Lash's Bitters for Constipation: the man's Regulator for Thirty Years
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Here is something I just wrote to a friend, who I am sure, would not mind me sharing this well-meant advice for the elders among us.
I think as we age there has to be a certain amount of self-acceptance, of who we are, which isn't going to change dramatically after a certain age. The sad part for me is, when we are younger there is much more opportunity to remake or reinvent ourselves, but one thing we can do when we are older is think about legacy and for some of us that might take the form of writing down what has worked for us, what we have learned. Because if we are old, we are survivors and we must have learned some basic truths about life that can help those coming behind us. Salzman ("Iron and Silk", a memoir) wrote that he learned from a martial arts master to "taste bitter". It took me a bunch of years to realize what that means; it means that you learn that the taste of bitter isn't unpleasant. In the 18th and 19th centuries "bitters" were concoctions consisting of bitter herbs that were powerful medicines and back then "bitters" were associated with health. What I am saying is, we of the 20th and 21st century have become so addicted to sweeteners that we have forgotten how to "taste bitter", both literally and figuratively. If your life tastes bitter, dive into it and retrieve some wisdom from that. Learn to "taste the bitter of your life" and let that heal you.
Founded by Dr. Johann Siegert in1824, the aromatic bitters were first produced as a medical tincture to help with stomach issues. In 1870, Siegert's three sons migrated to Trinidad and established the bitters as an essential ingredient in cocktails and food. Later they were added to alcoholic drinks.
