If you’ve landed on this page, it’s because I’ve given you a bottle of my bergamot digestive bitters and you want to know more about how to use them and what’s in them.

Ingredients: Absolut 100 vodka*; zests of bergamot, cara cara orange, grapefruit, and lemon; dandelion leaf; dandelion root; burdock root; ginger root; oregon grape root; cardamom pods; and fennel seeds.

Dose: Adults can take one dropperful in water or juice, or directly under the tongue if the strength isn’t bothersome. Children can take 5-15 drops in water or juice.**

Use: In our house, we take these bitters for any kind of upset tummy, indigestion, heartburn, or hiccups. (Try it; they will almost always cure hiccups immediately in one dose!) In short, bitter herbs stimulate the liver and digestive system to work better. Aromatic bitters have been enjoyed after meals throughout history to keep the digestive system in proper working order. Bergamot is a bitter in its own right, and it has the added benefit of making the bitters smell and taste delicious!

These are medicinal digestive bitters, not cocktail bitters, but there’s no reason not to try them in cocktails if you like!

*According to The U of Chicago Celiac Disease Center, vodka is considered gluten-free even though it is made with wheat. They claim that in unflavored spirits, “the distillation process makes these beverages safe because the protein is removed.” As with all things, your mileage may vary, so please use caution if you’re very gluten sensitive!

**If you prefer your child not to have alcohol-containing tinctures, you can find alcohol-free bitters at many health food stores; however, alcohol is necessary to extract the full medicinal benefit of bitter herbs, roots, and seeds, so the product will taste and function quite differently.