Springtime Bitters

Living in Minnesota, I do not celebrate the season of Imbolc in early February like most people do. Imbolc is supposed to be a time when you can hear the water running under the ice. That does not happen in February here, or if it does, I don’t trust it. Imbolc is also traditionally a time to add bitters to your diet, to wake your digestion up from the cold season of eating meat, fat and preserved heavy things.

You know that slodgy feeling you get at the end of winter? Just kind of slow and tired? One thing that studying herbalism reminds us is that our diets have been seasonal for millions of years and only lately can we get a gluten-free pizza delivered. There are foods that support our bodies at specific times that help us feel better as the seasons progress.

It is late March Imbolc now in the north and so time to add bitters. Here are a few very simple ways to do so:

#1 Dandelion greens. As you see dandelion greens peep up from the edges of things, pick them and eat them. I have never sprayed my lawn and so I just pluck them and eat them as I spend time in the yard and garden. I pick a few and add them to salads as there are more and larger plants. Dandelion greens are high in vitamins A, C and K and do provide calcium. If those near your home are likely sprayed, you can usually buy them at a co-op.

#2 Plantain leaves. Plantain is the best, most common plant. I swear by plantain salve for practically every wound healing. I pick the young leaves and again, just eat them. They are a great part of a spring salad mix. I stepped on plantain leaves for 55 years before I knew what they are and how to use them. Google them and figure it out. You will laugh at how easy they are to find and how many uses they have.

#3 Buy actual bitters in a bottle. My favorite is from Blossoms Farm in California and is called Artichoke Bitters. I originally bought some products from them at a Farmers Market near Santa Cruz, but now they sell online. There are many kinds of digestive bitters. I recommend taking some for a few weeks every spring just to tell your system that summer, full of lighter, sweeter foods, is coming!

This information is not intended to take the place of personalized medical counseling, diagnosis and/or treatment by a trained physician. Herbs and other botanicals are presently classified by the Food and Drug Administration as foods, not as medicines. If you have questions about this, send me an email and we will talk.