Why do we eat a salad first? Think about it– you go to a restaurant or you sit down at Aunt Martha’s house for Thanksgiving and what’s the first course you get? Salad. Has it always been this way? What’s the point of eating cold greens before the ham casserole comes out?
It’s not just a social dinner norm with unexplained roots. Salad used to have a PURPOSE.
What is salad made from?
At its core, really, it’s just leaves. Leaves and maybe a few other vegetables or oil thrown on top of it for some flavor. Up until a hundred or so years ago, leaves (in general) were bitter. Especially lettuce! And that’s exactly why you wanted to eat them before dinner.
Tasting the bitter flavor is unpleasant to most modern humans, especially Americans. But one thing you’re sure to remember is that when you taste something bitter, you salivate. The juices in your mouth and digestive tract start being excreted en masse, giving your body a head start on digesting whatever meal is to follow.
It’s more than just mouth juices, though. The bitter flavor entices your liver to produce more bile, which is then hoarded and secreted by your gallbladder into your stomach as needed depending on how fatty your dinner is. Ox tail stew? Baby back ribs? Loaded cheeseburger with bacon? You could really use some bitters!
Your entire digestive tract has bitter flavor receptors, as tasting this flavor is also a sign of food being “off” or potentially toxic. The increased secretion of bile and digestive juices due to this flavor actually can help you lose weight, as more of your food is properly digested and assimilated [Source.]
Some common bitter herbs that are made into bitters include dandelion root, wormwood, yellow dock root, gentian root, orange peel, mugwort, horehound, artichoke leaf, and Oregon grape root. I like to also add some carminative herbs, such as fennel seed or cardamom pods, to enhance the flavor.
These are extracted into alcohol like a tincture, but are meant to be taken ON the tongue rather than under it. That way your taste buds get your juices flowing more quickly.
Most people have only heard of Bitters as part of making alcoholic mixed drinks. In point of fact, Angostura bitters were once a medicine. But over time people realized that the unique flavors of these bitter concoctions paired well with various alcohols and, like soda pop, it became a treat rather than something your grandma forced you to take before bed.
If you experience bloating, heartburn (acid reflux), poor digestion, IBS, or pain under the right side of your ribs just beside your stomach (where your gallbladder is), you are a good candidate for trying bitters.
If you’ve had your gallbladder removed and have since experienced an unusual number of digestive complaints, that’s because unlike what your doctor probably told you, a human DOES need their gallbladder. I discuss alternative methods of managing gut health without a gallbladder along with a huge host of other ways to resolve your gut problems inside my Gut Healing Protocol.
I personally have been making my own bitters for several years now, and when I bottled them yesterday I had an overflowing jar full. So instead of getting another jar for the overflow, I decided to bottle some up for you and add it to my Shop. Try a bottle here: Digestive Bitters
You can also discover more natural preventative and healing remedies inside my new book Think Like An Herbalist, available now!