Gentian stimulates the the upper Gastrointestinal System, which in turn, stimulates the lower GI and is good for deficiency.  It gets the saliva and stomach acids going, which triggers the bile and pancreatic juices.

Beyond that, well... Gentian based Bitters just taste good!  Gentian is also a very pretty plant.  I'll leave you with a photo of my favorite blue Gentian (courtesy of Wiki).



https://southernappalachianherbs.blogspot.com/2020/09/gentian-king-of-bitter-herbs.html

Hoo boy, I was advised to take this in powder form, blended with barberry, as a tonic against my sluggish digestion and it was the most  bitter thing I have ever ingested. Made me.gag or near gag every single time. Potent stuff for sure. It definitely helped my general feelings of well being, I should muster my courage and give it another go. Or maybe seek out a complex bitter that contains gentian instead of the straight powder

s. lowe wrote:Hoo boy, I was advised to take this in powder form, blended with barberry, as a tonic against my sluggish digestion and it was the most  bitter thing I have ever ingested. Made me.gag or near gag every single time. Potent stuff for sure. It definitely helped my general feelings of well being, I should muster my courage and give it another go. Or maybe seek out a complex bitter that contains gentian instead of the straight powder

I think the better plan would be to use it in combination.  It really isn't unpleasant as part of a formula.  Try my Daily Digestive bitters: https://southernappalachianbitters.blogspot.com/2020/09/my-daily-digestive-bitters-ddb-formula.html

Growing up in a Bavarian household, there was always Enzian (German for Gentian) in the fridge for digestion after a heavy meal. I took it for an excuse to have a shot during the day, but it seams it is really the bitter ingredient that helps.

Here we can get various Gentian schnaps in the supermarket, it is still popular.
On the label of this brand you can see the yellow gentiana. Other labels display the more popular blue one, a signature flower of the Alpes.


Here are some more brands of Enzian:
https://www.ecosia.org/images?q=enzian%20schnaps#id=69102C2FEEC2C5C0E06431238CADF7E030A09D84

As you can see, some brands don't look old-fashioned at all, there are some young distillers out there who make good stuff.

Judson Carroll wrote:

s. lowe wrote:Hoo boy, I was advised to take this in powder form, blended with barberry, as a tonic against my sluggish digestion and it was the most  bitter thing I have ever ingested. Made me.gag or near gag every single time. Potent stuff for sure. It definitely helped my general feelings of well being, I should muster my courage and give it another go. Or maybe seek out a complex bitter that contains gentian instead of the straight powder

I think the better plan would be to use it in combination.  It really isn't unpleasant as part of a formula.  Try my Daily Digestive bitters: https://southernappalachianbitters.blogspot.com/2020/09/my-daily-digestive-bitters-ddb-formula.html

That looks like a wonderful recipe. I'll give it a go. I'm about out of a bitter that a friend gifted me but I don't think it's potent enough for my needs. I did appreciate the effect of gentian. It was just damn taxing to get the powdered root down. For anyone curious about bitterness or wanting to get to know the herb, a tiny bit of powdered gentian root on the tongue is among the most intense botanical experiences I've encountered

s. lowe wrote:

Judson Carroll wrote:

s. lowe wrote:Hoo boy, I was advised to take this in powder form, blended with barberry, as a tonic against my sluggish digestion and it was the most  bitter thing I have ever ingested. Made me.gag or near gag every single time. Potent stuff for sure. It definitely helped my general feelings of well being, I should muster my courage and give it another go. Or maybe seek out a complex bitter that contains gentian instead of the straight powder

I think the better plan would be to use it in combination.  It really isn't unpleasant as part of a formula.  Try my Daily Digestive bitters: https://southernappalachianbitters.blogspot.com/2020/09/my-daily-digestive-bitters-ddb-formula.html

That looks like a wonderful recipe. I'll give it a go. I'm about out of a bitter that a friend gifted me but I don't think it's potent enough for my needs. I did appreciate the effect of gentian. It was just damn taxing to get the powdered root down. For anyone curious about bitterness or wanting to get to know the herb, a tiny bit of powdered gentian root on the tongue is among the most intense botanical experiences I've encountered

Let me know how it goes!

i’m growing what was sold as tibetan gentian, (G. tibetica). i’ve hesitant to put them in the ground because we have such a severe vole infestation, and roots of all kinds are in danger here...does the bitterness deter rodents?

greg mosser wrote:i’m growing what was sold as tibetan gentian, (G. tibetica). i’ve hesitant to put them in the ground because we have such a severe vole infestation, and roots of all kinds are in danger here...does the bitterness deter rodents?

I honestly have no idea, but I'd sure like to know!  There are wild gentians that grow in NC - I plan to plant some next year, but we don't have voles.  We have big groundhogs that I utilize for meat!  I wonder who we could tag and ask?

Just a small suggestion.  If the gentian powder is too bitter, have you ever considered putting it into empty capsules and swallow them with lots of water?

https://www.amazon.com/Capsules-Express-Clear-Empty-Vegan/dp/B07X81G9FC/ref=sr_1_6?crid=16ML49N1K2MV3&dchild=1&keywords=empty+capsules+00&qid=1605969511&sprefix=empty+capsules%2Caps%2C343&sr=8-6

Olga Booker wrote:Just a small suggestion.  If the gentian powder is too bitter, have you ever considered putting it into empty capsules and swallow them with lots of water?

https://www.amazon.com/Capsules-Express-Clear-Empty-Vegan/dp/B07X81G9FC/ref=sr_1_6?crid=16ML49N1K2MV3&dchild=1&keywords=empty+capsules+00&qid=1605969511&sprefix=empty+capsules%2Caps%2C343&sr=8-6

I think the bitter taste is a major component of the herb's medicinal value - in a capsule, it wouldn't be tasted.

Olga Booker wrote:Just a small suggestion.  If the gentian powder is too bitter, have you ever considered putting it into empty capsules and swallow them with lots of water?

https://www.amazon.com/Capsules-Express-Clear-Empty-Vegan/dp/B07X81G9FC/ref=sr_1_6?crid=16ML49N1K2MV3&dchild=1&keywords=empty+capsules+00&qid=1605969511&sprefix=empty+capsules%2Caps%2C343&sr=8-6

Ya just like Judson mentioned, the ayurvedic practitioner that recommended the powder to me specifically mentioned not encapsulating because the activation of the bitter flavor on the tongue is so central to the effect.

This whole discussion has made me want to revisit that powder just for science. It was proscribed to me.about 4-5 years ago and was my first real introduction to bitters. My digestion was sluggish as all hell back then and I had.very inconsistent bowel activity. Since then I have continually used some.kind of bitter or made an effort to start meals.with bitter greens, among other dietary changes, and the general state of my digestion is much improved. I wonder if I would notice a difference in the perceived bitterness? Mostly I wonder if our tolerance for bitterness is at all related to our need for it or if its just a function of exposure like pepper heat