Digestion
Digestion is more than metabolism — it is the daily work of transformation: what we take in becomes part of us. Medicinal plants for digestion accompany this process from the first bitterness on the tongue to the calm centre in the stomach.
Digestion does not begin in the stomach. It begins in the mouth, indeed even before that — at the sight and scent of the meal. Saliva flows, the stomach prepares itself, the gallbladder is stimulated. A finely orchestrated process, involving countless organs, which must succeed anew every day.
Bitterness as the Gateway
Traditional herbal medicine knew: Bitterness opens the way. It awakens the digestive juices, stimulates the liver, and organises the metabolism. At a time when sweet flavours dominate the table, bitter plants have been all but forgotten — yet it is they who restore the language to our digestive system.
What is bitter in the mouth is healthy for the stomach.
— old proverb
In the understanding of Ceres, digestion is a metaphor for a much greater activity: processing what we encounter — physically, emotionally, spiritually. Those who can digest well can also live well.
