Yet, the consumption of bitter herbs and veggies is a powerful way to detoxify the liver and kidneys.
Even animals eat bitters in small quantities when they are sick, as they can heal the body. Weston A. Price Foundation, an organization whose aim is to restore nutrient-dense foods to the human diet through education, research, and activism, states:
“It is unfortunate, then, that our modern diet seems to be completely lacking in the wild bitter-tasting plants our ancestors considered so fundamental to their health. Many of the diseases riddling our modern culture — from indigestion and gastric reflux to metabolic disorders … seem to all point back to the deficiency of bitterness in our diets, and the lack of the protection and tone it imparts to our digestion and metabolic functions.”
Furthermore, a paper published in the European Journal of Herbal Medicine comments:
“With so many bitter herbs, most with a long history of medicinal use in multiple cultures, it is not surprising to read that ‘the urinary system seems to be the only system that does not derive direct benefit from the administration of bitters.”
Here are some of the main benefits of bitter foods:
- Bitters stimulate the release of digestive acids to help digestion and proper absorption of their nutrients. A small amount of biters before meals can soothe acid reflux.
- They improve the healthy functions of the endocrine glands, lower blood sugar, and help balance hormone levels
- They improve liver and gallbladder functions by detoxifying toxins
- Bitters help the elimination of kidney stones
- Bitters improve regularity, treat leaky gut and food sensitivity reactions, and improve gut flora health.
- Bitters stimulate the secretion of mucus in the stomach and heal ulcers
- Bitters are alkaline, and thus prevent numerous diseases and acidosis
- They boost appetite and strengthen normal digestive signals.
In order to fully benefit from these foods, you need to taste the bitterness, that activates the neural reflexes and hormones released, and not mask them with sweeteners like honey.
The list of bitter herbs and vegetables you can consume is long, and here are some of them:
Dandelion greens, kale, watercress, purslane, beet greens, chicory, arugula, bittergourd, spinach, radicchio, endive, Swiss chards, milk thistle, dandelion root, burdock leaf, chicory root, dill, and gentian root.
Bittergourd juice is one of the most effective natural ways to break down kidney stones. If you take 6 ounces daily for a month, the stone will easily be removed through the urine.
Here is how to prepare it:
Ingredients:
- 6-8 pieces of small bittergourd, or 3 pieces of big bittergourd
- ¼ organic lemon with peel
- 1 tablespoon of olive oil (better) or coconut oil
Instructions:
Juice the lemon and bittergourd, and then add the oil. Blend the mixture, and drink the juice right away.
While consuming this juice, make sure you drink plenty of water.
