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The six tastes are astringent, bitter, pungent, salty, sour and sweet. They are derived from the five elements. Astringent of Air and Ether, Bitter of Air and Ether, Pungent of Fire and Air, Salty of Fire and Earth, Sour of Earth and Fire, and Sweet taste is made up of Earth and Water elements.

The Tastes you eat influence your health and consciousness. All the six tastes are needed for the body, and they are gotten mainly from the food we eat. It should be noted that it is not what you eat, but what you digest. Even food that is normally healthy for a person becomes poisonous if your body cannot digest and assimilate it properly.

Digestion starts with food entering the month, when the tongue tastes the food. This information is transported to the brain which determines what sort of food was eaten and what digestive juices need to be secreted in order to properly digest the food that has been ingested. The stomach has to be ready by the time the food reaches the stomach.

Taste has an effect on the balance of the Doshas. The Doshas have to be regularly eliminated, because the body is continuously producing them. The tastes you consume will greatly affect how much of each Dosha the body will produce

The element of water is essential for the sensory experience of Taste. If the tongue is not wet the tongue cannot taste. Dry the tongue and then put a small amount of sugar and black pepper on the tongue and you will not be able to taste them. An orange tastes both Sweet and Sour, but according to time it sometimes tastes more Sweet and sometimes more Sour.

GOOD & BAD TASTE BY CONTITUTION
A person with a Vata constitution should avoid astringent, bitter and pungent taste in excess, as it increases air and tends to cause gas. Sweet, salty and sour tasting substances are good for Vata persons.

Pitta people should avoid pungent, salty and sour foods, as these aggravate the bodily fire. Good tastes for Pitta persons are astringent, bitter and sweet.

Kapha people should avoid salty, sour and sweet tastes because they increase bodily water. Good tastes for Kapha persons are astringent, bitter and pungent.

Astringent
Composed mainly of Air and Earth. Increases Vata. Decreases Pitta and Kapha. Dry, light and cooling. Astringent (heals, purifies, constricts) all parts of the body. Reduces all secretions. Anti-aphrodisiac.

Bitter
Composed mainly of Air and Either. Increases Vata. Decreases Pitta and Kapha. Dry, cooling and light. Purifies and dries all secretions. Increases appetite. Controls skin disease and fevers. Is anti-aphrodisiac.

Pungent
Composed mainly of Air and Fire. Increases Vata and Pitta. Decreases Kapha. Dry, heating and light. Flushes all varieties of secretions from the body. Improves appetite. Decreases all Kapha-like tissues such as milk, fat and semen.

Salty
Composed mainly of Fire and Water. Increases Pitta and Kapha. Decreases Vata. Heating and heavy. Soften the tissues. Eliminates wastes. Cleanses the body. Increases the digestion and appetite.

Sour
Composed mainly of Fire and Earth. Increases Pitta and Kapha. Decreases Vata. Heating and heavy. Improves appetite and digestion. Helps elimination of wastes. Refreshes a person.

Sweet
Composed mainly of Water and Earth. Increases Kapha. Decrease Vata and Pitta. Cooling and heavy. Increases all tissues. Nourishes and invigorates the body and mind. Stops hunger and thirst.

ASTRINGENT
Present in green beans, alfalfa sprouts, chickpeas, yellow split peas, unripe bananas and pomegranates. In the herbs turmeric, lotus seed and goldenseal.

BITTER
Present in coffee, bitter melon, rhubarb and aloe vera. In the herbs fenugreek, turmeric, sandalwood, dandelion root and yellow dock.

PUNGENT
Present in hot peppers (cayenne, black, chili), garlic, ginger, onions, mustard and radishes.

SOUR
Present in citrus fruits, yogurt, green grapes, cheese, sour cream and fermented food.

SWEET
Present in sugar, rice, wheat, maple syrup, dates and milk.
Rasa, Virya and Vipaka

When something is put on the tongue, the food is first tasted, and how it is experience is call Rasa, or Taste. When the food reaches the stomach, during digestion the Virya (or energy), of the food is experience, and the food will be considered to either have hot or cold properties. Hot food increases the ability of the body to digest and cold food needs more energy to digest it.

The way food tastes to the system is different than the way the food is experienced during the digestive process. Food creates different tastes and temperature sensations when they pass through their mouth, stomach, small intestine and large intestine.

The Post-Digestive (what happens after digestion and what is assimilated deep within the tissues) effect of food is call Vipaka. For example, most starchy foods become Sweet after chewing and digested, so their Vipaka, or post-digestive taste is Sweet. There are numerous foods which have an unexplained action in the body, as there are exceptions to the rules of tastes.

The concept of Rasa, Virya and Vipak is not just applicable to food and herbs, but also takes into consideration such things as colors, gems, minerals, the mind and emotions.

Sweet and Salty usually produce a Sweet affects after being digested. Sour usually produces a Sour effect. Astringent, Bitter and Pungent usually produce Pungent.

Astringent and Bitter causes Pitta to be reduced, despite the fact that their Post-Digestive Effect is usually Pungent (which increases Pitta).

Sour, Salty and Pungent are always Hot. Astringent, Bitter and Sweet are always Cold. But a food may have a heating Taste with Cold Energy, which means that when it enters the body it increases the digestive power, but during digestion it doesn’t increase Pitta. Or food may have a cooling Taste and Hot Energy, which reduces appetite when it is eaten, but increases the digestive juice flow during digestion.

VATA
Good food and herbs have salty, sour and sweet tastes. Should avoid astringent, bitter and pungent in excess because they increase the tendency to cause gas.

PITTA
Good food and herbs are astringent, bitter and sweet tastes. Should avoid pungent, salty and sour tastes because they aggravate the bodily fire.

KAPHA
Good food and herbs are astringent, bitter and pungent tastes. Should avoid salty, sour and sweet because they increase the bodily water.

ASTRINGENT
All Vata disturbances such as Distention, body dryness, constipation, emaciation, decrease of sexual secretions, tingling numbness, distention, fits, tremors and thirst.

BITTER
All Vata disturbances such as headache, giddiness, tremors, numbness, cutting or breaking pain, stiffness, emaciation, stiffness.

PUNGENT
Fever, dryness of the mouth, loss of consciousness, dizziness, debility, drying of sexual secretions, increased thirst, emaciation, pain, tremors.

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