What is gentian?
Gentian root is an herb native to Europe. The health benefits of gentian root include improved digestion, appetite, blood sugar, and other benefits.
Gentian is a perennial herb commonly called gall weed, felwort, pale gentian, or common gentian. It has a long history as a natural remedy and is still widely used today.
Gentian root,Gentiana spp., is an herb native to Europe. There are hundreds of differentGentianaplants, and each one is unique. There are some general characteristics, though.
North and south of the equator, gentian is a perennial grass, whereas gentian from the tropics or subtropics is a shrub or small tree. The plant has blue or white tube-like flowers and rhizomes.
People have used the roots and rhizomes for a long time. Traditionally, they soaked the roots in water and drank it as a medicinal tea for inflammation and liver or spleen swelling. It was also used for muscle weakness, sprains, and menstrual problems. A plaster of gentian root and vinegar was a common treatment for snake bites, infected wounds, skin inflammations, and injuries.
Today, gentian root is mostly an ingredient in alcohol, soda, or juice drinks or used as herbal medicine. You can find gentian root extracts, tinctures, and powdered supplements.
Health benefits of gentian root
Gentian is an old remedy that might have some health benefits. There aren’t a lot of studies, though, so more research is needed.
Eases digestion and improves appetite
Gentian root is an old digestive remedy. The root is rich in glycoside compounds called secoiridoidal glycosides, which give it a strong bitter taste. The first bite usually tastes sweet and then gets gradually more bitter.
Bitters are thought to help digestion by stimulating your saliva glands and your stomach to release saliva and gastric juices that aid digestion and boost your appetite. The gentian root might have similar effects because of these bitter compounds.
Studies also show it has a protective effect on the gut. Experts gave gentian root extract to mice with intestinal ulcers and found it lowered gastric juices and total acid output. The result was protection against ulcers and injury to the gut lining.
Might help sinus infections
Sinusitis is when your sinuses get inflamed and irritated, usually caused by bacteria or viral infections, or allergies. It causes symptoms like headache, sneezing, blocked sinuses, fever, and loss of smell.
Researchers found that a popular German supplement called Sinupret helped treat bacterial sinusitis. They infected mice with bacteria and then randomly gave them antibiotics, steroids, sugar pills, or Sinupret. The Sinupret group had lower bacteria growth after four days and significantly lower growth after eight days.
The herbal supplement combines gentian root and other herbs, including elder flowers, European vervain, common sorrel, and primrose. With so many ingredients, it’s hard to say that gentian works this way.
In another study, researchers took the same product and compared it to a steroid called prednisolone. Sinupret did not affect loss of smell, though they write it does lower inflammation. More studies are necessary.
Might regulate blood sugar
Korean gentian, species nameGentiana scabra, might help lower blood sugar levels. Experts did oral glucose tolerance tests on mice and then gave them gentian root extract. They followed up with another oral glucose test and also did blood tests and found that gentian root lowered blood glucose.
They suggest the actions come from the bitter glycosides, which cause the body to release glucagon-like peptide 1. GLP-1 is a hormone that helps absorb nutrients and link absorption to insulin hormone, which helps get glucose into your cells. The result is lower blood sugar and a possible anti-diabetes effect.
Might lower inflammation
One of the traditional uses for gentian root is as a topical plaster or ointment for injuries, wounds, and swelling. So researchers looked at a topical herbal cream that contains gentian root, licorice root, and willow bark extractand compared it to a topical steroid cream.
Patients with redness, swelling, and sores from UV light applied either the gentian root cream or the steroid twice daily for two weeks. The herbal cream group had significantly lowered inflammation, and the cream worked as well as the steroid cream.
The study also compared the two creams on patients with eczema. The herbal cream group had significantly less severe sores and a quick improvement after 1 and 2 weeks. There were no serious side effects.
While the cream seems to work, it’s hard to pinpoint it to gentian root, given all the ingredients. Again, more research is necessary.
Side effects and risks of gentian root
There isn’t a lot of research on the safety of gentian root, but it’s likely safe to take for most people. The recommended dose of gentian tea is 0.1 grams to 2 grams of roots and rhizomes in 150 ml of water up to three times daily. The dose for fluid extracts is 2 to 4 grams three times daily and for tinctures, 1 milliliter three times daily.
That being said, gentian root might have some side effects and risksand might be unsafe for some people.
Digestive upset
One study found that gentian causes gas, loose or soft stool, nausea, stomach cramps, and headache. The study was for patients with existing digestive problems, so it’s hard to know if the gentian was the cause. Other reports write that taking too much gentian can cause nausea and vomiting.
Pregnancy risk
There aren’t any studies on the safety of gentian root during pregnancy and breastfeeding. Traditionally, people sometimes drank gentian tea to cause pregnancy loss. It’s not clear that it works this way,. Still, it’s best to avoid gentian root if you’re pregnant.
Might be unsafe for children
Some reports say not to give gentian root to children. Other studies found the herbal gentian root sinus product called Sinupret was safe for children aged 6 to 11 years and had no serious reactions. Given the conflicting results, talk to your doctor before you give a child gentian root supplement.
Talk to your doctor about gentian root
Gentian is an old remedy and a popular ingredient in after-dinner bitters. It might have some health benefits, though more research is necessary. Talk to your doctor about taking gentian supplements.
Medically Reviewed on 11/10/2022
References
SOURCES:
American Botanical Council: "SINUPRET® Consumer/Patient Information Sheet."
American Family Physician: "Adult Rhinosinusitis: Diagnosis and Management."
Clinical Phytoscience: "Results of a randomised controlled study on the efficacy of a combination of saline irrigation and Sinupret syrup phytopreparation in the treatment of acute viral rhinosinusitis in children aged 6 to 11 years."
European Medicines Agency: "Assessment report on Gentiana lutea L., radix."
HNO: "Pharmacology of Sinupret. Recent results on the rational for the Sinupret compound."
Journal of Ethnopharmacology: "A bitter herbal medicine Gentiana scabra root extract stimulates glucagon-like peptide-1 secretion and regulates blood glucose in db/db mouse."
Journal of Natural Medicines: "Gastroprotective effects of bitter principles isolated from Gentian root and Swertia herb on experimentally-induced gastric lesions in rats."
Journal of Traditional and Complementary Medicine: "Medicinal, biological and phytochemical properties of Gentiana species."
Planta Medica: "Anti-Inflammatory Effect of a Novel Topical Herbal Composition (VEL-091604) Consisting of Gentian Root, Licorice Root and Willow Bark Extract."
Rhinology: "The effect of a herbal combination of primrose, gentian root, vervain, elder flowers, and sorrel on olfactory function in patients with a sinonasal olfactory dysfunction."
Physiological Reviews: "The physiology of glucagon-like peptide 1."
U.S. Department of Agriculture FoodData Central: "Gentian root."
World Health Organization, WHO monographs on selected plant materials, "Radix Gentianae Luteae," WHO Press, 2007
