Six Tastes

According to Ayurveda, the moon is the mother of water and the sun is the father. At the moment a water droplet first forms in a cloud, it has no taste. However, the electrochemical reactions that accompany thunder and lightning during cloud formation cause each water molecule to attract the five elements in a unique combination. The six tastes are formed from the various permutations of these elements.

Although every taste contains all five elements, the particular combination determines the nature of the taste. For example, sweet taste has a predominance of Earth and Water. The water molecules carrying these tastes eventually fall to the ground and enter plants. Hence it is said that the nectar of the moon creates the various tastes in each plant, and water is the mother of all tastes.

This is confirmed by the fact that taste is perceived through the tongue, the sense organ related to the Water element, and a dry tongue cannot taste accurately.

Different areas of the tongue correspond to different tastes and to particular organs. Ayurveda teaches that specialized taste buds line the tongue, and the moment food enters the mouth, bodhaka agni allows us to experience its taste.

• Sweet — tip of the tongue, related to the thyroid gland and the apical area of the lungs
• Sour — related to the middle and lower lobes of the lungs
• Salty — related to the kidneys
• Pungent — related to the stomach and heart
• Bitter — related to the pancreas, spleen, and liver
• Astringent — related to the colon

Because of this, food can create immediate reactions in the body. Give a baby something with a strong flavor and their whole body responds. Even as an adult, the moment you eat something pungent, your heart beats faster and your stomach begins to growl because these organs are stimulated through the taste buds. Similarly, tasting sour sends a message through chemo-receptors to the lungs, causing more bronchial secretions.

Because each taste stimulates specific organs, habitual over-intake of any one taste can weaken or derange its corresponding organ:

• A person who eats a lot of sweet foods tends to develop a sluggish, underactive thyroid and can put on weight, leading to obesity.
• Over-intake of sour foods may lead to pulmonary congestion.
• Frequent use of salty taste can weaken the kidneys and cause water retention.
• People addicted to pungent foods and spices increase circulation through the heart, become excessively hungry, and experience burning sensations.