Six Taste of Ayurveda : Shadhrasa

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Six Taste of Ayurveda : Shadhrasa

(Source : Ashtang Hriday)

According to Ayurveda, everything is made up of some combination of the five elements- this includes us, humans, and the foods that we eat. Specific combinations of elements create specific tastes in food, and depending on your individual makeup, you'll want to eat more of some tastes and less of others. Let's look at the tastes and their corresponding elements:

Sweet (Madhura)	Earth & Water
Sour (Amla)	Earth & Fire
Salty (Lavana)	Water & Fire
Pungent (Katu)	Fire & Air
Bitter (Tikta)	Air & Ether
Astringent (Kashaya)	Air & Earth

Rasa lakṣaņa : Characteristics of tastes

Madhur : Sweet

The rasas that is sweet (Madhura or Svādu) is immediately understood by its keeping
inside mouth. It provides comfort to the sense organs and a feeling of contentment
body. Ants are very much fond of it.

Amla : Sour

Due to taste of amla, mouth becomes watery (sour). It also leads to horripilations and
tingling of the teeth and leads to closing of the eyebrows.

Lavana : Salty

The salt (lavana) produces moisture in the mouth and promotes salivation. A burning
sensation in the cheeks and throat is also caused by it.

Tikta : Bitter

The mouth tingles with the bitter (tikta) taste. This taste makes perception of other tastes
impossible and it also destroys the organs of taste.

Katu : Pungent

The tip of the tongue gets stimulated when it comes into the contact with the pungent (katu) taste. It causes irritation; brings out secretions from the eyes, nose and mouth. Moreover, a burning sensation of the cheeks is also caused by it.

Kashay : Astrigent

The tongue becomes inactivated when it tastes astringent (kaşāya). Blockages of the
passage in the throat are also produced by it.

Action of Rasa

                                 Action of Madhur rasa

There are many benefits of Madhura rasa that is sweet (karmamadhura) as it is being
accustomed since birth. It causes greater strength in the tissues (dhātus), is very valuable for children, the aged, the wounded, the emaciated. It is also good for the complexion, hairs, sense organs, and essence of the tissues. It causes stoutness of the body. It is good for throat and the breastmilk. It also unites broken parts. It is not easy to digest. It prolongs life and helps in movement. It is unctuous, and actuates pitta, vāta and poison (visa). It can cause various disorders when consumed in excess. Diseases arising from fat and kapha (ślesman), obesity, dyspepsia, unconsciousness, diabetes.

Action of sour taste

The digestive activity (agni) gets highly stimulated by the sour (amla) taste. This is
unctuous, good for the heart, digestive, appetiser, hot in potency and coolant on external
applications. It relieves burning sensation, comforts and generate moistening. It is easy for
digestion, controls aggravation of kapha, pitta and blood (asra) and makes the inactive vata move downwards. It can cause various disorders when consumed in excess. When taken in excess, it causes looseness of the body, loss of strength, blindness, giddiness, itching, thirst, fevers, whitish yellow discolouration as in anaemia, herpes (visarpa), swellings and small pox..

Lavana rasa karma

Action of salt taste
Salt (lavana) is beneficial because it removes the rigidity, clears the blockages of the
channels and pores, promotes digestive activity. It lubricates, causes sweating, penetrates into the tissues, improves taste, causes lacerations and bursting of tissues, new growth, abscess and the like. When used in excess, it causes too much of blood and vata. Baldness, greying of hair, wrinkles of the skin, thirst, leprosy and skin diseases, effect of poison, herpes and loss of strength of the body are also caused due to excessive consumption of salt.

Tikta rasa karma

Action of bitter taste
Usually bitter (tikta) taste is not liked by its nature. However, it is capable to cure anorexia,
worms, bacteria, parasites and the like. It also helps in controlling thirst, poison, leprosy and other skin disease, loss of consciousness, fever, nausea and burning sensations. It actuates pitta and kapha, dries up moisture, fat, muscle-fat marrow, faeces and urine; it is easy to digest, promotes intelligence and is cold in potency. It can cause various disorders when consumed in excess. Depletion of tissues (dhatus) and diseases of vāta origin are caused due to excessive use of the bitter taste.

                                     Katu rasa karma

Pungent (katu) taste is capable to cure diseases of the throat, allergic rashes, leprosy and
other skin disease, a kind of indigestion named alasaka and swelling (oedema). It also
reduces the swelling of the ulcers, dries up the greasiness, fat, and moisture. It is digestive. This taste promotes hunger improves taste, eliminates the dosas (šodhana), dries up the moisture of the food, breaks up hard masses, expands the channels and actuates provoked kapha. It can cause various disorders when consumed in excess. Excess use of this taste may lead to thirst, depletion of reproductive element, sperm (Sukra) and strength, fainting loss of consciousness, contractures, pain in the waist, back and the like, lead to thirst, depletion of reproductive element, sperm (śukra) and strength, fainting, loss of consciousness, contractures, pain in the waist, back and the like.

Kaşāya rasa karma

Actions of astringent taste
Unlike others the astringent (kaşāya) taste promotes pitta and kapha. It is not easy to
digest. It cleanses the blood, causes squeezing and healing of ulcers. It is cold in potency. It dries up the moisture and fat, hinders the cooking of undigested eatable, is water absorbent thereby causing constipation, causes dryness and cleanses the skin too much. It can cause various disorders when consumed in excess. Stasis of food without digestion, flatulence, pain in the region of heart, thirst, emaciation, loss of virility, blockage of the channels and constipation are caused due to excessive use of the astringent taste.

Thus , includes the discussion on Shadhrasa

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ॐ सर्वे भवन्तु सुखिनः
सर्वे सन्तु निरामयाः ।
सर्वे भद्राणि पश्यन्तु
मा कश्चिद्दुःखभाग्भवेत् ।
ॐ शान्तिः शान्तिः शान्तिः ॥

Om, May All become Happy,

May All be Healthy ( Free from Illness )

May All See what is Auspicious,

May no one Suffer in  any way  .

Thank You ! 

Sagar Ompraskash Ugale 

email : sagarugale71@gmail.com

Dr. .D. Y. Patil College Of Ayurved and Research Centre , Pune