Bitter herbs are thought to stimulate digestive function by increasing saliva production and promoting both stomach acid and digestive enzyme production.⁹ As a result, they are particularly used when there is low stomach acid but not in heartburn (where too much stomach acid could initially exacerbate the situation). These herbs literally taste bitter. Some examples of bitter herbs include greater celandine, wormwood, gentian,dandelion, blessed thistle, yarrow, devil’s claw, bitter orange, bitter melon, juniper, andrographis, prickly ash, and centaury.¹⁰. Bitters are generally taken either by mixing 1–3 ml tincture into water and sipping slowly 10–30 minutes before eating, or by making tea, which is also sipped slowly before eating.

Artichoke, in addition to being an edible plant, is a mild bitter. Extracts of artichoke have been repeatedly shown in double-blind research to be beneficial for people with indigestion.¹¹ Artichoke is particularly useful when the problem is lack of bile production by the liver.¹² Extracts providing 500–1,000 mg per day of cynarin, the main active constituent of artichoke, are recommended by doctors.

 

In a preliminary study of people with irritable bowel syndrome who took an artichoke leaf extract daily for two months, 26% reported an improvement in symptoms.¹³ Because no placebo group was used in this study and because irritable bowel syndrome has a high rate of response to placebo, additional research is needed to confirm this report. The amount of artichoke leaf used in the study was 320 or 640 mg per day of a 1:5 standardized extract.

Artichoke (Cynara scolymus) leaf extract has been shown to reduce total and LDL-cholesterol levels, as well as triglyceride levels, and this effect may be related to artichoke flavonoids.¹⁴ A meta-analysis of findings from nine randomized controlled trials with a combined total of 702 participants found artichoke leaf extract reduced total and LDL-cholesterol levels and triglyceride levels, without impacting HDL-cholesterol levels.¹⁵ Nevertheless, in an uncontrolled clinical trial in 20 people with depressed HDL-cholesterol levels and moderately elevated total cholesterol levels, 250 mg of artichoke leaf extract twice daily for 60 days increased HDL-cholesterol levels.¹⁶ A trial with 92 overweight subjects with mildly elevated cholesterol levels found 500 mg artichoke leaf extract twice daily for eight weeks reduced total and LDL-cholesterol and increased HDL-cholesterol levels compared with placebo.¹⁷ Another placebo controlled trial with 55 participants found artichoke leaf extract, at 600 mg per day for eight weeks, improved lipid levels as well as glucose metabolism in overweight individuals with high blood glucose levels.¹⁸