Page 16 - August 2020

The Healing Power of

Taste in Ayurveda

“The tastes are six: sweet, sour, salt, pungent, Mexican food in my mouth, and nearly gagging
bitter and astringent. Properly used, they as soon the salty taste hit my tongue - Yikes! If
nourish the body. Improperly used (either the taste of a food is not pleasing to our palate,
deficient or in excess), they verily lead to then our gastric fire may not digest it. Without
provocation of the Dosha. These are three: Vayu, proper digestion, the body will not receive
Pitta and Kapha. When they are in their normal the nourishment or prana (life-giving cosmic
state, they are beneficial to the body. When, energy) to sustain the body’s immunity.1
however, they are disorganized, verily then
afflict the body with diseases of diverse kinds.” If the taste of a food is not pleasing to our
--- Charak Samhita Palate, then our gastric fire may not digest it.

In Ayurveda, the properties of herbal Our taste buds have become confused by
medicines are described by its ether, air, fire, consuming unwholesome, convenience foods.
water and earth elements; taste, cooling or But, we can change those habits through
heating energy, post-digestive effect, and Ayurvedic cooking. Using the right amounts of
special God-gifted qualities. Each herb herbs and spices will bring balance back to our
essentially has its own personality! Let’s focus doshas or bodily constitutions – vata (airy),
on Taste and how it helps healing. pitta (fiery), and kapha (earthy) elements.1
Did you know the taste of foods can have Each of the six tastes in Ayurveda – sweet,

tremendous effects on our health? A few years sour, salty, pungent, bitter and astringent –
back, I remember hungrily putting a spoonful of affect the doshas as shown in the table below.2

How The Taste of an Herb Affects Vata, Pitta & Kapha 2,3

16 myindigosun.com