The story begins in 1692 with the Swedish royal physician, chemist, and alchemist Urban Hjarne. Looking for a universal cure for diseases, he created a health elixir in his laboratory using ingredients of flora and fauna. He received a license to sell the remedy in apothecaries all over Sweden—from there, historical accounts differ.
One version states that the potion was soon forgotten and that it wasn’t until his countryman Klaus Samst rediscovered Hjarne’s extract in the 18th century that the drink was sold again—with only modest success within Swedish borders.
That story continues in 1980 with the Austrian Maria Treben. At about that time, Ms. Treben published her book, “Health Through God’s Pharmacy–Advice and Experiences with Medicinal Herbs” and included a recipe for Swedish bitters. In combination with her personal healing story, she wrote in detail about the phytopharmaceutical properties of the herbal ingredients. The book became a bestseller. It was translated into 24 languages and sold more than 8 million copies.
Different Claims for the Original Recipe
Another account, published by two scientists from the Department of Medicinal Chemistry of the University in Uppsala, Sweden, tells the story a bit differently. According to pharmacist Nils-Otto Ahnfelt and historian Hjalmar Fors, Hjarne’s extract achieved worldwide notoriety early on when his sons “traveled around the Baltic Sea, marketing their father’s creation.”“Over the decades, the recipe ended up in the hands of Franz Joseph I of Austria, whereupon the elixir became popular in the German-speaking world,” said Mr. Ahnfelt, a visiting researcher at the university’s Department of Pharmaceutical Biosciences.
Mr. Ahnfelt and Mr. Fors took it upon themselves to recreate the bitter recipe they’ve called “Hjarne’s Testament.”
“Our version of Hjarne’s Testament is a modern reconstruction, based on interpretations of recipes, samples from museums, and a sensory analysis carried out at Kristianstad University. We have replaced some raw ingredients with similar alternatives. But even back in Hjarne’s days, there was never a precise taste,” Nils-Otto Ahnfelt said.
The duo’s findings were published in the journal Ambix. The early recipe was “preserved for posterity,” according to Mr. Ahnfelt. However, there were some very unusual ingredients—including viper meat and opium—that couldn’t be used.
Present-Day Uses of Swedish Bitters
No matter which historical account one believes to be true, Swedish bitters have maintained their popularity since their resurgence more than a century ago. You can buy the remedy ready-made at grocers such as Whole Foods Markets and other well-stocked natural food stores around the country. You can also order versions of it online or make it yourself.Ms. Treben and her recipe for Swedish bitters—known as Schwedenkrauter—still has a large influence on people all over German-speaking countries, according to a paper published in the Swiss Journal of Integrative Medicine.
2 Formulas With Similar Fields of Application
There are two recipes of Ms. Treben’s formula in circulation. However, she features only the “small one” with fewer herbs in her book. She wrote that all of her personal cures and the accounts of healing shared by others were achieved by that particular recipe although the larger formulation shows successful applications as well.The smaller recipe is based on documentation found among Mr. Samst’s belongings. However, various vendors of the herbal mixture seem to add or subtract ingredients at their own discretion or preferences or based on possible copyright issues or other economic factors.
Swedish Bitters’ Digestive Power
Swedish bitter’s herbal qualities can be helpful in everyday life, especially during the holidays or when overindulgence leads to bloating, being overfull, acid reflux, or other digestive maladies.If you decide to make Swedish bitters on your own, I recommend sticking with Ms. Treben’s recipe from her book that includes the following 11 herbal ingredients*: aloe, myrrh, saffron, senna, camphor, Chinese rhubarb, zedoary, manna, carline, angelica, and theriac (Venetian).
The Medicinal Qualities of Swedish Bitters’ Ingredients
Be aware, some of the herbs below are hard to find or even unavailable. However, ready-to-prepare mixes of the bitter formulation are available online.Aloe
A controlled clinical trial published in 2020 in the journal Nutrition Research indicates that aloe, among other herbal compounds “improves upper and lower gastrointestinal symptoms” in patients with digestive disorders. The aloe genus shows anti-inflammatory properties.Ms. Treben remarked in her book that common wormwood (Artemisia absinthium) can be used instead of aloe leaf. With its healing power for indigestion, flatulence, and gastric pain, common wormwood will certainly be a worthy replacement.
Myrrh
Myrrh is one of the most used herbs in traditional Saudi Arabian medicine and is commonly used to treat gastrointestinal disorders. Another study in the International Journal of Colorectal Disease suggests that “therapeutic application of myrrh in intestinal diseases associated with barrier defects and inflammation.”Saffron
In 2019, a team of scientists declared saffron “The Golden Spice with Therapeutic Properties on Digestive Diseases” in the title of their published paper. They outlined the anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties of saffron, especially in diseases such as inflammatory bowel disease.Earlier research in the Iranian Journal of Basic Medicinal Sciences verifies these therapeutic potentials of saffron and found them to be active against serious digestive maladies such as “liver cancer, hepatotoxicity, fatty liver, hyperlipidemia, stomach cancer, peptic ulcer, colon cancer, ulcerative colitis, diabetes and pancreas cancer and ileum contractions.”
Senna
Senna is mostly used for its laxative qualities in Swedish bitters, which are proven by scientific findings to help against constipation. A clinical trial observed the herb’s power to alter whole-gut transit time of digestive waste moving through the intestine.Camphor
In a 2020 animal study, the stem and root of the camphor laurel tree reduced oxidative stress in digestive organs such as the liver, pancreas, and kidneys. Camphor’s antioxidant effects displayed antihyperglycemic properties.Rhubarb
Rhubarb is another ancient herb employed by traditional medicines for centuries. With its antibacterial, anti-fibrotic anticancer, and anti-inflammatory qualities, rhubarb has been proven to regulate gastrointestinal flora and protect the intestinal mucosal barrier in several studies. When used, the herb’s root displays laxative effects at first, which turn astringent in later stages of continued use.Research recently published in the Journal of Ethnopharmacology shows notable results of the metabolic effect of rhubarb in the digestive system: “[It] played pivotal roles in the onset of gut dysfunction, intestinal inflammation, gut barrier damage, and gastrointestinal motility disorder.”
Zedoary
Zedoary (Curcuma zedoaria) is a perennial herb in the Zingiberaceae family and is a close medicinal relative to Curcuma longa, better known as turmeric. Curcumin, the much studied compound in turmeric, is also found in zedoary, notes a study in Advances in Molecular Toxicology.A 2020 study published in the journal Nutrients proposes that curcumin delivers its many pharmacological effects through its interactions with the gut microbiome.
With its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects, “curcumin could exert direct regulative effects primarily in the gastrointestinal tract,” notes a 2020 study in Nutrients.
Manna
The Manna tree is a Southern European flowering ash and another herbal heavy hitter in this mix.“Biological studies reveal significant antimicrobial, antioxidative, photodynamic damage prevention, wound healing, anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory and antiviral activities,” reads research about medicinal uses of the tree’s bark published in Fitoterapia.
Carline Thistle
The root of carline thistle (Carlina vulgaris) has long been used in the traditional folk medicine of the Carpathian Mountains, a region along the Ukrainian-Polish border. Research published in Frontiers in Pharmacology sees this thistle and other herbs as capable of preventing and treating disease but research into this plant remains relatively limited at this point though one study did examine its antioxidant potential.Angelica
This herb can help heal the stomach lining, or stomach mucosa. A study published in Life Sciences in 2001 tested the effects of a crude extract of angelica sinensis and found that it prevents “gastric mucosal damage and promotes ulcer healing” through the alteration of gastric epithelial cells. These cells are key to regenerate lost or damaged stomach mucosa cells.Swedish Bitters’ Many Uses
In her book, Ms. Treben proposes many uses of Swedish bitters. She recounted observing the elixir work as a cure for chronic frontal sinus congestion, scar reduction, and joint deformation.When I was a child, my grandmother always had Swedish bitters brewing on her kitchen counter. She would use the remedy for internal maladies, put it on a cotton ball, and stick it in her ear to treat ear pain or make salves from it to put on cuts and scrapes. It was her panacea—her miracle cure. I never understood why that was so at the time and found Swedish bitters nauseating. Now, as an herbalist, I greatly appreciate the healing powers of this plant-based remedy and always keep it on my kitchen counter too.
Dosage:
According to the website of a German herbal apothecary, Swedish bitters can be taken as a remedy for a specific cure (short term) or on a more regular basis. Take one teaspoon twice a day, half an hour after your meal. You can also add the bitters into a small glass of water or some herbal tea.
In certain situations, the dosage can be increased. In those cases, and for recommendations on external treatment with Swedish bitters, it’s best to contact your local herbalist for personal recommendations.
*This statement hasn’t been evaluated by the FDA. This product isn’t intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent disease. The author encourages readers to continue to visit and to be treated by their health care professionals, including physicians.
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