Digestive bitters: how they work, how to take them, and the bitters we carry

Digestive bitters are liquid blends of bitter herbs, such as gentian root, dandelion and artichoke leaf, taken in small amounts before a meal. This guide explains how they work, how to take them, how the bitters on our shelf compare, and where ginger, apple cider vinegar, aloe and DGL fit on the digestion shelf.

It's for anyone who feels heavy after a rich dinner, likes the idea of a simple pre-meal habit, or has been told to "try bitters" and wants to know which bottle to pick up. Bitters are an old tradition, and they're refreshingly simple once you know the basics.

What are digestive bitters?

Digestive bitters are herbal extracts with a strong bitter taste, usually made by steeping bitter herbs in alcohol and water (a tincture) or in water alone. The bitter compounds in these plants are what give them their bite. The classic bitter herbs are gentian root, dandelion root and leaf, globe artichoke leaf, burdock root, angelica root and wormwood, often balanced with aromatic herbs like ginger, cardamom, chamomile, fennel and orange peel. Dandelion and artichoke also turn up in liver formulas, which our milk thistle guide explains.

Bitter foods used to be a regular part of most diets: dandelion greens, radicchio, bitter melon, endive. Most modern diets lean sweet and salty instead, and bitters are a way to bring that bitter taste back before a meal. Herbal traditions across Europe, from Swedish bitters to Italian digestivi, and bitter herbs in traditional Chinese medicine all share the same idea.

With bitters, the taste is the point: you have to taste them for them to do their job.

How do bitters work?

Your tongue, and in fact much of your gastrointestinal tract, has bitter taste receptors. When herbs that taste bitter reach those bitter receptors, the body responds as if food is on its way: more saliva, gastric juice including stomach acid, digestive secretions with enzymes, and bile production in the liver and gallbladder. Every one of the digestive organs gets the same early signal. That's the response bitters are traditionally used to encourage, which is why they're taken just before eating.

It also explains why capsules of bitter herbs aren't quite the same thing. To get the full effect of digestive bitters, let the liquid touch your tongue: a few drops straight, or in a little water.

Health benefits of digestive bitters, in label terms

In Canada, digestive bitters are licensed natural health products, and their labels are specific. Depending on the formula, you'll see that bitters are traditionally used in herbal medicine to help support healthy digestion, to aid digestion of rich or fatty foods, and to help relieve occasional indigestion, gas and bloating. Some also mention stimulating appetite or bile flow.

That's it, and it's plenty: a small, steady habit for people who want their digestive system to keep up with dinner. Bitters aren't meant to replace a good meal pattern; eating slowly, chewing well and including some bitter greens all help too.

How to take digestive bitters: a few drops before meals

1. Time it. Take bitters shortly before a meal. St. Francis Canadian Bitters, for example, is taken 15 to 60 minutes before eating.
2. Measure a few drops. Follow the label for the amount; most are a small dropperful or a teaspoon. Some people start with a smaller dose while they get used to the taste.
3. Taste it. Put the drops in a little water, or straight on the tongue. Some people like them in sparkling water as a pre-dinner drink.
4. Start with the meals that matter most. Many people begin with their largest meal of the day, then decide whether to take bitters before other meals.
5. Give it a couple of weeks. Bitters are traditionally taken as part of a daily routine rather than once in a while.

The digestive bitters we carry

St. Francis Canadian Bitters: globe artichoke, gentian and dandelion

St. Francis Herb Farm has made certified organic tinctures in the Ottawa Valley since 1988, and Canadian Bitters is its signature formula: globe artichoke leaf, dandelion, gentian root, chamomile, turmeric, cardamom, burdock, black walnut hull and ginger. Canadian Bitters Maple adds a little maple syrup to soften the bitterness, and it's the one we suggest for people new to bitters.

Harmonic Arts and Naka

Harmonic Arts, a family herbal company on Vancouver Island, makes Herbal Bitters with twelve organic herbs, from angelica and gentian to peppermint and chamomile, with cardamom. It's bitter, warming and a little sweet from the licorice, and it's traditionally used to aid digestion and help relieve indigestion with gas. Naka, an Ontario supplement maker, makes an organic digestive bitters in a 100 mL bottle.

Alcohol-free bitters

If you'd rather avoid alcohol, there are two good choices. Salus, a German family company that has made herbal tonics for more than 100 years, makes Gallexier from twelve plants extracted into water, fructose and lactic acid; it's taken before meals to help with occasional indigestion and the digestion of rich, fatty foods. Flora, which started in Burnaby, BC, in 1965, makes Maria's Swedish Bitters, an alcohol-free water extract of thirteen herbs based on the tonic of Austrian herbalist Maria Treben.

Single bitter herbs

Some people prefer one herb on its own. St. Francis Dandelion is a fresh 1:1 tincture of the whole dandelion plant, root and leaf, traditionally used to help relieve digestive disturbances such as indigestion and to help stimulate bile flow, taken in a little water on an empty stomach. Our herbal tinctures guide covers single herbs and how to read a tincture label.

St. Francis Herb FarmDandelion TinctureFresh whole-plant dandelion, root and leaf, 1:1. 100 mL.Shop →

Digestive bitters vs cocktail bitters

Bitter cocktails and digestive bitters share a family tree, but they're made for different jobs. Cocktail bitters are flavourings, measured in dashes, while digestive bitters are herbal products made to be taken on their own before a meal. On our drinks shelf, All The Bitter makes aromatic bitters for cocktails, mocktails and a splash in sparkling water. For more on that side of the shelf, see our non-alcoholic spirits guide.

All The BitterAromatic BittersCocktail bitters for drinks and sparkling water. 118 mL.Shop →

Bitters vs digestive enzymes

Bitters and digestive enzymes are often confused. Bitters work through taste, encouraging the body to make more of its own digestive secretions. Digestive enzymes supply enzymes directly in a capsule, taken with meals. Some people use one, some both. Our digestive enzymes guide explains how to read an enzyme label.

More for digestive health: ginger, apple cider vinegar, aloe and DGL

A few other traditional digestive helpers sit right next to the bitters.

Questions we get a lot

What are digestive bitters used for?

Digestive bitters are traditionally used in herbal medicine to help support healthy digestion, especially before larger or richer meals, and to help relieve occasional indigestion, gas and bloating.

Is it good to take bitters every day?

Many people take bitters before their main meal every day, and bitters are traditionally used as a steady habit. Follow the directions on your bottle for how often.

Is apple cider vinegar a digestive bitter?

Not quite. Apple cider vinegar is sour rather than bitter, so it's a different tradition, though people often use the two the same way, before meals.

Can I take bitters in capsules?

You can buy bitter herbs in capsules, but you'll miss the taste, which is the whole idea of bitters. A liquid in a little water is the traditional way.

Are there alcohol-free digestive bitters?

Yes. Salus Gallexier and Flora Maria's Swedish Bitters are both alcohol-free. Alcohol-based bitters are taken a few drops at a time, often in water.

Shop digestive bitters in Bedford, Dartmouth or online

You'll find digestive bitters with our digestion supplements at both stores: 486 Starboard Drive in Bedford and 590 Portland Street in Dartmouth, open seven days. In HRM, order by 11 am with Luminate Express for same-day delivery, or choose pickup. Anywhere else in Canada, orders over $80 ship free.

Sources: product labels and listings for the items shown. This article is general information, not medical advice.