Learn about European Naturopathic Healing Methods


GENTIAN  Gentiana lutea


„Whoever calls a small garden his own, should have a gentian bush, a sage bush and a wormwood brush“ said Pastor Kneipp and he was right.

If you ever were hiking in the European mountains and had a bottle of gentian tincture  with you, you would have experienced the vigorating effect of that plant, when  you felt exhausted.

Gentian is growing in Germany, Austria and Switzerland on mountain meadows in the Alps but it also adapts well in your garden. Gentian blooms late, so be ready to wait for 7 to 8 years for the first blossom. Gentian is protected under the Nature Protection Act. It is strictly forbidden - and heftily fined - if plants are excavated and taken home. You may buy Gentian plants from a licensed  gardener and put it into you garden.
Caution: Gentian does not tolerate any fertilizer!

If you just want to use the healing properties of the plant, you may also as well buy the dried and minced root of Gentian in any Pharmacy.

If  you harvest your own root from the garden, it should be taken in springtime or fall and it should be cut in half, strung on a thread and hung in fresh air to dry completely.

The rot contains a bitter agent that makes the effect of the Gentian. That is why it is always used as GI-Tract and Circulation remedy.

TEA
Gentian Tea is made as a cold extraction. This means, you put 1 teaspoon full of (dried and cut) Gentian roots into one cup of cold water and let it sit over night or at least 5-6 hours. If taken half an hour before meals it is strengthening the GI tract to produce more digestive juice. It is also good to take it as a precaution, when you are facing an  invitation for a heavy meal.

TINCTURE
30 gram of very fine cut dry Gentian roots are mixed with 1 liter of white wine (organic!) and  put into a glass jar with a screw top. This mixture has to be placed on a sunny spot for 3 weeks. Shake well every day. Afterwards strain and fill into a dark glass bottle .  Gentian drops are recommended to take when feeling anorectic and to help digestion (10 drops in a glass of water) . But be careful and do not overdose, because it could cause irritation of the GI tract.
Who wants to play it safe, should just switch to

WINE
30 gram of small cut roots are put into 1 liter screw top jar with white wine (organic!) and letting it sit still  for 2 weeks in a sunny place. Strain and drink 125 ml a day at the max. Elder people profit from it very well as it stimulates circulation and digestion as well.

POWDER
is not easy to produce. You would have to grind the dried roots very fine. It is easier to buy it ready ground in the pharmacy. One knifetip of Gentian powder can be taken as a digestive stimulus. Don‘t overdo! It can cause irritation. In former times Gentian powder was a proven remdey for fighting anemia.