Taste is the ability of a person to recognise different flavours. In Ayurveda taste or rasa, plays a very important role. It has an important therapeutic role and also determines the state of our mind, body and spirit. Everything in this world is composed of the 5 mahabhootas or elements, according to Ayurveda. For rasa to be manifested it requires 2 mahabhootas namely earth and water. Taste is manifested by water element but it needs the earth element. It cannot be manifested in the absence of earth element. The other 3 mahabhootas namely fire, air and space enter into this basic combination in different ways to give rise to all the tastes. Taste is not a fixed property of a particular substance. Even the same substance can taste differently depending on where it is grown, how it is cooked, stored or harvested.
Ayurveda classifies 6 tastes namely madhura or sweet, amla or sour taste, lavana or salty taste, katu or pungent, tikta or bitter and kashaya or astringent. Other than these 6 tastes there are others which could be unmanifested or only slightly manifested or may present at the end. These are called as secondary tastes. These secondary tastes can be measured by the effect it has on the doshas. The main taste is manifested as soon as the substance touches the tongue but the secondary tastes only manifest during digestion or at the end of digestion. In this way Ayurveda says there are all together 63 varieties of tastes but the main ones are only the 6.
Sweet or madhura rasa is made up of earth and water elements. Sour by earth and fire elements. Salty is made up of water and fire elements. Pungent by fire and air elements. Bitter by air and space elements and astringent by air and space elements.
The appreciation of taste is dependent on the attention paid to the food being eaten, the amount being eaten, the condition of the tongue and the dissolution of the substance in the saliva. When the tongue is dry there is usually no perception of taste.
The 3 doshas in the body that is vata, pitta and kapha are acted upon in different ways by different tastes. Vata is balanced by sweet, sour and salty, pitta by sweet, bitter and astringent, and kapha by pungent, bitter and astringent. Hence taste plays an important role in therapeutics. Drugs having sweet sour and saline tastes aggravate vata, those having astringent, sweet and bitter tastes aggravate pitta and those having astringent, pungent and bitter tastes aggravate kapha. Hence the drug selected must have qualities in it to correct the doshas.
Sweet or madhura rasa is made up of earth and water. The season that favours this taste is autumn and early winter. It pacifies vata and pitta but aggravates kapha. It increases blood, muscle, bone, bone marrow and vitality. It is good for hair, eyes and complexion. It is a good cleanser of blood. It removes thirst and burning sensation. It causes worms in the intestines. It heals wounds and promotes secretion of milk.
Sour or amla rasa contains mainly the earth element along with water and fire elements. It is the best taste for rainy months. It pacifies vata dosha but aggravates pitta and kapha doshas. It causes perspiration. It cleans the mouth and is responsible for sensitive teeth. It causes burning sensation in the mouth and neck. It stimulates appetite and helps with digestion. It is good for the heart.
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Mrs. Mira Swami, Department of Ayurveda