Also known as: Centaury. Uses: Indigestion, acid reflux, acid stomach, heartburn, hiatus hernia, eating disorders. Description: Centaurium has been used as the classic stomach bitter for many years. Bitter herbs or bitter tasting foods used to form a significant part of the diet. Nowadays, these have practically disappeared with the trend towards more convenient, bland and easy to eat foods. How it works: As you may have surmised, Centaurium has a bitter taste and owes this property to the group of compounds called bitter glycosides. The bitterness of food on the tongue plays a very important role in the digestive process. The taste of bitter foods stimulates the appetite and triggers the secretion of digestive juices in the stomach, which in turn improves the breakdown of food. At the same time, the hormone gastrin is secreted by the walls of the stomach. This improves the digestive process, by improving the passage of food from the stomach to the intestines. Another important action of gastrin is to tighten the valve between the oesophagus and stomach, which is important in reducing the symptoms associated with a hiatus hernia, such as gastric reflux. Additional advice: No restrictions on use are known. In the use of bitter herbs, the bitter taste is essential to their therapeutic action. In the case of bitters in tablet or capsule form and in liquids where the taste has been masked, the bitter herbs are usually ineffective.