Ayurveda sees foods and spices as medicinal substances and good digestion as one of the main factors for optimal health. That is why he places great emphasis on the proper combination of foods and on the concept of shad rasa, or six flavors. These six flavors (sweet, sour, salty, pungent, bitter, and astringent) must be present in balanced proportions in the diet. Understanding them and how they relate to our individual constitution can help us make better decisions to promote and maintain health.
According to Ayurveda, we are born with a unique constitution, which is an individual combination of the three doshas, or principles that govern the functioning of our body on a physical, mental, and emotional level. These three energies are vata, pitta and kapha. The disease is caused by an imbalance of any of the doshas and by the presence of ama, or toxic food by-products (food that has not been fully digested).
Vata is the subtle energy associated with movement. It governs respiration, circulation, and elimination, as well as the beating of the heart and the impulses of motor neurons. When aggravated, it can cause disorders such as flatulence, constipation, tremors, spasms, asthma, rheumatoid arthritis, and osteoarthritis, as well as many neurological problems.
Pitta represents the fire element in the body. She governs digestion, absorption, assimilation, nutrition, metabolism, and body temperature. Pitta-type disorders include hyperacidity, ulcers, all kinds of skin rashes, chronic fatigue, Crohn’s disease, colitis, and numerous inflammatory problems.
Kapha is the energy that forms the structure of the body and provides lubrication to the joints and organs. Out of balance, kapha can cause problems such as obesity, high cholesterol, diabetes, edema, asthma, tumors, and a variety of congestive disorders.
According to Ayurveda, the best preventive medicine and support of the natural healing process is a diet and lifestyle specific to the constitutional needs of the individual and in line with the seasons and cycles of nature.
Due to its qualities and flavor, foods that tend to increase a certain dosha can aggravate it and likewise, foods that decrease that dosha will calm it down and normalize its functions. Foods that pacify Vata will have more sweet, sour, and salty flavors and fewer overly pungent, bitter, and pungent flavors. Pitta-pacifying foods will be more sweet, bitter, and astringent and less acidic, salty, and pungent. Finally, kapha-pacifying foods will be more pungent, bitter, and astringent and less sweet, salty, and acidic. A quick look at the six flavors can give us an idea of what types of foods will aggravate one dosha or another.
The sweet taste is present in foods such as sugar, milk, rice, wheat, dates, maple syrup, and licorice. Its qualities are usually oily, refreshing and heavy. In moderation, it promotes the growth of plasma, blood, fat, muscle, bone, marrow, and reproductive fluids. In excess, sweet produces many disorders in all doshas. Sweet foods can cause colds, bloating, loss of appetite, obesity, abnormal muscle growth, lymphatic congestion, tumors, edema, and diabetes.
Sour taste is present in foods such as citrus, sour cream, yogurt, vinegar, cheese, lemon, green mangoes, green grapes, and fermented foods. Its qualities are liquid, light, calorific and oily, and it has anabolic action. In moderation, acidic foods are refreshing. They stimulate the appetite, improve digestion, energize the body and nourish the heart. In excess, this flavor can cause hyperacidity, ulcers and perforations. Its fermentative action can be toxic to the blood and cause skin conditions such as acne, dermatitis, eczema, psoriasis, boils, and edema, as well as burning sensations in the throat, chest, heart, bladder, and urinary tract.
All salts, shellfish, and sea vegetables are examples of salty taste. The salty taste is so strong that it can easily override the effect of all other flavors. It is hot, heavy and oily. In moderation, it is laxative and can decrease spasms and pain in the colon. Like sweet and sour, it is anabolic in action. Promotes growth and maintains hydroelectrolytic balance. It stimulates salivation, enhances the flavor of food and helps digestion, absorption and elimination. Too much salt in the diet makes the blood sticky and thick, can cause high blood pressure and aggravate skin conditions. Sensations of heat, fainting, wrinkles and baldness can be due to excess salt, as well as edema, fluid retention, ulcers, bleeding disorders, skin rashes, hyperacidity and hypertension.
The hot flavor is present in foods such as hot peppers, black pepper, onions, garlic, ginger, and asafetida. Its qualities are light, drying and heating. In moderation, it improves digestion, absorption, and elimination, stimulates circulation, dissolves clots, and kills parasites and germs. In excess, it can cause sexual weakness, suffocation, fainting, and fatigue. If it leads to an aggravation of pitta, it can cause diarrhea, heartburn, nausea, peptic ulcers, colitis, and skin conditions. If it triggers vata, it can cause tremors, insomnia, and muscle aches.
Examples of bitter taste are bitter melon, turmeric, dandelion, aloe vera, rhubarb, and coffee. It is the flavor that is most lacking in the American diet. Its qualities are dry and light. It promotes the flavor of all tastes, is anti-toxic and kills germs. The bitter helps relieve burning sensations, itching, fainting, and persistent skin disorders. It reduces fever and stimulates the firmness of the skin and muscles. In small doses it can relieve intestinal gas and act as a digestive tonic. Due to its drying quality, excess bitter taste can deplete plasma, blood, muscle, fat, bone marrow, and semen, which can lead to sexual weakness.
Green bananas, pomegranate, chickpeas, yellow peas, okra, turmeric, alfalfa sprouts, and alum root are examples of the astringent taste. Its qualities are refreshing, drying and heavy. In moderation, it helps heal ulcers and promotes clotting. In excess, it can cause constipation, bloating, heart spasms, and stagnation of circulation. It can also lead to sperm depletion and affect sex drive, and can lead to a variety of neuromuscular disorders.
Ayurveda encourages the use of aromatic herbs and spices, which are also considered medicinal substances, to create a balanced blend of all tastes. The most common spices found in an Ayurvedic kitchen are: cumin, coriander, ginger, hing (asafoetida), ajwan, turmeric, fenugreek, garam masala, cinnamon, cloves, and cardamom. Regularly ingesting small amounts of these aromatic, stimulating and carminative spices helps maintain the health of the digestive fire (agni) and the entire GI tract. Toxins that build up from poorly digested food can also be greatly reduced by slowly introducing these spices into the diet.
Obviously, there is more to food than just the taste. However, the taste, from the perspective of its qualities, is very important to maintain good health. Ayurvedic cuisine is unique in that it ensures that each dish is cooked and spiced for maximum digestibility, prevents the formation of toxins, and nourishes all tissues.
Understanding the qualities of food, how they affect the doshas and how they can be balanced is a great advantage in preventing diseases. An Ayurvedic practitioner can make this more practical by providing specific guidelines and food charts for each person’s individual constitution and health needs. Ayurveda knows that the action of any medicinal substance begins on the tongue, so let your food be your medicine!
© Vishnu Dass. This article was originally published in New Life Journal on February 1. 2006.
