The bitter tasting herbs

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In previous posts we've seen that the taste of herbs tend to correspond with

their properties. For example, spicy (pungent) herbs such as ginger and cinnamon

tend to be heating, drying, and be light. They can be great for treating Cold

and Stagnation of Dampness, but can worsen symptoms in people who already are

too Hot and Dry. Sweet herbs tend to be cooling, moistening, and be heavy. They

nourish the Qi and Blood, can be great for people who are too Dry, but have to

be used carefully with folks who are Damp and have Stagnation problems because

of the properties of moistening and being heavy.

 

It's not unusual for herbs to contain more than one flavor.

 

Today we go into the properties of bitter herbs. The bitter herbs are the most

cooling of all the tastes with cooling energy (Sweet, Astringent, and Bitter).

They tend to have a drying effect, and they're the lightest of the light tastes

(Sour, Spicy, and Bitter). By now you know enough of the basics to start making

some guesses about what kind of imbalances bitter tasting herbs would be good

for, and which they would be contraindicated for.

 

Bitter herbs tend to be the coldest of the herbs so we definitely want to be

very, very careful when giving one of these to a person who is too Cold as

bitter herbs would tend to make them even more Cold (unless mixed with a lot of

heating herbs). On the other hand, we know that bitter herbs tend to be Drying.

Put the two properties together - cooling and drying - and you have a terrific

class of herbs for treating Damp Heat disorders. You also want to be careful in

giving bitter herbs to a person who already is too Dry because of that drying

property.

 

In cooking, bitter herbs frequently are mixed with sour and spicy herbs. Aside

from this combination tending to help digestion in the Middle Burner (part of

the Triple Heater meridian), the mixture has a better taste than just bitter

alone (which is well, bitter). Curry powder usually starts with a mixture of

coriander, cumin, fenugreek, and turmeric. All 4 of these have a bitter taste,

and 3 of them also contain the spicy flavor. Ingredients such as black or red

peeper and/or cinnamon may also be mixed into the curry powder mixture (more

spicy flavor herbs). Lemon usually is squeezed into the dish to provide the sour

flavor. Salads and salad dressings are another example. The leaves in the salad

tend to be bitter tasting, vinegar or lemon is mixed into the salad oil (sour

flavor), and spicy herbs like pepper and garlic are mixed into the dressing.

 

Bitter herbs contain alkaloids. Some alkaloids are poisonous so you will seeing

warnings about toxicity on some of the herbs and cautions about safe dosages.

 

Some of the bitter cold herbs have antibiotic actions, and the same TCM cautions

that apply to prescription antibiotics also apply to these herbs. Antibiotics

work best with Excess Heat condtions and may have no effect on or even worsen

the symptoms of Deficiency Heat disorders.

 

Victoria

 

 

 

 

 

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