The Five Tastes in Traditional Chinese Medicine

In traditional Chinese medicine, herbs and foods are categorized according to five tastes or flavors: spicy (pungent), salty, sour, bitter and sweet. While most herbs have more than one taste, each herb has a predominant taste, which corresponds to one of the five TCM elements: metal, water, wood, fire and earth. Taste is an important consideration when choosing the right medicinal herb to treat a given condition, because the taste of an herb plays an important role in its therapeutic action.

The Spicy Taste

Spicy, also referred to as pungent or acrid, corresponds to the metal element, which is related to the lungs and large intestine. It is energetically warm or hot, has a dispersing action, stimulates digestion, and promotes the circulation of blood and Qi (vital energy). Spicy herbs are warming to the body, open the pores, stimulate sweating and help to clear congestion. Warming diaphoretics are a class of herbs that are often spicy or pungent, and are used to induce sweating at the onset of colds and flu. Spicy herbs may also be used to treat rheumatic conditions. Some examples of spicy herbs are black pepper, cayenne, ginger, garlic and prickly ash.

The Salty Taste

Salty corresponds to the water element, relating to the kidneys, adrenal glands and urinary bladder. The salty taste is energetically cold and has a moistening and softening action. Salty herbs or foods may be used to treat conditions including swollen lymph nodes, cysts and lumps, and constipation. Excess stress can cause a condition known as adrenal exhaustion, and a craving for salt may indicate the adrenals are being depleted. An excess of salt in the diet can cause fluid imbalances, water retention and elevated blood pressure. All types of seaweed are salty, and some herbs with a high mineral content, such as nettles and plantain, are considered to be salty.

The Sour Taste

Sour corresponds to the wood element, relating to the liver and gall bladder. Energetically, sour is cool and dry, and has an astringent action, which dries and tightens tissues. Sour herbs may be used to prevent excessive fluid loss through perspiration, frequent urination or diarrhea. Some examples of sour herbs include blackberries, raspberries, orange peel, lemons, and schisandra berries.

The Bitter Taste

Bitter corresponds to the fire element, relating to the heart and small intestine. The bitter taste has a dry and cool energy, and descending, detoxifying and anti-inflammatory actions. Many potent antimicrobial herbs, such as goldenseal and Oregon grape root, are bitter. The bitter taste has long been known to stimulate the production of bile, and taking bitters before a meal aids digestion, and also help to lower cholesterol. Since they have a drying action, bitter herbs can be used to treat conditions of excess dampness such as diarrhea and boils or abscesses of the skin. More examples of bitter herbs include dandelion root, gentian, and artichoke leaf.

The Sweet Taste

The sweet taste corresponds to the earth element, relating to the digestive organs of the stomach and spleen. There are two general categories of sweets, empty and full. Empty sweets are composed of simple sugars and have no nutritional value. They cause the blood sugar to rise rapidly and then drop, which can lead to fatigue. Full sweets, on the other hand, consist of complex carbohydrates that have a strengthening and nourishing action, and help to build and tonify the stomach and spleen. Nourishing sweet herbs include cinnamon, jujube dates, ginseng, licorice and marshmallow.

Sources:

Tierra, Leslie. Healing with the Herbs of Life. Crossing Press, 2003.

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