Thank you Corin. That's right on.
I would add that there is a distinction in herbalism between "bitters" proper, which tend to be cooling energetically (but not to the "digestive fire"), and "aromatic bitters" which tend to be neutral or warming, and are considered carminative. That is they help with the even flow of peristalsis, that is, the movement of the smooth muscles of the digestive tract, and help reduce the formation of gasses and thus flatulence.
Aromatic bitters are often added to bitter formulas to improve the taste, along with a sweet element. They fit into the category of carminatives. They include ginger, many of the Mint family members including basil, thyme, culinary sage, oregano, etc., as well as many others frequently used in cooking. A good list is on Wikipedia, actually.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carminative
One simple way to apply this is simply to eat bitter and wild greens before a meal, such as dandelion or plantain, and cook with plenty of carminatives, or have some nice tea after a meal. The general gist is bitters before and carminatives during or after a meal.
Tinctures are also a great way to easily add these to your diet. Capsules would not work for bitters. You need to actually taste them.
Plants are miraculous geniuses and are here partly to serve you, and vice versa.
Blessings,
Jeremy
