Many beverages are made with gentian root.
Gentiana lutea is used to produce
gentian, a
distilled beverage produced in the
Alps and in the
Auvergne. Some species are harvested for the manufacture of
apéritifs,
liqueurs, and
tonics. Gentian root is a common beverage flavouring for
bitters. The
soft drink Moxie contains gentian root. The French apéritif
Suze is made with gentian.
Americano apéritifs contain gentian root for bitter flavoring. It is an ingredient in the Italian liqueur
Aperol. It is also used as the main flavor in the German after-dinner digestif called
Underberg, and the main ingredient in
Angostura bitters and
Peychaud's Bitters. The principal bitter component of gentian root is gentiopicrin (also called gentiopicroside), a
glycoside. A 2007 paper by a Japanese group identified 23 compounds in fresh gentian root. Gentiopicrin was absent from the fresh root, so it possibly developed during drying and storage of the root. Gentian has had limited use in perfumery, most notably as a glycerine soap (Crabtree & Evelyn) and a perfume (Corday's Possession, 1937). The young plant and old leaves of at least one species,
Gentiana scabra, are edible when cooked and have historically been used as a famine food when other food sources were scarce.
Pharmacological uses Great yellow gentian (
Gentiana lutea) is used in
herbal medicine for digestive problems, fever,
hypertension,
muscle spasms,
parasitic worms, wounds, cancer, sinusitis, and
malaria, although studies have shown minimal efficacy beyond that of a
placebo with regard to the treatment of anxiety and ADHD in children. Gentian has been shown to manage
dyspepsia by eliciting
cephalic responses that increase
vascular resistance and reduce the workload of the heart during digestion.
Gentiana punctata leaves and roots have been used in traditional Austrian medicine internally and externally as liqueur or tea for disorders of the gastrointestinal tract, skin, locomotor system, liver, and bile, and for pediatric problems, fever, flu, rheumatism, and gout.
Gentiana purpurea,
Gentiana punctata, and
Gentiana pannonica are used to produce
gentian schnapps, traditionally used as a digestive aid. In
Ayurvedic medicine the endangered Indian gentian
Gentiana kurroo has been used as a medical herb, but has been replaced with the Himalayan plant
Picrorhiza kurroa, or
Picrorhiza scrophulariiflora from
traditional Chinese medicine.
Symbolism of the
German-speaking Community of Belgium The gentian flower was used as the emblem of the
Minamoto clan, one of the four great clans that dominated Japanese politics during the
Heian period and went on to establish the
first Shogunate in the aftermath of the
Genpei War. It is the official flower (called ) of the
German-speaking community of Belgium. ==Species==