GENTIAN is used in herbal medicine and is understood to aid, among other things, digestive problems, muscle spasms, hypertension, wounds, sinusitis and malaria.
Many drinks, too, are made with gentian root. One such is ‘Gentian’, also known as Gentian Spirit, Gentian Schnapps or Enzian liquor, a clear alcoholic drink from the European Alps, made from distilling the roots of G. lutea. Other species are harvested, too, and go into the manufacture of a range tonics, apéritifs and liqueurs, including:
Angostura and Peychaud’s Bitters (to give drinks a bitter, sour or bittersweet flavour).
Moxie, an American soft drink owned by the Coca-Cola company.
Suze (French) and Aperol (Italian) liqueurs.
Underberg, a German after-dinner digestif.
Americano apéritif, a form of aromatised wine.…
