Flora Flora - Maria's Swedish Bitters, 250 ml
Flora Maria's Swedish Bitters - 39.4% Alcohol - Bitters play an important role in digestion as they stimulate bile production to break down the fats we consume. Use before meals to stimulate the stomach and help improve digestion or use after meals to lessen feelings of fullness or gas. This blend of extracts provides the bitter leaves and roots generally lacking in the average diet, which stimulate the production of bile to help digest fatty foods, promote regularity and ease hyperacidity.
Price
Regular Canadian retail price: $35.98 CAD. Price Vault members pay below retail on this product. Member pricing is private and shown after a free opt-in, with no membership fee, no minimum order and no subscription.
Currently out of stock. Free shipping across Canada on orders over $89, flat $9.95 under that. 30 days to request a return, with return shipping paid by the customer. Ships from Victoria, BC.
Why people keep reordering it
- Researched strains
- Specific, studied strains at counts high enough to reach your gut.
- Guaranteed live cultures
- Potency held through the end of shelf life, not just at manufacture.
- Digestive balance
- Supports regularity, bloating and a healthy gut barrier.
Best suited to: occasional heaviness after a fatty meal, people comfortable with a traditional herbal tincture, someone wanting occasional gas and fullness relief after meals.
What the research supports
A liquid tincture of thirteen traditional bitter herbs built around senna and rhubarb root. A 250 mL bottle lasts about two weeks at the labeled dose.
Traditional bitters are dosed by the teaspoon rather than to a research target. The senna is the ingredient to watch, since it is a stimulant laxative and the label caps how long it should be taken.
- Constipation (evidence: strong, from human clinical trials, long history of traditional use)
- Senna, rhubarb and aloe leaf contain compounds that trigger contractions in the colon wall to move stool along, typically within eight to twelve hours of a dose.
- Digestive secretions (evidence: limited, from mechanistic studies, traditional use, small observational reports)
- Bitter taste on the tongue triggers a reflex that increases saliva, stomach acid and bile release before food arrives. Few controlled trials test bitters blends like this one directly.
Read the literature: Constipation on PubMed, Digestive secretions on PubMed.
Is it right for you
Worth it if
- Occasional heaviness after a fatty meal
- Angelica, myrrh and the other bitters here are meant to stimulate bile flow and gastric secretions when taken before or after eating.
- People comfortable with a traditional herbal tincture
- This follows the classic multi-herb Swedish bitters formula rather than a single standardized extract, so it suits someone wanting that whole approach.
- Someone wanting occasional gas and fullness relief after meals
- The label specifically points to easing fullness and gas post-meal, using the bitter and carminative herbs like cardamom and cinnamon in the blend.
Look elsewhere if
- Anyone avoiding alcohol or recovering from alcohol dependence
- A bitters capsule or a digestive enzyme instead. This is an alcohol-extracted tincture and the alcohol is the carrier, so there is no version of it without.
What to expect
Taken before a meal, the bitter taste itself triggers digestive secretions within minutes, which is the traditional rationale for bitters. Any effect on fullness, gas or bowel regularity from the senna, rhubarb and aloe would show up within hours to a day of use, not as a long-term cumulative change.
How it compares
- Compared with a plain gentian or wormwood bitters tincture
- This formula adds senna, rhubarb and aloe, which push toward bowel stimulation on top of the bitter digestive effect, so it does more than just spark appetite and stomach acid. The tradeoff: That extra laxative action means it is not a gentle daily digestive bitter for someone who only wants the appetite and bile-stimulating effect without any bowel movement changes.
- Compared with a digestive enzyme capsule
- Enzymes supply the actual breakdown machinery for fats, proteins and carbs directly in the gut, while this tincture works upstream by prompting your own bile and gastric secretions. The tradeoff: You lose the direct enzymatic boost and take on a 39.4% alcohol delivery vehicle instead of a plain capsule.
Product details
- Medicinal ingredients
- Angelica root 1:72, Aloe leaf 1:100, Zedoary root 1:87, Myrrh resin 1:174 and 9 more
- Ingredient form
- ml
- Suggested use
- Shake the bottle well before using. Take 1 teaspoon (5 ml) in water or herbal tea, 3-4 times daily. Non-GMO.
- Country of manufacture
- Canada
- Independent testing
- NPA and QAI (third-party certified)
- Certifications
- Non-GMO, Made in Canada
- Storage
- Store in a cool, dry place
- Brand
- Flora
How to take it
Shake the bottle well before using. Take 1 teaspoon (5 ml) in water or herbal tea, 3-4 times daily. Non-GMO.
- Store in a cool, dry place away from direct light.
- Keep out of reach of children.
- Consult a practitioner if you are pregnant, nursing or on medication.
Ingredients
Each 5 mL teaspoon contains
- Angelica root 1:72
- 69.5 mg
- Aloe leaf 1:100
- 50 mg
- Zedoary root 1:87
- 57.5 mg
- Myrrh resin 1:174
- 28.8 mg
- Senna root 1:100
- 50 mg
- Rhubarb root 1:100
- 50 mg
- Manna sap 1:100
- 50 mg
- Camphor wood 1:200
- 25 mg
- Carline thistle root 1:200
- 25 mg
- Cinnamon bark 1:666
- 7.5 mg
- Valerian root 1:666
- 7.5 mg
- Cardamom seed 1:1333
- 3.75 mg
- Saffron flower 1:5000
- 1.0 mg
Non-medicinal ingredients
Grain alcohol 39.4%.
Interactions and cautions
- Medications
- May interact with certain prescription medications. Review with your pharmacist if you take daily medication.
- Timing
- If taking antibiotics, separate doses by 2 to 3 hours.
- Pregnancy and breastfeeding
- Consult a healthcare practitioner before use if pregnant or breastfeeding.
- General
- Use only as directed. Discontinue and consult a practitioner if you experience an adverse reaction.
This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent disease. Consult a healthcare practitioner before use. Free certified advisors are available at 1-888-386-1211, Mon to Fri, 9am to 5pm PT.
Questions about Flora - Maria's Swedish Bitters
- Is this the genuine, authentic product?
- Yes. It is identical to what you would pay full price for anywhere else, sourced through our authorized supplier relationships.
- How is the price below retail?
- We buy direct, with nobody in the middle taking a cut, and we sell it for close to what we paid. You see the price privately because you have unlocked the Vault.
- How fast does it ship?
- Orders placed before 12pm PT are processed the same day and ship within two business days. Shipping is free over $89, and a flat $9.95 under that.
- Can I return it?
- You have 30 days after it arrives to request a return. Product must be unused, in its original packaging, with proof of purchase, and return shipping is paid by you. Find it cheaper anywhere in Canada and we will match the price.