-Dandelion (Taraxacum offcinalis) -Though considered an annoying weed by many, dandelion provides many medicinal and culinary uses often overlooked by gardeners! Herbalists use dandelion as a diuretic, bitter, and nutritive tonic for the whole body, in particular the liver and kidneys. The entire plant has beneficial traits: leaves, root, and flower. Dandelion root is included here for its bitter properties. The root demonstrates choleretic and cholagogue action, stimulating liver and gall bladder function. Taraxacum is also protective of liver function in situations where the liver could be damaged due to toxic exposure. Dandelion is a slow-acting and gentle herb.*

- Gentian root is best known as a bitter that stimulates saliva, stomach acid, and bile secretion.* Gentian originally comes from Europe and Turkey and is recommended by herbalists as a digestive aid. Gentian is ideal for people with decreased digestive ability. Recent research highlights the ability of gentian to reduce overall caloric intake in healthy individuals.

- Ginger root is used in cooking and also medicinally. Ginger is traditionally thought to stimulate digestion and increase digestive juices.* Ginger is an antioxidant and may be helpful for reducing gas, bloating, constipation, diarrhea, nausea, stomach pain, and intestinal spasms.

-Fennel seed is arguably one of the most important traditional plants to support digestive health, with a substantial body of knowledge supporting its uses. Native to Europe and now cultivated in North America, Asia, and Egypt, fennel is a digestive aid that can help reduce spasms of the gastrointestinal tract and relieve gas. For this reason, it is often taken in conjunction with purgative herbs like cascara, since cascara sagrada can stimulate the muscle contractions of peristalsis. Fennel’s gas-relieving actions may help people with Irritable Bowel Syndrome, spastic constipation, intestinal colic, and bloating.

- Wormwood (Artemesia absinthium) is a shrub that grows in Europe, North Africa, western Asia, and North America. Its leaves, flowers, and essential oil have all been used medicinally by herbalists. Wormwood is traditionally classified as a bitter to stimulate digestion and relieve intestinal spasms. It has been taken in combination with other herbs to treat the abdominal discomfort and cramping that accompany Irritable Bowel Syndrome. Its bitter constituents include absinthin and anabsinthin which stimulate gall bladder function.

Bitter orange peel extract, also called Citrus X Aurantium, is often included in bitters formulas. Bitter orange has been approved by the German Commission E for loss of appetite and other dyspeptic ailments. In modern European herbal medicine, this extract is helpful for stomach complaints related to insucient gastric juices. Bitter orange likely originated in Southeast Asia, was propagated in India and Persia then spread by traders around the Mediterranean. Eventually bitter orange was introduced to the Caribbean. Now this plant is cultivated in subtropical areas like southern Europe, Israel, and the Caribbean.