Ingredients:
| Absinthe poster, 1896 |
Fennel seed - fresh extract
Yarrow leaf and flower - fresh extract
Ginger rhizome - fresh extract
Turmeric rhizome - fresh extract
Turmeric rhizome - fresh extract
Artichoke leaf - fresh extract
Dandelion - fresh extract
Buddha Hand citron - fresh zest extract
Black Cardamom
Gentian
Magnolia bark
Citrus Aurantium peel
Tangerine peel
Dandelion - fresh extract
Buddha Hand citron - fresh zest extract
Black Cardamom
Gentian
Magnolia bark
Citrus Aurantium peel
Tangerine peel
Ethanol
Water
Effects:
Stimulates the appetite when taken before meals. When taken after eating, stimulates sluggish digestion, settles upset or over-full stomach, reduces gas and bloating. Makes you feel good.
Dosage:
One to four squirts, up to a sip or even a chug. (Experiment). Should be taken straight up in acute cases, so as not to dilute the digestive juices. The classy way to imbibe is to sip it out of a small shot glass. Quite delicious when added to carbonated water or your favorite cocktail. Goes well with ginger ale, or with kombucha, lemon, and honey. The bright yellow-orange tincture with its high percentage of oils and resins sits on top of the aqueous layer, forming an attractive "layer cake" effect in your cocktail glass.
A Note About Digestion:
Before we describe the herbs in this formula, we must first discuss the process of digestion. If you think about it, digestion is a mysterious and rather miraculous thing. Food goes into one hole and waste comes out of another, and in between the body somehow has the intelligence to extract what it needs to function and grow and repair itself, and to eliminate what it doesn't need. The ancient Chinese term for this intelligence, and a kind of shorthand for the entire digestive process, is the "Spleen" (quite unrelated to the spleen of Western anatomy; in this essay when we use the word "spleen" we are referring to the Chinese spleen). The main job of the spleen is to "separate the pure from the turbid," so that the body can take the good, useful part of food to fuel its life processes, and excrete the unwanted, useless parts. When the spleen is operating sub-optimally, this separating function is hindered and the turbid parts - called "dampness" once they have insinuated their way into our metabolism - stick around and cause symptoms such as nausea, indigestion, a thick white tongue coat, and feelings of heaviness.
Generally speaking, chronic problems of digestion are at their root a problem of weakness of the spleen, the so-called "spleen deficiency"or "spleen qi vacuity." Absinthe Digéstif does not directly address this root problem. Why not? I believe that most spleen qi weakness needs to be treated behaviorally - through the food we eat, how we eat it, and by balancing food consumption with physical activity. Yes, there are herbs, like ginseng, atractylodes, or codonopsis, that are said to tonify or strengthen a deficient spleen. But to me it seems silly to treat the digestion with medicines right away, when you could be treating it three or more times a day with real food, which is the class of substances that it is designed to process. And if what you are eating and how you are eating it contribute to your digestive weakness, it makes sense to change that rather than take some pills or tinctures.
So, for starters, respect your spleen! Treat it right! What does this mean?
1. Eat mostly cooked food. Digestion is a type of warm transformation. Food goes into the stomach, and the digestive fire "cooks" it to extract its goodness so the body can use it. You can help this "cooking" process by eating mostly cooked foods. Too much raw food overwhelms the digestive fire, as does too much cold food or drink.
2. Eat at regular times. There is a reason that breakfast, lunch, and dinner are considered mealtimes all over the world. Don't skip breakfast, and make sure you eat enough food, at every meal. Don't eat dinner too close to bedtime.
3. Enjoy eating. Don't shovel food down. Sit down and appreciate the food you have made, or that someone has made for you. Chew slowly and thoughtfully, savoring the various flavors and textures. Cook and eat with friends and loved ones. Don't eat while working or watching TV.
4. Eat a variety of foods. Cooked vegetables and grains should form the basis of your diet, and meats, seeds, raw vegetables and fruit, fermented foods, and condiments can brighten your meal in smaller amounts.
5. Cook your own food from scratch. Avoid processed foods, which are usually laden with excess salt, sugar, strange fats, and chemicals.
6. Increase your physical activity level. When we are too sedentary, we gain weight because we are not burning the fuel that our spleen has so expertly extracted for us. Or, the food falls through us because there's no need to extract the high-quality good stuff, since we are doing so little. Placing more demands on our muscles, tendons, bones, heart, etc. is not just good for us from the point of view of physical fitness; it will also improve our appetite and digestion.
Note that nowhere in my "rules" do I recommend avoiding gluten, going vegan, cutting out red meat, or anything like that. I advocate all foods. By eating in a healthy way, our digestion should normalize and we should be able to trust our appetite.
Apéritifs and Digéstifs:
That said, sometimes we overeat! Sometimes we celebrate! Sometimes we enjoy a cheese fondue or a big hamburger with fries and a beer! And sometimes, for no good reason, we don't have an appetite or our digestion is off and we are bloated, or gassy, or get a stomachache. In the European herbal and gastronomic tradition, these instances are helped with an apéritif or a digéstif. Simply put, these are alcoholic preparations, usually herbal, that help with our appetite and digestion.
Apéritifs are taken before meals to stimulate the appetite. So, if your appetite is low, or if your digestion has been sluggish lately and you want to give it a jump start before you head to that fancy banquet, enjoy an apéritif first. An apéritif may be something as simple as a dry white wine or champagne. But a more sophisticated apéritif will usually contain bitter herbs that stimulate the appetite. A good example is vermouth, the basis for the Martini and many other cocktails; vermouth contains bitter wormwood among other herbal ingredients.
Digéstifs are enjoyed after a meal, to help the digestion. The digéstif may be a brandy or eau-de-vie with no herbal ingredients, or it may be an herbal bitters containing carminative ingredients like citrus peel, anise, or cardamom, and/or liver- and gallbladder-stimulating herbs like artichoke and dandelion.
Our Absinthe Digéstif functions as both apéritif and digéstif, containing a balanced variety of herbs to both stimulate the appetite and assist the digestive process. Enjoy it before or after eating (or both!), whatever makes you feel better.
Product Description:
Before we describe the herbs in this formula, we must first discuss the process of digestion. If you think about it, digestion is a mysterious and rather miraculous thing. Food goes into one hole and waste comes out of another, and in between the body somehow has the intelligence to extract what it needs to function and grow and repair itself, and to eliminate what it doesn't need. The ancient Chinese term for this intelligence, and a kind of shorthand for the entire digestive process, is the "Spleen" (quite unrelated to the spleen of Western anatomy; in this essay when we use the word "spleen" we are referring to the Chinese spleen). The main job of the spleen is to "separate the pure from the turbid," so that the body can take the good, useful part of food to fuel its life processes, and excrete the unwanted, useless parts. When the spleen is operating sub-optimally, this separating function is hindered and the turbid parts - called "dampness" once they have insinuated their way into our metabolism - stick around and cause symptoms such as nausea, indigestion, a thick white tongue coat, and feelings of heaviness.
Generally speaking, chronic problems of digestion are at their root a problem of weakness of the spleen, the so-called "spleen deficiency"or "spleen qi vacuity." Absinthe Digéstif does not directly address this root problem. Why not? I believe that most spleen qi weakness needs to be treated behaviorally - through the food we eat, how we eat it, and by balancing food consumption with physical activity. Yes, there are herbs, like ginseng, atractylodes, or codonopsis, that are said to tonify or strengthen a deficient spleen. But to me it seems silly to treat the digestion with medicines right away, when you could be treating it three or more times a day with real food, which is the class of substances that it is designed to process. And if what you are eating and how you are eating it contribute to your digestive weakness, it makes sense to change that rather than take some pills or tinctures.
So, for starters, respect your spleen! Treat it right! What does this mean?
1. Eat mostly cooked food. Digestion is a type of warm transformation. Food goes into the stomach, and the digestive fire "cooks" it to extract its goodness so the body can use it. You can help this "cooking" process by eating mostly cooked foods. Too much raw food overwhelms the digestive fire, as does too much cold food or drink.
2. Eat at regular times. There is a reason that breakfast, lunch, and dinner are considered mealtimes all over the world. Don't skip breakfast, and make sure you eat enough food, at every meal. Don't eat dinner too close to bedtime.
3. Enjoy eating. Don't shovel food down. Sit down and appreciate the food you have made, or that someone has made for you. Chew slowly and thoughtfully, savoring the various flavors and textures. Cook and eat with friends and loved ones. Don't eat while working or watching TV.
4. Eat a variety of foods. Cooked vegetables and grains should form the basis of your diet, and meats, seeds, raw vegetables and fruit, fermented foods, and condiments can brighten your meal in smaller amounts.
5. Cook your own food from scratch. Avoid processed foods, which are usually laden with excess salt, sugar, strange fats, and chemicals.
6. Increase your physical activity level. When we are too sedentary, we gain weight because we are not burning the fuel that our spleen has so expertly extracted for us. Or, the food falls through us because there's no need to extract the high-quality good stuff, since we are doing so little. Placing more demands on our muscles, tendons, bones, heart, etc. is not just good for us from the point of view of physical fitness; it will also improve our appetite and digestion.
Note that nowhere in my "rules" do I recommend avoiding gluten, going vegan, cutting out red meat, or anything like that. I advocate all foods. By eating in a healthy way, our digestion should normalize and we should be able to trust our appetite.
Apéritifs and Digéstifs:
That said, sometimes we overeat! Sometimes we celebrate! Sometimes we enjoy a cheese fondue or a big hamburger with fries and a beer! And sometimes, for no good reason, we don't have an appetite or our digestion is off and we are bloated, or gassy, or get a stomachache. In the European herbal and gastronomic tradition, these instances are helped with an apéritif or a digéstif. Simply put, these are alcoholic preparations, usually herbal, that help with our appetite and digestion.
Apéritifs are taken before meals to stimulate the appetite. So, if your appetite is low, or if your digestion has been sluggish lately and you want to give it a jump start before you head to that fancy banquet, enjoy an apéritif first. An apéritif may be something as simple as a dry white wine or champagne. But a more sophisticated apéritif will usually contain bitter herbs that stimulate the appetite. A good example is vermouth, the basis for the Martini and many other cocktails; vermouth contains bitter wormwood among other herbal ingredients.
Digéstifs are enjoyed after a meal, to help the digestion. The digéstif may be a brandy or eau-de-vie with no herbal ingredients, or it may be an herbal bitters containing carminative ingredients like citrus peel, anise, or cardamom, and/or liver- and gallbladder-stimulating herbs like artichoke and dandelion.
Our Absinthe Digéstif functions as both apéritif and digéstif, containing a balanced variety of herbs to both stimulate the appetite and assist the digestive process. Enjoy it before or after eating (or both!), whatever makes you feel better.
Product Description:
The inspiration for Absinthe Digéstif was this past fall's crop of wild-harvested fennel seed. My daughter Sara and I spent an afternoon collecting a pound or so of the seeds from the dried out, spent stalks of fennel on a local hillside. Later that day, I blended the seeds with some 95% ethanol. Immediately, the alcohol started turning a bright green color, and over the course of the following month or so of maceration, the green of the tincture deepened and darkened. I was surprised that the dusty brown, dead-looking seeds had hidden inside of them so much vital green life. And then I put a drop of the tincture on my tongue. Wow! So sweet, so aromatic, so distinctively fennel! The fact that the green color persists now, several months later, suggests that in addition to its other properties, there must be a strongly antioxidant compound in the fennel seed.
Wherever it grows, fennel is prized as a digestive aid. It is unbeatable as a remedy for gas and bloating. The Chinese value it for its ability to warm the center and regulate the stomach qi. In Indian restaurants it is taken after meals to help the digestion. In Ayurveda it is said to "strengthen Agni" (the digestive fire) without "aggravating Pitta" (the fiery constitution). Fennel or its close relative, anise, is the prime flavoring agent in absinthe.
Absinthe itself is a distilled spirit made from wormwood and other herbs. The particular absinthe used in Absinthe Digéstif was made using exclusively fresh herbs, most importantly wormwood, fennel, and lemon balm. After first extracting the herbs by soaking them in alcohol, the resulting tincture was distilled. The distillation process leaves behind the extreme bitterness of the wormwood, and serves to concentrate the abundant terpenes found in these aromatic plants. Terpenes are the major components of the resins and essential oils of plants. They are chemical compounds that evolved to function as natural insecticides, disinfectants, and fungicides, and also as pollinator attractants (that's why some terpenes are bitter and others smell amazing). Fortunately for us, many terpenes act in the human digestive tract as natural digestive aids. The estragole and anethole in fennel, the thujone in wormwood, the eugenol in lemon balm are all terpenes, and contribute to absinthe's digestive effects as well as its delightful aroma and flavor.
There is something of a mystique surrounding absinthe and its alleged hallucinogenic effect. Although it has been found that thujone is a GABA receptor antagonist, perhaps indicating some kind of central nervous system effect, much self-experimentation has convinced me it is not a hallucinogen in the classic sense (by which I mean serotonergic receptor agonists like psilocybin or LSD). However, I should insert here my discomfort with the thujone-as-the-active-component-of-absinthe model. I find it representative of the same reductionist thinking, so prevalent in medical science, that assumes the physiological activity of a natural substance can be pinned down to one chemical compound. I posit, instead, that wormwood itself, the plant, interacts with the human who ingests it, in complex and marvelous ways. Terpenes, thujone, receptor sites is just one way to partially understand this.
Another important player in this formula is yarrow. I have written at length about yarrow elsewhere, so suffice it to say we use it here for its strong anti-inflammatory effects on the entire GI tract. When I succumbed to giardia on a backpacking trip some years ago, yarrow was an important part of my all-natural cure. It is also an effective hemostatic, so if your digestive distress is due to bleeding ulcers, the yarrow may help.
Gentian is the main herb here to stimulate the appetite with its extreme bitterness. It is the classic "bitter tonic" of European herbalism, and contains amarogentin, one of the bitterest substances known. The bitterness of gentian is pristine, pleasant even, when compared to the unpleasant bitterness of herbs like wormwood or andrographis. Combined with the sweetness of the fennel and the aromatic complexities of black cardamom and the citruses, it somehow manages not to dominate the formula, providing a bitter note in harmony with the other flavors.
In addition to fennel, the black cardamom, ginger, turmeric, magnolia bark, and the citrus peels are the most important carminatives (relieving flatulence) and digestives. Of these, the citruses are very interesting in that their abundant terpenes are thought to have a mood-elevating effect in addition to their digestive effect. In fact, these same terpenes are found in some strains of cannabis, and contribute to the those strains' psychoactivity in what is called the "entourage effect." Recent research has revealed that it is too simplistic to reduce cannabis' effects to its levels of THC and CBD, that in fact the many different terpenes that contribute to the variety of aromas among cannabis strains also contribute their different psychoactive effects. They appear to do this in a number of ways, from directly binding at cannabinoid receptor sites, to modifying the rate of THC passage through the blood-brain barrier. These intimate interactions between the cannabinoids and the terpenes produced by the cannabis plant suggest that non-cannabis terpenes may affect the human organism via the endocannabinoid system, which modulates embryological development, neuroprotection, memory, pain, inflammation, and (most importantly for our purposes), hunger, eating, and metabolism. Because Absinthe Digéstif is a heady brew of potentially hundreds of different terpenes, it would be a worthwhile experiment to combine Absinthe Digéstif with cannabis (we hereby coin the term cannabsinthe), and note the effects on digestion, sense of well-being, bodily pain, etc.
Turmeric is a major medicinal herb and culinary spice in India, where it has been used to regulate digestion and quell inflammation for centuries if not millennia. The same is true for ginger. Both herbs were extracted fresh, providing wonderful flavors along with therapeutic effects. The curcuminoids in the turmeric also give this formula its spectacular color.
The Chinese herbs hou po (magnolia bark), chen pi (tangerine peel), fo shou (Buddha Hand citron) and zhi ke (citrus aurantium peel) are valued for their ability to "regulate qi" and "aromatically transform dampness" for problems of digestion. They also provide wonderful flavors. The aroma of hou po reminds me of a good whiskey. The citruses, as noted above, are laden with mood-lifting and aromatically enticing d-limonene and other terpenes, as well as the the adrenergic alkaloid synephrine, which may also contribute to their feel-good effects.
Finally, artichoke and dandelion are included specifically for their effects on the liver and gallbladder. Any rich and heavy meal will require the liver and gallbladder to step up their bile production so that ingested fats can be emulsified and digested. In addition to their use as bile-stimulating cholagogues, these herbs are also generally very good for the liver. Artichoke is a source of potent antioxidants and contains silymarin, the hepatoprotective compound usually isolated from its relative, milk thistle. Dandelion is a strong diuretic (hence its old French name pis-en-lit, "piss the bed") that reduces edema while sparing potassium unlike most pharmaceutical diuretics. Both artichoke and dandelion are also mildly laxative, making them helpful in cases of constipation.
Postscript:
Absinthe Digéstif was a long time coming. Some of you who know me have tasted various bitters and liqueurs I made over the years in my other pretend company, Ladle Brand. But for some reason I never took the step of creating a digestive formula for Green Monkey Pharmacy. I would like to thank my friend Tina for suggesting that an apéritif/digéstif was the glaring omission in the Green Monkey Pharmacy line. Our mission here at Green Monkey Pharmacy is to share "uncommon herb formulas for common health complaints," and to discuss complementary approaches to health without insulting your intelligence or taxing your credulity. I hope that this and my other posts also inspire you to make your own medicines and liqueurs.
Wherever it grows, fennel is prized as a digestive aid. It is unbeatable as a remedy for gas and bloating. The Chinese value it for its ability to warm the center and regulate the stomach qi. In Indian restaurants it is taken after meals to help the digestion. In Ayurveda it is said to "strengthen Agni" (the digestive fire) without "aggravating Pitta" (the fiery constitution). Fennel or its close relative, anise, is the prime flavoring agent in absinthe.
Absinthe itself is a distilled spirit made from wormwood and other herbs. The particular absinthe used in Absinthe Digéstif was made using exclusively fresh herbs, most importantly wormwood, fennel, and lemon balm. After first extracting the herbs by soaking them in alcohol, the resulting tincture was distilled. The distillation process leaves behind the extreme bitterness of the wormwood, and serves to concentrate the abundant terpenes found in these aromatic plants. Terpenes are the major components of the resins and essential oils of plants. They are chemical compounds that evolved to function as natural insecticides, disinfectants, and fungicides, and also as pollinator attractants (that's why some terpenes are bitter and others smell amazing). Fortunately for us, many terpenes act in the human digestive tract as natural digestive aids. The estragole and anethole in fennel, the thujone in wormwood, the eugenol in lemon balm are all terpenes, and contribute to absinthe's digestive effects as well as its delightful aroma and flavor.
There is something of a mystique surrounding absinthe and its alleged hallucinogenic effect. Although it has been found that thujone is a GABA receptor antagonist, perhaps indicating some kind of central nervous system effect, much self-experimentation has convinced me it is not a hallucinogen in the classic sense (by which I mean serotonergic receptor agonists like psilocybin or LSD). However, I should insert here my discomfort with the thujone-as-the-active-component-of-absinthe model. I find it representative of the same reductionist thinking, so prevalent in medical science, that assumes the physiological activity of a natural substance can be pinned down to one chemical compound. I posit, instead, that wormwood itself, the plant, interacts with the human who ingests it, in complex and marvelous ways. Terpenes, thujone, receptor sites is just one way to partially understand this.
Another important player in this formula is yarrow. I have written at length about yarrow elsewhere, so suffice it to say we use it here for its strong anti-inflammatory effects on the entire GI tract. When I succumbed to giardia on a backpacking trip some years ago, yarrow was an important part of my all-natural cure. It is also an effective hemostatic, so if your digestive distress is due to bleeding ulcers, the yarrow may help.
Gentian is the main herb here to stimulate the appetite with its extreme bitterness. It is the classic "bitter tonic" of European herbalism, and contains amarogentin, one of the bitterest substances known. The bitterness of gentian is pristine, pleasant even, when compared to the unpleasant bitterness of herbs like wormwood or andrographis. Combined with the sweetness of the fennel and the aromatic complexities of black cardamom and the citruses, it somehow manages not to dominate the formula, providing a bitter note in harmony with the other flavors.
In addition to fennel, the black cardamom, ginger, turmeric, magnolia bark, and the citrus peels are the most important carminatives (relieving flatulence) and digestives. Of these, the citruses are very interesting in that their abundant terpenes are thought to have a mood-elevating effect in addition to their digestive effect. In fact, these same terpenes are found in some strains of cannabis, and contribute to the those strains' psychoactivity in what is called the "entourage effect." Recent research has revealed that it is too simplistic to reduce cannabis' effects to its levels of THC and CBD, that in fact the many different terpenes that contribute to the variety of aromas among cannabis strains also contribute their different psychoactive effects. They appear to do this in a number of ways, from directly binding at cannabinoid receptor sites, to modifying the rate of THC passage through the blood-brain barrier. These intimate interactions between the cannabinoids and the terpenes produced by the cannabis plant suggest that non-cannabis terpenes may affect the human organism via the endocannabinoid system, which modulates embryological development, neuroprotection, memory, pain, inflammation, and (most importantly for our purposes), hunger, eating, and metabolism. Because Absinthe Digéstif is a heady brew of potentially hundreds of different terpenes, it would be a worthwhile experiment to combine Absinthe Digéstif with cannabis (we hereby coin the term cannabsinthe), and note the effects on digestion, sense of well-being, bodily pain, etc.
Turmeric is a major medicinal herb and culinary spice in India, where it has been used to regulate digestion and quell inflammation for centuries if not millennia. The same is true for ginger. Both herbs were extracted fresh, providing wonderful flavors along with therapeutic effects. The curcuminoids in the turmeric also give this formula its spectacular color.
The Chinese herbs hou po (magnolia bark), chen pi (tangerine peel), fo shou (Buddha Hand citron) and zhi ke (citrus aurantium peel) are valued for their ability to "regulate qi" and "aromatically transform dampness" for problems of digestion. They also provide wonderful flavors. The aroma of hou po reminds me of a good whiskey. The citruses, as noted above, are laden with mood-lifting and aromatically enticing d-limonene and other terpenes, as well as the the adrenergic alkaloid synephrine, which may also contribute to their feel-good effects.
Finally, artichoke and dandelion are included specifically for their effects on the liver and gallbladder. Any rich and heavy meal will require the liver and gallbladder to step up their bile production so that ingested fats can be emulsified and digested. In addition to their use as bile-stimulating cholagogues, these herbs are also generally very good for the liver. Artichoke is a source of potent antioxidants and contains silymarin, the hepatoprotective compound usually isolated from its relative, milk thistle. Dandelion is a strong diuretic (hence its old French name pis-en-lit, "piss the bed") that reduces edema while sparing potassium unlike most pharmaceutical diuretics. Both artichoke and dandelion are also mildly laxative, making them helpful in cases of constipation.
Postscript:
Absinthe Digéstif was a long time coming. Some of you who know me have tasted various bitters and liqueurs I made over the years in my other pretend company, Ladle Brand. But for some reason I never took the step of creating a digestive formula for Green Monkey Pharmacy. I would like to thank my friend Tina for suggesting that an apéritif/digéstif was the glaring omission in the Green Monkey Pharmacy line. Our mission here at Green Monkey Pharmacy is to share "uncommon herb formulas for common health complaints," and to discuss complementary approaches to health without insulting your intelligence or taxing your credulity. I hope that this and my other posts also inspire you to make your own medicines and liqueurs.
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