Use of Sweden Bitter 

Small excerpt from the book Health through God’s pharmacy by Maria Treben about Sweden Bitter use and benefits as the remedy

What say Maria Treben about Sweden Bitter …

It sounds almost like a fairy story, but it is true. As a refugee from a german speaking area of Czechoslovakia, i became ill with typhoid fever in a camp in Bavaria, caused by contaminated meat and, through it, came jaundice and an obstruction in the intestines.

I spent more than 6 months in hospital. When my husband got my mother, my mother-in-law, our child and myself to Austria, i was a young but sick woman. At night i was hit by terrible pain that shot through my body like a sword. In these moments i could neither sit nor stand, walk nor lie down: at the same time i vomited and had diarrhea. I was a helpless bundle of misery. These were after pains of the typhoid fever which sometimes can go on for years, as the doctor said.

One day a woman brought me a small bottle containing a dark brown, strong smelling liquid. She had heard of my illness and wanted to help. The Sweden bitters had relieved her of a serious complaint. Accompanying the small bottle she gave me was a transcript of an “Old manuscript” in which was explained, in 46 points, how these drops heal every illness. The recipe came from the writings of a well-known swedish physician Dr Samst.

As stated, all members of his family had reached an unusual old age. These drops, according to number 43, heal “plague boils and swellings even if already in the throat”. I put the bottle in the medicine chest. I just did not believe that these modest drops could give me back my health, since the doctor could not even help me. Soon i changed my mind.

As i sat in front of a large basket of over ripe pears which needed to be used up straight away i had another attack. As i had been told that these swedish drops could be used externally as well, i did not hesitate for long and applied them as a compress on the abdomen, put a small plastic bag over the compress and then my girdle and continued my work. A wonderful feeling spread through my body and, suddenly, it felt as if with one movement of the hand, everything morbid in my body was pulled out. I assure you that with this single compress which i had on the whole day all of the preceding months disappeared, never to return.

When my son was 6 years old, he was attacked by an alsatian and terribly mauled in the face. Later dark red scars covered his face from the nose upward. In the “Old manuscript” point 33 states that this tincture takes away all scars, wounds and cuts, even if very old, if moistened up to 40 times. Therefore our son’s scars were now moistened daily. Very soon they disappeared, even the ones deep in the nose.

With these experiences, i came to our town in 1953. During a visit to a farmhouse, i met the farmer’s wife, a mother of 2 small children, milking cows. Instead of a word of greeting she said: “If you stood me against the well, i would let you shoot me.”

For weeks she had suffered from terrible headaches and she was supposed to go for x-rays. The same evening i sent my son with a small bottle of Sweden bitters to her, so that she might find relief, at least at night.

How surprised i was when, at 7 o’clock in the morning, the farmer came to me saying: “What did you send my wife? Within a short time, after applying it to the head, the headaches had gone. And in the morning 2 dark brown clots of the thickness of a little finger came down her throat.” This woman swears by sweden bitters even today and was able to help her little daughter who suffered from pneumonia years ago. Never is she without this household remedy.

For months, a woman suffered from frontal sinusitis. She could not breathe through her nose and was plagued by terrible headaches. Despite antibiotics and radiation treatment, her condition did not improve. Then she applied Sweden bitter as a compress over the forehead, eyes and nose and already after the first use she felt relief. 3 nightly treatments later, large amounts of pus came through her nose and she was able to breathe normally again.

From sight I knew a young woman who after the birth of her sixth child became a shadow of herself. I spoke to her and learned that at this time she was unable to eat anything and was also unable to keep the children with her. I recommended Sweden bitter to her. About 3 weeks later I saw her as a healthy young woman who was able to eat normally and had the children with her again.

Her mother had been in hospital with a swollen foot and for a long time had only been able to walk with a stick. Despite 75 injections there was no improvement. Therefore this young woman sent the recipe of the Sweden bitter to her mother, advising her to try them. Now her mother’s foot is back to normal and the stick unnecessary.

One day, I received a letter from Germany in which an acquaintance asked me to look after her niece who was taking a cure in gal ispach. When the young woman came to see me for the first time, I got a shock. She was lifted out of the car, crutches were put under her arms and it took her, despite help, more than an hour to come up into my flat on the first floor.

The joints of both feet were deformed, the fingers crippled and unable to hold anything. When walking, the body thrown forward and the legs pulled after. I stood at the door, my hands pressed against my heart, unable to say anything except: “How does a young woman like you have such a terrible illness?” “Overnight after my fourth child”, she replied.

Quite suddenly, almost overnight, this young woman lay crippled in her bed. She was taken from doctor to doctor, nobody could help her. Twice a year she came to Gallspach to dr. Zeileis who had to tell her he could not cure her, only ease the trouble. I recommended Sweden bitter and told her to put her faith in it. This was in February, 1964.

In September I received a telephone call from the young woman, asking if I could meet her at the bus stop. I was baffled, then surprised, when a smiling young woman, still leaning on a stick, descended the bus. The stiffness and crippling of the hands was gone, as well as the deformation of the legs. Only on the left foot, the knee and ankle were still swollen. But on the third of August, 1965, a year later, this too had disappeared completely and she came without a stick, a healthy woman to take the cure for the last time. She had put 1 tablespoon of Sweden bitter 3 times daily into a small amount of lukewarm water and sipped it before and after each meal.

I would like to give a few more examples of the wonderful effect of Sweden bitter. From my sister who lives in Germany i learned that a mutual acquaintance from Leipzig had been confined to a wheelchair for 15 years. She had spent the war years in Prague and in 1945 – as was the fate of many – had to stay for weeks in a cellar without straw or any other bedding. Later she came to Leipzig with her husband. Soon she suffered from terrible deformation of the joints and then came the life in a wheelchair. I only learned of her difficult fate when her husband suddenly died and the poor crippled woman had to leave the flat and move into a furnished room.

The sending of herbs and medications from Austria to the East Germany is not allowed, therefore, I had to send her the herb mixture from a border town in Bavaria every second month. Soon I received encouraging letters. She took 1 tablespoon of Sweden bitter in a small amount of water and drank half of it before and half of it after a meal. She did this 3 times a day. Slowly the deformations receded and she was able to move her joints slightly. We prayed, she in Leipzig, we in Austria. After 9 months, this woman who had been tied to a wheelchair for 15 years, could leave her flat for the first time. Slowly she improved and was soon able to do her daily work which helpful people had so far done for her.

In the summer we often went swimming in a lake. One day, the large piece of wood that was used to sit on was leaning against a fence. I had my bag next to it and was bending over to gather up some things, when all of a sudden I felt this terrific blow on my leg. The large piece of timber had fallen over and struck me right on the leg. In no time, from the knee downward, it was dark blue to purple and two large swellings, about the size of a fist, appeared. I was carried to the car and then up to my room. My husband wanted to send for the doctor, but I asked him to apply Sweden bitter as a compress on my leg. Half an hour later I was able to walk down the stairs to the dining room without help. The next day my leg was smooth, there were no more swellings and the discoloration had cleared up as well.

Another accident happened near this lake. A 4 year old girl was stung by a hornet and her arm swelled up. I fetched Sweden bitter and before the parents had clothed the girl, I was ready with the compress and applied it while the girl was carried to the car. On arrival at the car, about 3 minutes later, the swelling had subsided and the doctor was no longer necessary.

While gathering raspberries, I was stung by a poisonous insect in the thumb. Overnight the thumb swelled up and while shopping a woman said to me: “You had better go directly to hospital, such an infection could cause your death.” Overnight I applied Sweden bitter as a compress and the next day my thumb was back to normal size.

One time I had an accident in the laundry. It was at the time when washing machines washed but did not rinse. The heavily entangled pieces had to be lifted out of the very hot water with wooden tongs. I tend to do everything quickly and with great energy. The tongs slipped and hit me in the eye. Stunned with pain and half blind i walked upstairs. As soon as I had applied Sweden bitter pain eased. A little while later, I looked into the mirror and saw myself a black eye. I was back in the laundry a quarter of an hour later with a piece of cotton wool moistened with Sweden bitter covering the eye, a small piece of plastic over it and the whole lot tied up with a folded scarf. For a few days I kept applying these compresses overnight, thence there was no chance of anything developing behind the eye.

As I do every year, I was taking a cure in Kneipp spa in Muhllachken, when the head nurse came into my room with a woman doubled up with pain. She suffered from gallbladder attacks and the doctor had advised her to have an operation. I applied Sweden bitter as a compress on the area of the gall bladder (first calendula ointment or lard has to be applied otherwise the alcohol would dry out the skin, then a piece of cotton wool is moistened with Sweden bitter, applied to the painful area, a piece of dry cotton wool and a piece of plastic are put over it to keep it warm. Everything is now bandaged with a piece of cloth). I was just about to pull up her girdle when she sat up with a cry: “The pain is gone!” she continued to apply the compresses and she took the Sweden bitter as drops, internally, 3 times a day, one teaspoonful in a little water or tea and the attacks never reoccurred.

For years I looked after a woman who was all alone. Communication with her was somewhat difficult, since she was hard of hearing. In the “Old manuscript” it says: They bring back lost hearing.” therefore she had to moisten the acoustic duct frequently with Sweden bitter. The index finger, moistened with Sweden bitter, is put into the ear. (do not forget to put a drop of oil into the ear from time to time, to avoid itching.)  At the same time this woman moistened her temples, her forehead and the area around the eyes. Now we can communicate normally and her face has a much fresher look.

One day, as she was getting out of the bus, a car knocked her down and she fell on her face. Again Sweden bitter helped her blue-red face to get back its normal color. On February 1st, she celebrated her 89th birthday. How often have people who come to my talks told me that they are able to hear again and have packed away their hearing aid thanks to Sweden bitter. These drops relieve pain internally or externally, anywhere in the body, because the blood supply to the affected area is increased. Therefore it is appropriate to apply Sweden bitter as a compress to the back of the head of people who suffer from epileptic fits. The cause of these attacks lies often back in the past; maybe a fall on the head or a shock in childhood.

During a talk I gave, a man came up to me and told me that he received a double fracture of the base of the skull in a very bad car accident. After this had healed he started to get a few epileptic fits a day. I recommended Sweden bitter applied as a compress to the back of the head, and 4 cups of stinging nettle tea, to which 2 tablespoons of Sweden bitter were added, daily. Stinging nettle tea is necessary for severe epileptic fits. Several months later he passed by my house to tell me that the fits had stopped.

Meningitis, head injuries caused by a fall or a blow, stuttering and speech disorders are treated effectively with Sweden bitter applied as a compress to the back of the head. These compresses are also beneficial for bursitis.

I have to emphasize again that for all severe illnesses a doctor has to be consulted first!

From the many letters I have received I have learnt that Sweden bitter applied as a compress to the eyes has been effective in cases of a detached retina and porus retina. All these people were going blind. These compresses are applied to the closed eye and left on for an hour. Healthy eyes, especially if strained, can profit too, if Sweden bitter is brushed with the index finger along the lid to the corner of the eye. This way good eye sight can be enjoyed well into old age.

Since Sweden bitter is such a wonderful remedy, no medicine chest in the house would be without it. Poured into small bottles it can be taken along on trips. Often away from home, the food is disappointing and the need arises to stimulate digestion and to shake off weariness and tiredness. In these cases Sweden bitter is a true “elixir”. A sip, watered down, is taken internally and, externally, some drops are brushed on temples, forehead, eyes and the area behind the ears. In no time the beneficial effect is felt.

For a cold, with all its accompanying symptoms such as weariness, tiredness, pressure in the head and heaviness in the stomach, a cotton ball is moistened with swedish bitters and held under the nose, while breathing deeply. Immediately the head feel lighter. If a cold has already affected the bronchial tubes, the moistened cotton ball is held in front of the open mouth and breathing is done with the mouth. Here, too, relief will be felt. During times of influenza, 1 teaspoon, sometimes 1 tablespoon, diluted with a little water, is taken daily. In this way one protected from influenza. Wherever there is pain, Sweden bitter is always beneficial, taken internally as drops, applied as a compress or used as a rub or a massage.

Several years ago I suffered from renal colic. The doctor came in the middle of his surgery hours. In the meantime I had applied Sweden bitter as a compress on the kidney region and when the doctor arrived the pain had subsided. I was quite shamefaced because I had wasted his valuable time. He wanted to know why the pain had subsided so quickly. When he heard that I had applied a compress he said: “Excellent, I do not have to give you an injection!” Sweden bitter had his approval. Whenever I came to his surgery he would say: “I will not prescribe you anything, you have Sweden bitter.”

It was he who had brought me closer to herbs.

An elderly lady came to see me. For years she could only walk with a stick, since arthritis had crippled her; nothing helped and she could not take it any longer. 1 teaspoon of Sweden bitter in stinging nettle tea and horsetail tea, taken 3 times a day made a difference and 3 weeks later i heard she was able to walk without a stick.

A member of our small church choir injured her knee while ice skating. Since it was a small choir she was missed badly. After church I met her in town. It was impossible for her to mount the steep staircase up to the choir. A few moments later I was at her place with the things required for a compress. As a doctor’s wife she looked skeptically at my doings. This changed when he was able to bend her knee a few minutes later and the next day she was able to mount the staircase.

But unfortunately another member was missing, due to a sprained ankle acquired while enjoying our so healthy winter sport. We knew that she was already at the casualty ward. Now the lady who only the day before had a stiff knee asked me to go and put the compress on the sprained ankle. I was reluctant to do it, because the woman had been treated at the hospital, but thinking I might find myself singing alone I changed my mind. I found her lying on the couch with a very swollen, painful ankle. In the hospital she was told just to keep her foot raised. Sweden bitter applied as a compress brought her immediately some relief. The next day she came to the choir, although the roads were icy. She was without pain and her ankle was normal.

One day in a restaurant I saw a man who was obviously in pain. I got out my Sweden bitter and gave him a tablespoonful in a little lukewarm water. Color came back to his face and he could not believe it when the pain subsided. 6 months later I came back to the same place, I had already forgotten the incident, when a gentleman came up and thanked me profusely. He looked years younger. With the help of Sweden bitter he had lost all complaints which acute gastritis and disorder of the pancreas had caused him.

Sweden bitter cleanses the blood, improves circulation, dispels flatulence, headaches, indigestion, stomach, gallbladder, liver and kidney disorders (even if alcohol is not allowed). For phlebitis and thrombosis, calendula ointment is smeared thickly on the affected areas and then Sweden bitter, as a compress, is applied. When healed, stinging nettle foot baths are taken to improve the circulation.

These drops stimulate a sluggish intestine and dispel dizziness and lameness. For all illnesses they are most beneficial, even for cancer. For acute attacks of pain, 1 tablespoon is taken in a little water or tea. If 1 teaspoonful in a little water is taken 3 times daily, morning, noon and evening, good health is kept till old age. Sweden bitter awakens vitality and strengthens the life force so needed in our time. Preserve through them your health, strength and joy for your family, work and fellow man.

During a visit at a farm I heard that the 12 year old son was to have an operation. Pus had formed behind the ear drum, due to an inflammation. I was against the operation, since sometimes, in similar cases, deafness occurs. A small piece of cotton wool moistened with Sweden bitter was put in the boy’s ear. A lot of pus was discharged daily, the pain subsided and an operation was not necessary.

A 52 year old man treated for 10 years for cardiac asthma, had to take 8 tablets daily. For years he could only sleep sitting up and, for every step he took, he had to throw up his arms to get some air. I was of the opinion that this was caused not by the heart but the liver. I applied Sweden bitter as a compress to the area of the liver. He had to drink 1 cup of common club moss tea to which a teaspoon of Sweden bitter had been added in the morning and some in the evening, daily.

How right I was shown the first night, when he was able to sleep lying down. Sweden bitter and common club moss tea wrought about a swift and good improvement, so that, 3 days later, he who had stepped out of his house for years was able to walk around his little garden twice during the day. Slowly he is recovering.

A wound which would not heal after an operation closed overnight, after the patient had taken a large sip of the bottle of Sweden bitter. This single sip caused the wound to close which had been open for three years and had to be dressed several times a day.

A lady from Burgenland, Austria, told me that her 23 year old niece had an auditory defect since birth. She was told that an operation in her case would be without success. This lady then asked her niece to try Sweden bitter. They were very surprised when, 14 days later, the niece was able to hear normally.

My dear readers, I do not want to withhold a letter from Granz, Syria: “By chance or maybe providence, I had a talk with a 74 year old man in the bus. This man got back his hearing which he had lost during the war, when receiving head and brain injuries. Only 3 times had he put a piece of cotton wool moistened with Sweden bitter in his ears.” (letters provide the proof of such accounts.)

A gentleman from Bavaria reports: “Through an accident i injured my right arm. Sweden bitter soon alleviated the terrible pain. After almost 10 years of deafness in one ear, i was able to hear the ticking of the alarm clock again. Only once did I put Sweden bitter into my ear.” How many deaf people could be helped this way! Even if only a single one could get back his hearing.

After a talk I gave, I learned from a listener that, for 2 years, she suffered from a weak anus muscle. The doctor said it was irreparable. Sweden bitter, together with shepherd’s purse, finely cut, macerated in rye whisky or vodka are kept in place for 10 days, heals muscular atrophy and serious muscular disorders; four cups of lady’s mantle tea and six sips of calamus root tea a day remedied it.

In a telephone call from Vienna I heard a female voice say: “Thank you so much for Sweden bitter.” When 12 years old, during a school hike in the mountains, this woman was inadvertently hit in the face by the girl in front of her with her climbing boot. Hence, for 40 years, off and on, she suffered from a festering jaw and had undergone 16 operations and several punctures. She had to break off her studies, was unable to take the profession she wanted and plagued by continuous pain, she looked after a household. When 52 years old she read about Sweden bitter, applied it as a compress on the jaw area and was freed from all pain.

Maria Treben

Source: Book Health through God’s pharmacy