Maybe you’ve had your gallbladder removed. Or maybe your stomach just gets a little unsettled when you eat fatty foods. Perhaps you’re pregnant, and the very thought of higher fat foods starts a wave of nausea you have to fight to resist.
Whatever the reason, you’re a person who finds digesting fats hard.
So when you hear me raving about ways to get more fat in your diet, you think, “Well, that’s nice for you, but I just can’t do that.” Then maybe a small part of you feels angsty because you’re missing out. You’d love to eat more fat. It’s tasty! It’s full of important fat-soluble vitamins like A, D, E & K-2. It keeps your skin blemish free, your moods serene, your hormones well-regulated.
But… you just can’t.
Good news! Maybe you really CAN, thanks to a little known traditional remedy for people like you.
Ox Bile and Bitters: Aiding Fat Digestion Since … Forever!
Traditional Medicine on every continent has acknowledged the import of these two supplements for many hundreds, if not thousands of years. What are they? How can they help you?
Ox Bile
This is exactly what it sounds like. It’s the bile from oxen.
Bile is what your body produces to help you digest the fats you eat. Your liver excretes the bile, then stores it in your gallbladder for later use. Ultimately, the bile helps breakdown the fats you eat and aids your body in the absorption of the ultra-important fat soluble vitamins.
If, for any reason, you’re running deficient in bile, you’ll have trouble digesting fats. You may get gallstones, have big swings in your blood cholesterol and lipid levels, or suffer from constipation.
Ox bile is chemically similar to our own bile, and our bodies have no trouble using it alongside our own bile for the exact same purpose.
How to Take Ox Bile
If you’ve got issues digesting fats, try taking a single 500mg pill shortly before you eat meals or take any fatty supplements (like cod liver oil) or other fat-soluble vitamins. If you’re still uncomfortable, take more. Your goal ought to be to completely eliminate your symptoms of digestive distress.
If you take too much, your digestive symptoms will likely swing the other way — towards diarrhea. If that happens, just reduce your dosage back down.
Bitters
Bitters are herbal infusions made from bitter herbs. They stimulate your liver to produce more bile and work more efficiently.
They have a long history in traditional medicine and an equally long history in traditional cuisine. Many cultures around the world begin meals with a quick burst of bitters.
The French will drink an apéritif. Many cultures will drink a tea made from bitter herbs like dandelion or milk thistle. Others will simply chow down on a small salad filled with bitter herbs like chicory, arugula, radicchio, or even peppermint (yes, peppermint is considered a bitter).
These bitters stimulate your body to release the hormone gastrin, which in turn increases your gastric acid levels, bile production, and many other important secretions along your digestive tract. This not only aids in the digestion of fats, but it also helps your body breakdown proteins, stimulates the the self-repair mechanisms in your intestinal wall, and eases the passing of stool.
How to Get More Bitters in Your Diet
Traditionally, people consume these small doses of bitters about 15 minutes or so before eating meals.
You can try out a homemade apéritif made with homemade bitters like those found in the book Natural Cocktails.
Or, you could try beginning your meals with a small salad with crisp, bitter herbs.
If neither of these is practical, you could simply take a dropper full of an herbal bitter tincture just before meals. (Hint: Be sure to mix this in a bit of water first, otherwise the bitter flavor may be too overpowering and unpleasant.)
(Where to buy herbal bitter tinctures)
Sources:
Bitter Herbs Sweeten Digestion
Bitters: The Revival of a Forgotten Flavor
(photo by lisbokt)
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Are Swedish Bitters the same thing as “bitters” that you are talking about?
Yes! Really any bitter herb aids digestion, so you can find them ANYWHERE in the world.
Hi
I do not have gallbladder since 2004. So tired of constipation or diarrhea.
I prefer digestive bitters instead ox bile is that ok? I am vegan.
Bitters – original herbal recipes – were and probably still are originally made from cholagogue herbs, which help the liver and gallbladder function and principally dischage bile, which helps break fats down to useful constituents. It is generally trans fats and fried industrial fats the liver/gallbladder complex has the most difficult time with.
Here is a Dandelion Chai we love for bitters infusion:
2 cup dandelion leaves, dried (most health food stores have these in their bulk section
1/4 cup cinnamon chips or coarsely ground cinnamon
1/4 cup loose black or orange pekoe tea
1 tablespoon cardomom pods
1 teaspoons whole clove
1/2 t. ground nutmeg
1 teasp. dried licorice root herb, chopped
Mix well and steep 1/4 cup to quart of boiling water, add the water to the herbs, do not boil the herbs. Let steep 20 min-hour- or longer- strain, serve with your choice of milk/cream.
My Alternative MD started me on a product by Transformation Professional Protocal called Lypo. It has made all the difference in the world for my gallbladder-less body. I had gotten to where i could not eat fats without painful cramping and gas. Now I’m able to eat more fat and feel better.
If ox bile, and bitters which increases bile production, what does this do to a person who has a problem with acid reflux?
Hi Nancy,
That’s an excellent question! In one of the source articles I linked to, the author (a nutritionist) responds to this point by saying:
“The smooth muscle of the stomach is also stimulated by the bitter reflex, which increases the rate of gastric emptying, and contracts the esophageal sphincter to prevent the movement of acidic stomach contents upwards into the esophagus…. While many people with GERD are hesitant to partake of bitters due to the potential increase in stomach acidity, the combined effect of these actions actually can help this condition by ensuring that the stomach contents are moved downward rather than allowed to reflux back up and out of the stomach. Bitters also act to heal any damage done to the gastric mucosa.”
For a more in-depth explanation of why they can help, read this:
http://chriskresser.com/get-rid-of-heartburn-and-gerd-forever-in-three-simple-steps
coconut oil and which is a medium chain triglyceride, does not need bile to digest. that info could be helpful to many.
http://www.ofspirit.com/brucefife1.htm
Very interesting post and replies. Thank you!
I use chicory in my coffee and have no problems with digestion of fatty foods. Perhaps a small cup of brewed chicory before meals would help. I recommend a tablespoon chicory in 4 ounces of boiling water. Allow to steep for five minutes, filter, then drink. A little honey could be added.
Chicory was used extensively as a coffee substitute in the South during the American Civil War, and is still readily available in coffees served in New Orleans.
Frontier makes a granulated chicory that is the best I’ve tried. I use a scoop of chicory in my coffee (1 to 4 ratio of chicory to coffee) and have for several years. No problems with digestion of any kind. The chicory smooths out the coffee taste too.
Stephen Greenfield
How is ox bile obtained? Sounds like something inhumane. I didn’t see a link in your resource center for ox bile, specifically – where is it typically sourced?
To my knowledge, no one raises cattle specifically to obtain glands or tissue extracts.
So, ox bile would be a product of the meat industry — basically a way to use up every part of the animal.
As with anything like that, you’d want to source it well, if possible!
This is very helpful info for me as I,unfortunately, had my gall bladder removed a long time ago. I am a bit confused though by the recommended dual remedy. If bitters stimulates the pancreas to produce more bile and one does not have a gall bladder, what happens to the bile? Hence, I can readily see the helpfulness of the ox bile, but I am uncertain about the bitters. On another note, I couldn’t find a source for ox bile via your link.
When the gall bladder is removed, your body still produces bile, but it is no longer stored and concentrated in the gall bladder. Instead, produced bile goes directly into your small intestine to aide digestion.
Bitters help by stimulating bile production immediately before and during meals. This bile then goes directly to your small intestine to help digest your food.
In other words, any bile you make isn’t stored and concentrated, but it is either used or pooped out. If you’re making too much bile, then your poop will start getting too watery, so you’ll know to cut back on the ox bile and bitters.
As for the link, you likely have an ad blocker enabled or javascript disabled. I use an ad software to load my Resources page, so you’ll need to disable the ad blocker for that page or re-enable javascript for that page in order for it to load properly!
Hope that helps!
Yeah, thanks Kristen, that is really helpful.
I had my gallbladder removed, since than I have trouble controlling outbreaks on my skin. This has been going on for 10 years. I am 44 now. hopefully this works I will try this thank you.
OX BILE could be my answer! Sounds disgusting but I will do anything to digest my food better!
It’s really not all that disgusting. It’s pills! Practically tasteless and super-quick to swallow.
Unfortunately, it tastes horrible if you chew it and i don’t think you should as it supposed to work in the stomach not in the mouth or esophagus. Since I can’t swallow pills and was advised to take some, i tried chewing it; it made me nauseated.
Oops: What I meant to say was bile should work in the intestine. Anyway, I stopped chewing them.
Hopefully you’ll see this, since the post was written a while back. Do you think ox bile would help if you still have a gall bladder, but it doesn’t function at 100%?
Is ox bile and bitters both safe to take during pregnancy? I had my gallbladder removed a couple of years ago and take ox bile which really helps. I am wanting to get pregnant but want to make sure it is safe to take.
Ox bile is safe, so far as I know, but not bitters! Most bitters recipes include angelica, which is contraindicated during both pregnancy and lactation, as well as several other herbs that should be avoided (licorice, senna, myrrh, cinnamon bark, valerian). I’ve read in other places that bitters are safe during pregnancy – this is NOT true!
It is my understanding that bitters are safe during pregnancy so long as that pregnancy is HEALTHY.
Bitters, like raspberry leaf, oregano, cinnamon, and many other commonly used herbs are uterine toning.
In a healthy pregnancy, this means they promote “mini-contractions” in the uterus (often imperceptible to the mother) that help strengthen it and prepare it for labor & birth.
In an unhealthy pregnancy, where mothers have legitimate reason to fear pre-term birth, then these uterine toning herbs could stimulate labor.
Traditional Chinese Medicine has traditionally used bitters (like Angelica, mentioned in the comment by Anna) before, during, and after pregnancy in healthy women.
I used bitters through three pregnancies and noticed no ill effects. Does that mean you should? Your milage may vary. It really depends on the individual woman.
I had my gallbladder out three years ago in an unavoidable removal.. Since ten I’ve been fine aside from certain days when I bile-dump. *constantly*. Would either suggestion work to help level out bile output?
I’m so tired of the multiple pains involved in bile-dumping..
I want to thank you for writing this article. I had my gallbladder removed more than 20 years ago because of gallstones. Now I’m experiencing great difficulty with indigestion every time I eat nuts, dairy or any fats. I have been eating low fat all these years and have not seen many articles that address this issue. My doctor just says is to eat less fat. Thank you again, your explanation is invaluable to me.
I would recommend you take ox bile with meals to digest fats.
I am taking ox bile to help my gallbladder (which has some stones) and use digestive bitters as well as HCL to increase stomach acid. Since bile emulsifies fat and alkalizes acid, would it be at odds with the bitters/HCL by taking them both with meals? Shouldn’t the bile be taken after the food is broken down and ready to enter the small intestines, when the acid needs to be neutralized, perhaps an hour or so after eating? Would love some clarification on this.
Just wanted to leave a note about a somewhat less… ferocious 🙂 bitters product. Urban Moonshine’s Citrus Bitters **in the spray bottle** aren’t all that bad, and this from a “supertaster” who cannot eat a mouthful of kale without retching. Not kidding. I still shudder and make faces, but I get it down. (From the dropper or a spoon, it’s absolutely horrible. Has to be the spray, it spreads it out and reduces the burn. And this is NOT a product for anyone who avoids alcohol due to substance abuse history, because they are very strongly alcoholic in flavor and feel which I believe would definitely be triggering. A dose is only 1/8 to 1/4 tsp so my doctor deems it fine to take with other medications I use that are very, very dangerous to combine with alcohol.) I have two of the spray bottles, one for home and one for my purse, which I refill from the large 8oz bottle. I use 7 sprays every time I eat since I have no gallbladder, gastroparesis, chronic pancreatitis, and hypochlorhydria due to scarring from erosive gastritis which also caused pernicious anemia (but HCL supplements cause severe stomach pain so I gotta stimulate those acid pumps that ARE there to do their jobs!). I also use a digestive enzyme product – Omega-Zyme Ultra from Garden of Life – which has made a significant difference from baseline, but things have improved a great deal further since adding the bitters.
Urban Moonshine’s original bitters were too strong for me to manage; luckily a local health-food store has tester bottles. I did not care for the maple bitters at all and I love-love-love-love maple anything (I even make maple soda by stirring a tsp into fizzywater)… I think the bitters spoil the maple flavor and that’s why I don’t like it. 🙂
Does anyone know of an ox bile product that is *known* to be sourced from non-CAFO bovines *and not from China*? Ox bile is used in Chinese traditional medicine, however between their history of food adulteration/contamination and their stunning levels of environmental pollution, I do not trust ANY foodstuffs or medicaments from China.
Nope, I’m having trouble digesting facts. 😀
Standard Process makes a bile salts supplement called Cholacol that has collinsonia root in it to support the vascular system because hemorrhoids and varicose veins can be aggravated if bile salts are taken alone. Great product!
I’ve had good luck with DoTerra’s DigesZen blend of essential oils when I eat a lot of fatty food. Sometimes I get a little indegestion/heartburn even when they are all good fats. I don’t love the anise smell, but it does the trick!
We can improve our liver function without adding ox bile! Or other processed and isolated DRUGS which are offered by the nutrasceutical companies. Local herbs for centuries have done the trick- dandelion tea will do it, anise/clove tea, in India cultures Chai is for this purpose….it’s not the higher fat foods necessarily it is the way they are eaten, the lack of chewing, and the condition of the liver.
My gallbladder was removed in 2001, and I had difficulty digesting fats for years because I didn’t understand the function of the gallbladder, and that we need it to store bile for when we eat fats. I have finally found some good digestive enzyme to help and I take them daily. I tried bitters and ox bile too, and I think sometimes those work for me, but the digestive enzymes are more consistent. But I know many who have had success with ox bile and bitters. Great post! 🙂
If you have been diagnosed with gallstones, be careful with anything that stimulates bile production, as this can cause a stone to become lodged in the bile duct. This happened to me and the bile was trapped in my gallbladder causing it to become sceptic which resulted in an emergency hospital admission.
Also 10% of people who have had their gallbladder removed can suffer from a mixture of acid and/or bile reflux, therefore anything which makes you produce more bile is a no no, as this means there will be more chance that bile will reflux into your stomach, where it really should not be!
I was told these things by the consultant who removed my gallbladder, and later by my GP who is treating me for acid/bile reflux. I was drinking a chicory based coffee substitute after I stopped drinking coffee, but this has just added to my problems, because I am now producing too much bile which is refluxing into my throat and it is very painful!
should I take ox bile when I consume bone broth? I get acne from all fats. any thoughts?
Thanks for sharing your thoughts on colorado cooking schools.
Regards
Kathy Gleisner Webster
Food Renegade Is ACV considered a bitter? TIA!
does your body become dependent on the ox bile?
Courtney Terrell
As a traditional naturopath, I think the ox bile could easily be skipped in favor or herbs which will rejuvenate the liver and gallbladder into effectively producing their own bile. Furthermore, the fats that usually cause this problem, initially are the ones we want to avoid, both in form and preparation. Even fandelion leaf infusion is a bitter which can assist a lot, but the bottom line is helping clear the liver/gallbladder and common bile ducts, and then choosing foods which will not re-do the problem all over again. Use of a castor oil pack will also help this rejuvenation quite a lot. We have a castor oil pack tutorial in PDF at http://www.naturopathicschoolofannarbor.net/#!nd-core-program/c1sv8
Amy Hoffman
Fernanda Galvez
I have been able to eat so much more stuff since I had my stone riddled, necrotic gall bladder removed.
What causes a gallbladder to go bad in the first place? Seems every person I know who has had to have theirs removed was on some strict long-term low-fat high-carb diet.
Teresa Pittman
Bernie Eck
Jeanne Frank
I have no problem digesting fats, I’m actually eating a high fat diet, but for me I now produce bile in a constant, no ability store it so it’s gotta go somewhere, way. Well i producing enough that my body can’t uptake the excess and it comes out, it’s bile salts diarrhea and I use calcium carbonate to control it.
Yes, I had my gallbladder removed in 2001. It wasn’t until about 2007 that I realized I was having a lot of trouble digesting fats and I was recommended to take bile salts and enzymes by a Nutritional Therapy Practitioner. For years I took bile salts, but now I’m taking digestive enzymes that were recommended by my ND and they have been working well for me.
It has been a while since the last post, but am hoping there is an answer to this question. Have any of you put on weight in the stomach area and can’t lose weight since the gall bladder was removed. I have put on a stomach since I had my gall bladder taken out in Jan. of 15. It looks like I am pregnant. I am 76 years old, and I am completely stressed out over this weight gain. Never have I had this problem in my lifetime. I have been reading a lot lately because it seems no doctors can tell me anything. I started taking Ultra -Zyme from Nature’s Plus for the digestive supplement. Do you think this will help me in my weight gain, and maybe help me lose the fat I have accumulated? I would like to know if I should be doing something else. The Zyme I am taking has only 125 MG of Ox Bile in it. Would this be enough? Would appreciate all the help I can get ,
Thanks
Tried Ox Bile and nope it doesn’t work.
can we take digestive enzymes with ox bile,means 2 different supplements together?or before meals digestive enzymes and after meal ox bile is this okey? i have yellow diarrehea after h.pylori gone.
Please can you advise on oxbile for bile salt malabsorption . Unfortunately the questrum medication produces awful pain and bloating but if I don’t take I have severe diahorrea every morning they til lunch or even all day ! I feel so ill ! I’ve always had ibs but since having my gal ladder removed it’s a nightmare ! I had a se sehscan and it was 0.01 , they said it’s very low , I desperately need advice . Thanks
Anna
Hello. We need ox bile. My hubby read and article that says the stomach acid kills ox bile. There for the body doesn’t get the benefits. What are your thoughts?
If ox bile originates in a bovine animal which is vegetarian, how can that bile help digest animal fat?
Hello Kristen,
I’m 18 weeks pregnant with my first child. I’ve noticed for a couple years that I wasn’t handling fatty meals well: the fat made me feel full right away, but then 10 minutes later I was hungry again (strong need for carbs). Just before getting pregnant this seemed to be confirmed by a stool test that showed a high presence of undigested fat. I still have difficulty wirh fattier meals (I’m not talking about deep fried things), though I’m able to consume a good amount of fat, even if I take forever to get it all down. But I’m really worried that I might not even be digesting it, and in that case is my baby not getting the fat it needs?
Should I assume I have a bile issue and take ox bile, or just try bitters? I’ve had morning sickness (still do) and have most often vomited on empty stomach immediately in the morning. It seems that bile comes up. It’s not green but bright yellow.
Thank you for any help.
I know this is an old post, so I don’t know if you’ll see my comment, but for several years I have had symptoms of fat malabsorption and I have tried many remedies for it. I’ve taken ox bile with every meal, I’ve taken digestive enzymes, I’ve drank lots of beet kvass. My diet is mostly AIP but… I drink more green tea than the AIP would recommend. Lots of it. Do you think the tea could be the problem?