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Swedish bitters.

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There's lots of different recipes for it.

There's dozens of recipes for Swedish bitters. Bob asked about one of them in this comment. His blend contained these herbs:

"Manna (stem) Fraxinus ornus, Angelica (root), Zedoary (root), Aloe (leaves), Rhubarb (root), Senna (leaves), Myrrh (stem), Carline Thistle (root) Carlina acaulis, Camphor, Black Snakeroot (root) (Rhizoma Cimicifugae), Valerian (root), Cinnamon (bark), Cardamom (fruit), Saffron (pistil), water & alcohol."

Digestive: angelica, zedoary, cinnamon, cardamom, saffron, myrrh (in small doses)
Laxative: aloe (if green parts are used), rhubarb, senna
Demulcent: manna, aloe (if clear juice is used)
Cathartic: carline thistle (in large doses)
Diuretic: carline thistle (in smaller doses)
Clears the sinuses: camphor
Very weird in this blend: black cohosh (Cimicifuga)
Relaxant: valerian.

"What would you guess this concoction might actually be useful for?"

Somewhere on the web Swedish bitters were described as the current theriac. Theriac is a herb (&c.) blend from about 2000 years ago that was meant to cure everything, including poisons.

This particular blend is mainly (but not completely) digestive, something to be taken after you've eaten.

The senna in the blend can be addictive: you won't be able to take a dump without it, if you've been taking it daily for long enough. Long enough being 2 weeks, give or take a few days.

"I learned only a very little about bitters in chiropractic college. They seem to posess a lot of potential."

Bitters are fairly simple: the bitter taste in your mouth starts up salivation, which starts up the juices all along the digestive canal, in sequence.

Do bitters 20-30 minutes before every meal if you have a sluggish digestion (you balk at, say, raw cabbage, or fat foods, or similar), and do bitters 20-30 minutes before every meal if you don't have a gall bladder, or if you have trouble with fat digestion.

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Related entry: Bitters - Bitters again

Comments

I really like to use bitters with folks who feel like there energy is floating. For instance, after driving or flying long distances it's easy to feel un-grounded and often it takes a while for you to feel like you're coming back in your own skin. I use bitters to hasten this return from what some might call being "Vata'd out". Bitters can really speed up recovery from this kind of energetic 'trauma'. Half a drop of Arnica tincture can be helpful too, but I really like using bitters for their descending energy.

"Bitter to the taste is sweet to the tummy"

Would you please give me some information about the formulas of herbs and when to prepare some mixtures what is the rules for the amounts of each herb ,why not we put eaqual amounts from each herbs in the mixture,why we put more from one kind than the others.
Mixing some herbs together ,is it right to mix how many herb and which herbs goes with others and which not goes.
please give references or some details.

thanks

Jamal, I see two possibilities:
1) you're serious and actually do want all that for your own use. Ask on the herblist.
2) you're a student and want me to do your homework for you. Do check my inbox rants.