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Quotes about Bitter from the world's top natural health / natural living authors

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"Goya, bitter Melon (Momordica charantia, African Cucumber, Balsam Pear, bitter Apple, bitter Gourd, bitter Pear, Chin-li-chih, Goo-fa, Ku Gua, Wild Cucumber) Goya is known to North Americans as bitter melon, and bitter it is. The first time we tried it, it was hard to fathom why the Okinawans have developed such a taste for this strange vegetable. Its Latin genus is Momordica, which means "bite"—an appropriate name in more ways than one." - Bradley J. Willcox, D. Craig Willcox, and Makoto Suzuki, The Okinawa Program : How the World's Longest-Lived People Achieve Everlasting Health (Get the book.)

"Not every version of the compounds that taste bitter is poisonous; in fact, as I mentioned in the description of nightshade, some of these compounds are beneficial. The scopolamine in jimsonweed that causes temporary madness is a bitter-tasting alkaloid—but so are some of the compounds in broccoli that have anticancer properties. So today, especially in developed countries where the need for a natural alarm bell against plant toxins has pretty much faded away, it may be a disadvantage to have a strong reaction to bitterness." - Dr. Sharon Moalem, Survival of the Sickest: A Medical Maverick Discovers Why We Need Disease (Get the book.)

"The editor who assembled his journals (published as Voyage du Chevalier des Marchais en Guinea, en 1725) wrote that, "Chewed without being swallowed, it has the property of sweetening that which one can put afterwards in the mouth which is sour or bitter." (In fact, it doesn't sweeten bitterness—only sourness.) In his 1793 History of Dahomey, adventurer and slave trader Archibald Dalzel reported that locals eat it withguddoe, stale bread gruel. The first thorough description, by W F." - Adam Leith Gollne, The Fruit Hunters: A Story of Nature, Adventure, Commerce and Obsession (Get the book.)

"Unlike Zach, Derek has remained a bitter man for the last twenty years. Rather than acknowledging feelings and using them to direct his healing, the bitterness drove him to increasing misery and unaccountability with each passing year. He never lifted out of the lower brain and ended up continually reliving the initial pain and trauma as the victim. The accident became his excuse for giving up on life and for making unhealthy choices: overeating, driving up cholesterol levels, and drinking too much." - Rick Foster, Greg Hicks, M.D., Jen Seda, Choosing Brilliant Health: 9 Choices That Redefine What It Takes to Create Lifelong Vitality and Well-Being (Get the book.)

"Sour taste usually indicates some type of action on the urinary tract and kidneys but can also be effective in protecting inflamed tissue, reducing swelling, and increasing stomach acid to cause an alkalizing response by the metabolism. A bitter taste is one that many prefer to avoid, and yet its taste indicates that the plant may have some type of tonic action. Tonic means that it brings blood to the area and that the cells expand and contract, bringing tone to the tissue. Bitters such as dandelion greens have historically been used to aid in digestion." - Pam Montgomery, Plant Spirit Healing: A Guide to Working with Plant Consciousness (Get the book.)

"Some people find it to be mildly bitter. And some people—super-tasters—find even the smallest taste to be repulsive. Supertasters find more bitterness in grapefruit, coffee, and tea. They may be as ney, duu, v_dii iuu l^u i pb d rava: much as twice as sensitive to sweetness and are much more likely to feel the fire at a hint of chili. Interestingly, the same collaborative paper that linked bitterness to the detection of plant poisons noted that it may not be such an advantage today." - Dr. Sharon Moalem, Survival of the Sickest: A Medical Maverick Discovers Why We Need Disease (Get the book.)

"And there is no make-believe about heaven, future bliss, and compensation, to alleviate the bitter majesty, but only utter darkness, the void of unful-fillment, to receive and eat back the lives that have been tossed forth from the womb only to fail. In comparison with all this, our little stories of achievement seem pitiful. Too well we know what bitterness of failure, loss, 32 Euripides, The Cretans, frg. 475, ap. Porphyry, De abstinentia, IV. 19, trans. Gilbert Murray." - Joseph Campbell, The Hero with a Thousand Faces Joseph Campbell (Get the book.)

"There are four basic tastes in Western tradition—sweet, salty, sour, and bitter. (There's a fifth in other parts of the world that is gaining traction in the West, both culturally and scientifically—it's called umami, and it's the savory flavor you find in aged and fermented foods, like miso, parmesan cheese, or aged steaks.) Most tastes are pleasing, and the evolutionary reason for them is simple—they attract us to foods that contain nutrients, as well as the salt and sugar, that we need. Bitterness is different—bitterness turns us off. Which, as it turns out, is probably the point." - Dr. Sharon Moalem, Survival of the Sickest: A Medical Maverick Discovers Why We Need Disease (Get the book.)

"I can't prove it, but I suspect that you'd get some benefit drinking less than the three 8 ounce glasses a day used in that study, which in any case would be hard to do since the unsweetened kind—which is clearly the best—is pretty bitter. Bitter or not, the unsweetened kind is the way to go. Most of the "cranberry juice drinks" in the supermarket are full of sugar and have no more than about 10 percent cranberry juice. Go for the real deal. Dilute it, drink it, sweeten if you must with xylitol or stevia, but get the powerful health benefits of this terrific berry." - Jonny Bowden, Ph.D., C.N.S., The Most Effective Natural Cures on Earth: The Surprising, Unbiased Truth about What Treatments Work and Why (Get the book.)

"Citrus fruit bitter flavors: isolation and functional characterization of the gene CmI,2RhaT encoding a 1,2 rhamnosyltransferase, a key enzyme in the biosynthesis of the bitter flavonoids of citrus, Plant J 40: 88-100. Fukusaki, E., Kawasaki, K, Kajiyama, S., An, C. I., Suzuki, K., Tanaka, Y., and Kobayashi, A., 2004, Flower color modulations of Torenia hybrida by downregulation of chalcone synthase genes with RNA interference, JBiotechnol 111: 229-240. Glenard, A.,1858). Recherches sur la matiere colorante du vin. Ann Chim Phys (Paris) 366-376. Grandmaison, J., and Ibrahim, R. K." - Erich Grotewold, The Science of Flavonoids (Get the book.)

"SUPERSENSITIVE TASTE The older you are, the more insensitive you are to taste: foods need to be 3 times sweeter, 4 times more sour, 7 times more bitter, and 11 times more salty for you to taste than when you were younger. SIGNIFICANT FACT Do you tend to find coffee too bitter, desserts too sweet, Mexican food too hot, and broccoli just too nasty to eat? If so, you may be what doctors call a supertaster. While you might think it makes you special, scientists believe that as many 25% of people are supersensitive to taste— a condition medically known as hy-pergeusia." - Joan Liebmann-Smith, Ph. D., and Jacqueline Nardi Egan, Body Signs: From Warning Signs to False Alarms...How to Be Your Own Diagnostic Detective (Get the book.)

"Signs of a Sluggish and/or Dysfunctional Liver poor skin tone and sallow coloring yellow-coated tongue dark circles under the eyes yellow discoloration of the eyes liver spots (brown spots on skin) acne rosacea (red pimples around nose, cheeks, and chin) itchy skin bitter taste in the mouth headaches moodiness and irritability excessive sweating arthritis flushed facial appearance or excessive facial blood vessels red palms and soles, which may also be itchy and inflamed trouble digesting fats (i.e." - Brenda Watson and Leonard Smith, The Detox Strategy: Vibrant Health in 5 Easy Steps (Get the book.)

"The corrective diet for a kapha disorder is a low-fat, low-sugar diet with more of a focus on bitter, pungent, and astringent foods. Kapha imbalances are made worse by a high amount of oil, a high amount of sugar, and low exercise. Kaphas tend to have constipation, and they are made better by a high-fiber diet. This has been a mode of treatment for several thousand years. The treatment program in this book is based on not only current research, but on thousands of years of effective treatment and understanding." - Gabriel Cousens, There Is a Cure for Diabetes: The Tree of Life 21-Day+ Program (Get the book.) "Its green fruit looks like an ugly cucumber. bitter melon is made of several compounds that have anti-diabetic properties, including charantin, which has been shown to be more powerful than the hypoglycemic drug tolbutamide, and an insulin-like polypeptide called polypeptide-P, which lowers blood sugar when injected into Type-l diabetics.52 In one study, it decreased the glucose tolerance by 73 percent when people were given 2 ounces of the juice.53 In another study there was a 17 percent reduction in glycosylated hemoglobin in six people." - Gabriel Cousens, There Is a Cure for Diabetes: The Tree of Life 21-Day+ Program (Get the book.) "COCCINIA INDICA Coccinia indica seems to have a blood glucose lowering effect that operates on the same mechanism as bitter melon.185'186 GINGKO BILOBA Gingko biloba has membrane-stabilizing flavones and anthocyanides, which seem to protect against retinopathy.187 AMERICAN GINSENG A team of researchers at the University of Toronto medical facility at St. Michael's Hospital in Toronto used American ginseng (Panax quin-quefolius) in the treatment of Type-2 diabetes." - Gabriel Cousens, There Is a Cure for Diabetes: The Tree of Life 21-Day+ Program (Get the book.) "They are usually peeled after cooking, as leaving the skins on will give a the beans a bitter flavor. To peel, use a paring knife and peel one end, then squeeze the opposite end and the bean will slip out easily. These are general guidelines. Some varieties of grains and beans will require different cooking times than those specified in the chart. This will depend on the variety of the bean. The variation will only be a matter of a few minutes. If you are cooking packaged beans with directions, always follow the recommendations on the package for the variety you have." - Gabriel Cousens, There Is a Cure for Diabetes: The Tree of Life 21-Day+ Program (Get the book.)

"As kids, we may have eaten tasteless stuff—canned or frozen spinach boiled in a pot, or frozen carrots and peas, or frozen bitter Brussels sprouts. But now, mix it up a bit. Ever use fresh baby spinach leaves as a salad base or a pasta replacement? Spinach is an excellent source of magnesium and makes four times more antacid than most other vegetables per equivalent weighted serving. Or try fresh Brussels sprouts trimmed from the stalk, steamed, and then sauteed in olive oil and garlic." - James Dowd and Diane Stafford, The Vitamin D Cure (Get the book.)

"Now, obviously she was bitter and angry that she had been suffering for all that time. But the organic feeling that she had of overwhelming fatigue totally disappeared within a three-month period of time, and I've seen that response in thousands of patients over the years. A small dose of thyroid, combined with things like nutritional support and eliminating food allergies, can really turn a person's life around." Among the psychological symptoms of thyroiditis are depression, anxiety, and panic attacks. Dr. Langer explains, "They could be sitting and reading a book." - Gary Null and Amy McDonald, The Food-Mood Connection: Nutrition-based and Environmental Approaches to Mental Health and Physical Wellbeing (Get the book.) "Supplementing with hydrochloric acid, pancreatic enzymes and other herbs, such as bitter herbs, which can help secrete bile, may prevent Candida overgrowth," Dr. Korins says. "Pancreatic enzymes can be particularly important because incomplete digestion of proteins may cause food allergies. Also, the pancreatic enzymes help keep the intestines free of yeast, bacteria, protozoa, worms, and help break down the immune complex. "The immune system is extremely important to address." - Gary Null and Amy McDonald, The Food-Mood Connection: Nutrition-based and Environmental Approaches to Mental Health and Physical Wellbeing (Get the book.)

"It contains extracts of Astragalus (Root), Water Plaintain (Root), Crinum latifolium (Leaves), bitter Melon (Fruit), Papaya (Leaves), and Soursop (Leaves). Apparently Vietnamese men and women taking Crinum latifolium leaves rarely suffer from ailments of the reproductive system. In the U.S., this product is sold by NutriCology.com. If red blotches appear on the penis, massage it with pure aloe vera gel, twice daily. Many prostate problems are due to trapped urinary deposits/crystals in the penis and disappear when removed by the gel." - Andreas Moritz, Cancer Is Not A Disease - It's A Survival Mechanism (Get the book.)

"Radish has anticongestion energy that clears our senses and helps us think better and I wanted to add a sour taste to balance the hot, pungent and bitter. Lately I have been eating a lot of star fruit, which is slightly sour, but other people might want to have lemon. So we have green tea, ginger, radish, and something sour, like lemon. This helps balance and strengthen the digestion. "The link between digestion and depression is very clear. When our digestion is weak, we can't process our foods, but neither can we process our emotions and our sadness." - Gary Null and Amy McDonald, The Food-Mood Connection: Nutrition-based and Environmental Approaches to Mental Health and Physical Wellbeing (Get the book.)

"Watercress is high in Vitamin C, and is used as a general tonic. Its bitter taste is thought to regulate the appetite and improve digestion. It can be used to alleviate nervous conditions, constipation, and liver disorders. Watercress is a popular cough and bronchitis remedy. It contains a remarkable substance called rhein, which appears to inhibit the growth of pathogenic bacteria in the intestines. It is believed that rhein is also effective against Candida albicans (yeast infection), fever and inflammation, and pain." - Andreas Moritz, Cancer Is Not A Disease - It's A Survival Mechanism (Get the book.)

"Do you have bad breath, a coated tongue, or a bitter or metallic taste in your mouth? ? Do you have strong body odor? ? Do you have strong-smelling urine? ? Do you have trouble sleeping or feel unrefreshed upon waking? ? Are your nails weak, soft, or brittle? ? Do you have dark circles under your eyes? ? Do you often feel stressed or anxious? ? Do you have allergies to various household products, dust, and molds? ? Do you have eczema, dry skin, acne, or rashes? ? Do you gain weight easily? ? Do you have food cravings, especially carbohydrate-rich foods and/or sweets? ?" - Brenda Watson and Leonard Smith, The Detox Strategy: Vibrant Health in 5 Easy Steps (Get the book.)

"Goya looks like a wart-covered cucumber. It's bitter as hell. Its juice is actually an astringent, the kind of food that makes you wince. But it contains high amounts of antioxidants and three compounds that lower blood sugar. Are Okinawans eating goya because it holds some kind of primal appeal to human taste buds? I don't think so." As we came into the northern extreme of the island, and the road narrowed through thick jungle. This, I thought, must have been what Okinawa looked like when centenarians were living the first halves of their lives." - Dan Buettner, The Blue Zones: Lessons for Living Longer From the People Who've Lived the Longest (Get the book.) "Over a meal of stir-fried bitter melon, kelp, millet rice, and fennel tea, I had interviewed them about their longevity. The conversation started off predictably enough, with me asking questions of the what's-your-secret variety. They answered dutifully. Each of them had come from a life of hardship. As children, they nearly starved. During the war, they'd hidden in the mountains and lived on berries. Setzu remembers being caught by an American soldier while she was searching for food. The soldier told her to get into a line with other Okinawans. She thought she would be shot." - Dan Buettner, The Blue Zones: Lessons for Living Longer From the People Who've Lived the Longest (Get the book.) "She mostly eats vegetables from her garden—daikon, bitter melon, garlic, onion, peppers, tomatoes—and some fish and tofu. All day long she nurses a pot of hot, green tea. Before each meal she takes a moment to say hara hachi bu, and that keeps her from eating too much." "Hara hachi bu?" I repeated. "It's a Confucian-inspired adage," Craig chimed in. "All of the old folks say it before they eat. It means 'Eat until you are 80 percent full." - Dan Buettner, The Blue Zones: Lessons for Living Longer From the People Who've Lived the Longest (Get the book.)

"And then there are delicacies—like bitter melon?which baffle westerners. Why, we wonder, would they lick their lips over something so atrociously bitter? To the traditional Asian physician, that which is bitter has something beautiful about it. It is the sobering aspect of human experience—the flooding of consciousness with awareness of the downside, a more realistic appraisal of the situation—an inducement to change and to reorganize.12 When you avoid what is bitter, you become superficial or phony, limited by denial of the disappointments in life that might rein you in." - Rudolph M. Ballentine, M.D., Radical Healing: Integrating the World's Great Therapeutic Traditions to Create a New Transformative Medicine (Get the book.)

"Many plant constituents have a bitter taste: alkaloids, secondary metabolites, anthraquinones, which have laxative effects; cyanogenic glycosides, which have sedative and antispasmodic properties; flavonoids, which include rutin (part of the vitamin C complex) and flavones; and isoflavones, which have estrogenic-like properties. The pungent or spicy taste is stimulating and warming, usually having some type of effect on the circulatory system." - Pam Montgomery, Plant Spirit Healing: A Guide to Working with Plant Consciousness (Get the book.)

"The cousins had their first breakthrough when they took a bitter treatment for parasitic worms, blended it with a sugar-cream confection and shaped it into a candy cone. From those early days on, Pfizer proved willing to break the norm. Soon after the antibiotic Terramycin was approved in 1950, Pfizer's chemists tried mixing it with chocolate syrup to make it tastier; they gave up when the bottles started to explode. The chemists had better luck with a different tactic: they mixed the antibiotic with animal feed to create "a growth enhancer" for hogs, chickens, and cattle." - Melody Petersen, Our Daily Meds: How the Pharmaceutical Companies Transformed Themselves into Slick Marketing Machines and Hooked the Nation on Prescription Drugs (Get the book.)

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