Detoxification is one of the best ways to support both liver and kidneys, and the best way to do this is by eating bitter veggies and herbs. Many people are fond of sweet fruits and dislike the bitter taste of certain veggies, although they miss on the long list of benefits of bitters.
The bitter taste is linked to poisonous chemical compounds like alkaloids present in plants. However, eating small amounts of these compounds is needed for healing. Interestingly, even the animals turn to bitters when they are sick.
Why Eat Bitters
In addition to the robust nutritional profile of the bitter plants below, they are known to activate many physiological responses, too.
- Bitters encourage the secretion of digestive acids which improve digestion and promote better absorption of their nutrients. Those suffering from acid reflux might benefit a lot from eating bitters before a meal.
- Bitters reduce foods sensitivity, improve digestion and regularity, heal leaky gut, and improve gut flora health.
- Bitters strengthen the normal digestive signals, promote satiety, and prevent overeating. Simply put, they are ideal for weight management.
- Bitters support the endocrine gland, lower blood sugar levels, and balance hormone levels.
- Bitters help heal ulcers due to their ability to stimulate mucus secretion in the stomach.
- Bitters reduce body acidity due to their alkaline nature.
- Bitters, particularly bittermelon, help eliminate kidney stones by breaking them down naturally.
- Bitters improve gallbladder and liver functions by detoxifying toxins responsible for inflammation and diseases.
How To Benefit From Bitters
As already discussed earlier, bitter plants posses a wide range of nutritional and medicinal properties. In order to get the most of them, it is necessary to taste the bitterness responsible for the activation of neural reflexes and hormones released due to the stimulation of bitter taste receptors.
Never mask the bitter taste by adding honey and similar sweeteners since this defeats the purpose of the bitters. In addition, taking them in pills or capsules causes you to miss out on their health benefits, too.
Consuming Bitters
There are many bitter veggies that can be eaten raw, juiced, or cooked. Some of those include dandelion greens, kale, spinach, endive, purslane, beet greens, aragula, chicory, watercress, bittergourd, and radicchio. As for the bitter herbs, the most popular include milk thistle, burdock leaf, dandelion root, dill, and chicory root.
How To Drink Bittergourd Juice To Break Down Kidney Stones
To break down kidney stones, prepare bittergourd juice and drink 6 ounces on a daily basis for a month.
Ingredients:
- 6-8 pieces of small bittergourd or 3 pieces of big bittergourd ( washed and seedless)
- ¼ organic lemon with peel
- 1 tbsp. of olive oil (better) or coconut oil
Instructions:
- Juice the bittergourd and lemon
- Add the olive oil
- Blend the olive oil into the juice using a mini immersion blender or simply stir in the olive oil and drink right away
- Drink the juice on a daily basis along with plenty of water
