The Story Behind Happy Bitters | Bitter Herbs

September 24, 2023

Happy Bitters is our contribution to a more bitter world!

It is a tincture containing bitter herbs in liquid form, i.e., as a tincture for internal use. This is Örtfabriken's very first tincture. We are therefore particularly fond of it. The recipe is Örtfabriken's own. It is based on ancient, inherited knowledge and has been refined and modernized to suit us today.

Bitter herbs

My own health journey began in my gut. I had never had any problems before. Never an allergy or any other chronic condition. But once I upset the balance in my body, one symptom followed another. The tipping point for my health was my stomach. I had lived in Central America for several years. We worked and lived in simple conditions, and it was common to encounter various parasites. I took one antibiotic treatment after another because that's what you did. Today, I would have acted differently.

Parasites and antibiotics completely destroyed my gut health. For several years, I had recurring but manageable problems. But when my weight plummeted and I started experiencing other symptoms like thyroid disease and hormonal imbalance, it was time to do something.

But what?

I received poor advice from healthcare providers and had to seek further help. At that time, people were just beginning to talk about gut flora and how the stomach, intestines, and brain are connected. Slowly and painstakingly, I began to work with my gut in a holistic way.

The first thing I did was review my diet and exclude the "three whites" (flour, dairy, and sugar) and processed foods, especially junk food. Then I started adding probiotics, in the form of sauerkraut, kimchi, and lactic acid tablets. I delved deeper and deeper into herbs and supplements. I understood that I had to fight against the stronghold of bad bacteria that was raging down there. I used herbs for this in short but effective courses.

More and more herbs entered my life. But it wasn't until I had lived in Latvia for a longer period that I seriously discovered bitter herbs! They use a lot of bitter ingredients in their food. For example, rocket and parsley. And when I thought about it, there was nothing new about this! Bitter herbs are found in most cultures. You might have heard of Swedish bitters? Or aperitif and digestivo, which are a bit more common. Wherever you look, you'll find an herbal bitter blend that we enjoy with our food.

Here you can see an overview of common bitter herbs and flavors.

bitter herbs
As I delved deeper into the world of herbs, I learned more. Bitter blends were my final cornerstone! As Örtfabriken began to take shape within me, it became clear that Happy Bitters would be the first recipe.

Happy Bitters contains, as a bitter blend should, a fine balance between bitter herbs and aromatic herbs. In our recipe, the bitter herbs are:

Dandelion root
Great burdock root
Yellow gentian

The aromatic herbs are Fenugreek and Orange peel. All herbs are cultivated within the EU. The alcohol used to produce the tincture is from Germany. Everything is produced in collaboration with our manufacturer in Latvia.

tincture with bitter herbs
Our Happy Bitters is a tincture manufactured according to the traditional extraction method. The herbs macerate for four weeks before the tincture is bottled in our dark purple glass bottles. The glass protects the contents from light and contributes to good shelf life. Every step of the process is carried out with care and without shortcuts.In your hand, you have a 100% pure and traceable product, produced by our manufacturer in accordance with ISO 22000 certification and Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP).

The watercolor you see here, like the tincture, is the result of a painstaking process. The watercolor is created by hand by Johanna Persson, not generated by AI. At Örtfabriken, it is important to work slowly, with presence and quality in focus. We collaborate with many female entrepreneurs.