Happy Bitters is our contribution to a bitterer world!
It is a tincture that contains bitter herbs in liquid form, i.e. in the form of a tincture that you use for internal use. This is Örtfabriken's very first tincture. We are therefore a little extra attached to it. The recipe is Örtfabriken's own. It is based on old, inherited knowledge and has been refined and modernized to suit us today.
My own health journey began in my stomach. I had never had any problems of any kind before. Never an allergy or anything else chronic. But once I had upset the balance in my body, one symptom followed another. What was 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 be visited by various parasites. I took one antibiotic treatment after another. Because that's how you do it. Today I would have acted differently.
Parasites and antibiotics completely destroyed my gut health. For years I had recurring but manageable problems. But when my weight plummeted and I started to experience other symptoms like thyroid disease and hormonal imbalance, it was time to do something.
But what?
I got bad advice from the healthcare system and had to seek further help. At that time, people had just started talking about gut flora and how the stomach, gut, and brain are connected. Slowly and laboriously, I began to work with my stomach in a holistic way.
The first thing I did was review my diet and eliminated the three whites (flour, milk 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 more and more into herbs and supplements. I understood that I had to fight against the hotbed of bad bacteria that was raging down there. I used herbs for this in short but effective courses.
More and more herbs came into my life. But it was only after living in Latvia for a longer time that I really opened my eyes to bitter herbs! They use a lot of bitters in their food. For example, arugula and parsley. And when I thought about it, there was nothing new in this! Bitter herbs are found in most cultures. You may have heard of Swedish drops? Or aperitif and digestivo , which are a little more common. Wherever you look, you will find an herbal bitter mixture that we like to use with our food.
Here you see an overall picture of common bitter herbs and flavors.
As I delved deeper into the world of herbs, I learned more. The bitter blends were my final cornerstone! As the Herb Factory began to take shape within me, it was a given that Happy Bitters would be the first recipe.
Happy Bitters contains, just like a bitters blend should, a nice balance between bitter herbs and aromatic herbs. In our recipe, the bitter herbs are as follows:
Dandelion root
Dandelion leaves
Large burdock root
Yarrow
Golden gentian
Kruskrapp
The aromatic herbs are Fenugreek and Fennel.
You may be wondering what the Mallow Root and Calendula are doing in this blend? I wanted to add these two amazing herbs as they are indispensable in the context and as they have given me so much support on my own journey.
Our herbs for the Happy Bitters tincture come from our great collaboration with a grower in southern Italy. You can read more about them here !
Discover the power of our bitter herbs!
Let me know if you have any questions ♥
