The Five Flavors: A Fresh Taste
By Cara O. Frank R. Ac.
The flavors and their functions have always been interesting to me. Globally, many herbal traditions reference warming and cooling qualities when describing herbal properties. There must be universal agreement that dandelion is bitter. Yet, among most herbal traditions, only China has stressed the therapeutic value of the actual taste of herbs and foods.
When we are learning herbs for the first time, how many of us are really impressed with the significance of these flavors? I certainly was not. I knew that I had to learn them, but it was not emphasized that there was clinical significance to them or that the dynamic of herbal actions hinged on their flavor complex. It was when I began to teach Chinese Herbology that the importance of these flavors really seeped in. Like a map to a treasure hunt, the flavors provide valuable clues to the function of the substance being described.
If we spend a minute looking at the flavor of a particular medicinal, the action often becomes self-evident. For example, Semen Ziziphus, suan zao ren, nourishes and calms the spirit and helps to stop sweating. Why? Because it is SWEET, which is the taste of all tonics and SOUR, which is a puckery, astringent taste. We can take this further: because suan zao ren is sour, we can surmise that the Liver must be affected by it. If the Liver is affected, then again we can deduce that the herb might be used to calm irritability, which is an emotion associated with the Liver. I now know a whole story about an herb, from taste alone! The taste, in this instance, dictates the function.
The five Tastes are acrid -xin, sweet-gan, bitter-ku, sour-suan, and salty-xian. Bland or neutral is described as dan. Herbs can also be described as fragrant-xiang. Xiang describes an herb's ability to penetrate through turbid obstruction, enliven consciousness and the Spleen's function to transform and transport qi.
Two of the tastes are primarily Yang, and tend to move qi upwards. These are Sweet and Acrid. Bland is usually grouped with sweet therapeutically; however, its movement is descending. The majority of bland herbs and foods act as diuretics and thus, are ascribed to the Bladder function. Three tastes are primarily Yin and tend to flow downwards. These are Sour, Bitter and Salty. Functionally the sour flavor does not sink. Because the sour flavor is found in most of the astringent herbs, it demonstrates more of a holding pattern than a sinking one. In general, sour doesn’t move. Many foods and herbs have two flavors and some have three. Naturally, their impact on the body is more complex, to reflect the actions of their intermingling sapors. Part of the function of foods and herbs includes being a vehicle for their own taste.
Tonification:
Each taste not only tonifies its associated function, but also tonifies another function of the body when ingested in moderate levels. Therefore:
Sour
Sour not only tonifies the Liver, as we traditionally learned, but it can also tonify the Lungs; Herbal examples of this include Peony - Bai shao as it is used to tonify Liver Blood. Schizandra- Wu Wei Zi is a predominantly sour herb that consolidates, and therefore preserves the Lung qi. Lemon and honey have been used to treat bronchial congestion since before records of such things were kept.
Bitter
Bitter not only tonifies the Heart, but also can tonify the Kidneys. Coptis- Huang Lian is a clear example of the use of a bitter flavor that tonifies Heart function. Why does it tonify Heart function? Because it clears Heart Fire and thus allows the Spirit to be settled normally. Phellodendron- Huang Bai is a shining example of the use of a bitter flavor to tonify the Kidneys. Huang bai, as we know, is part of a select group of herbs that brings rising Fire back down into the Kidneys, where it belongs. Huang bai uses its bitter, descending flavor to consolidate the Kidney Yin.
Acrid
Acrid is the flavor that is associated with the Lungs. It is a conceptual stretch to think that a spicy flavor could be tonifying. Acrid spices exist to move the qi. However, if we decide that helping the Lungs to move [in and out, as in normal respiration] then we have a rationale for the acrid/ lung ascription. Ginger is a medicinal that comes to my mind when I think of the Lungs. It is acrid, warm [or hot] and functions to resolve phlegm. The use of the acrid flavor to tonify the Liver is easier to visualize. We know that the Liver likes to move freely. There are many lovely examples of how the acrid flavor can help the liver qi to discharge energy. Mint-Bo He is a cool, acrid herb. It’s placement in the formula in Free and Easy Wanderer -Xiao Yao San acts as the final flourish to relieve the heat that liver constraint causes. A warm, acrid example would be fennel seeds- xiao hui xiang, which we use when Cold knots up the qi in the Liver channel.
Salt
Salt tonifies both the Kidneys and also the Heart. We are familiar with the ways that salt supports the kidneys to regulate fluid metabolism. In fact, we could think of salt as the messenger between the Heart and the Kidneys. Salt, in the right amounts nourishes the Yin. It moves to the yin tissues of the body, the Kidneys and the bones. It moistens and softens hardness. We use it for a variety of accumulations: tumors, swellings, and constipation. tortoise shell -Bie jia, has a salty flavor. it nourishes the Yin and softens hardness. This is, perhaps, the pinnacle of what the salty flavor accomplishes. Salt’s effect on the Heart is also fairly easy to understand. The Heart acts as pump, regulated by sodium and potassium ions. Many of the medicinals that we use as cardiovascular sedatives , which include shells and minerals, emphasize salty flavors. Dragon bones and oyster shells are two of several that come immediately to mind.
Sweet
The Spleen is tonified by its own taste-Sweet. This rational is easily understood because the majority of food is sweet. The sweet taste refers to the taste of foods, of carbohydrates, of grains and meats and fruits and vegetables. It does not refer to the taste of cookies and soda etc. We know that every single qi tonic, blood tonic, yin tonic and yang tonic is, among other things, Sweet. Ginseng, Dioscorea, Ophiopogon, Dang Gui, Rehmannia, all sweet!
Dispersion
Extra amounts of a flavor disperses excess activity in its associated function. Thus sour disperses excess in the liver. Acrid disperses excess in the Lungs. Bitter disperses excess in the Heart and Salt disperses excess in the Kidneys. The exception is the Spleen. Since it can't tonify and disperse itself, it exchanges flavors with the Heart. Thus, sweet disperses excess in the heart and bitter disperses excess in the Spleen.
The arrangement seems counter- intuitive. After all, isn’t sour astringent? How could that then be dispersive? Apparently, giving judicious amounts of the correct flavor will keep the organ properly nourished. Just the right amount of the right flavor tweaks the organ towards optimal functioning. So the organ moves appropriately and disperses itself! Through this filter, the words “tonify and disperse” (as they relate to the function of the flavors) seem purely semantic. Using a flavor to tonify a function might really mean giving it the juice to disperse itself. Using a flavor to disperse may free up an organ to function at a much higher [read: tonified] level. Thus, the sour flavor consolidates the Liver’s energy so that it can smoothly spread its qi. Acrid flavors will keep the lungs descending and dispersing and Salt will help the kidneys to move fluids appropriately and anchor the Yin. The tricky part of this comes from the Spleen and the Heart. Since the Sweet flavor can’t both tonify and disperse the Spleen’s qi, it trades flavors with the Heart. Thus, Bitters disperse excess in the spleen and promote optimal digestive activity and Sweet flavors disperse excess in the Heart and, actually, the Spirit. Let me again refer to Coptis, which is used in many formulas to clear Stomach fire. I have already discussed its use as a Heart tonic. In contrast, Sprouted Wheat, fu xiao mai, is a lovely remedy that calms anxiety and stops sweating. It does this not by astringing [sour], but by nourishing (sweet). Think of a nice piece of toast.
Damage
Excess amounts of any flavor can cause damage to organs in the traditional ko cycle. In chapter 10 of the Nei Jing Su wen, Qi Bo states that “overindulgence in salty foods will coagulate the blood circulation and will change the color of the blood. Overindulgence in bitter foods will cause the skin to become shriveled and dry and the body hair to fall out. Overindulgence in pungent foods can cause spasms, tremors and poor nails. Overly excessive consumption of sour foods can make the skin rough, thick and wrinkled, and cause the lips to become shriveled. Overindulgence in sweets will cause pain in the bones and hair loss” . To recap that: Salt injures the Heart or the Fire phase. Bitter injures the Lungs or Metal Phase. Acrid injures the Liver or Wood phase. Sweet injures the Kidneys or Water phases. How much of a taste is too much? That depends on the persons particular energetic kinks. A really Damp person can tolerate far more of a drying bitter influence than can a thin person with yin vacuity. That same person, who blew out his or her yin, will probably crave something salty, like chips which exacerbates dampness, and thus has a calming effect on yin vacuity.
Below, I would like to elaborate the particular flavors, individually. For the sake of easy referencing, The traditional flavor/ organ ascriptions are outlined below:
SOUR -WOOD -LIV/GB
BITTER -FIRE -HT/SI/PC/TW
SWEET- EARTH - SP/ST
ACRID - METAL - LU/LI
SALTY - WATER - KID/BL
Salty
This flavor is not well represented in the herbal world. Mostly it is ascribed to seaweed and various animal tissues. It is directed by the spleen to the kidneys. It is yin and sinks downwards. The salty flavor disperses excess activity by the kidneys (excess urination e.g.). Used judiciously, it can soften hard masses. Kelp, for example, can cause diarrhea if overused. In moderation it tonifies the heart. In excess, salt damages the heart. It is said to create hardness. We can refer to diseases such as hypertension or atherosclerosis to illustrate this point.
Psychologically, salt is the most grounding flavor that we have. We refer to some people as “the salt of the earth” to describe a centered quality. As mentioned previously, its direction is descending. Salt at first is cooling. However, the Nei jing advises us to use cooling foods in the winter. This guides or returns the yang of the body to the Kidneys. The kidneys in turn preserve their essence.
Small amounts of salt can anchor fear and insecurity: a picture of thin, nervous, yin deficient people comes to mind. In balanced amounts, salt allows us to focus. In excess salt is said to wreck the Blood, causing it to become toxic. People with acne or other cystic skin problems should be checked for excess salt in their diets.
Sour
This is the taste of vinegar, fruit acids and also tannins. The sour taste is directed by the Spleen to the Liver. It is yin and tends to move down, especially to the tendons. The sour flavor is said to bind and to absorb. Its function is astringent. This strategy is used to bind leakages, discharges, etc. Its function, to tonify the lungs, can be seen in the role that sour (i.e. citrus) fruit offers as protection from infection.
Excess Sour damages the Spleen: tannins are known to interfere with nutrient assimilation. One of the reasons that we may feel less buzzed from tea than coffee is that the tannins in tea interfere with caffeine absorption. So, despite the fact that tea often has a comparable amount of caffeine in it, less of it gets into our bodies. The sour flavor also helps to digest fats; like vinegar to oil.
Sour’s astringent properties can be useful psychologically; I often recommend eating more sour flavors when there is a lack of clarity and focus. I suggested that my patients begin emphasizing foods such as yogurt, lemons, lentils, pickles to help get focused. Sour flavors are also useful for moody, flighty, reactive people. Think of how the herb peony uses its sour flavor to nourish and comfort the Liver. We often choose it for women with premenstrual mood swings.
Bitter
Unfortunately for our delicate taste buds, the bitter flavor is mediated by the bitter taste buds, so you have to taste it for it to work. The bitter taste is directed to the Heart by the Spleen. It is yin and tends to flow down. It moves to the Xue [blood]. This means that it affects the body, not the qi.
Bitters are used for deep, somatic clinical problems. They are said to sedate, dry and harden. Bitters are by nature cold. They are used to clear Damp-Heat conditions. Simon Mills suggests that hardening be thought of as consolidating. A consolidating influence is secure. The Kidneys function optimally by securing jing. Bitters disperse excess in the Spleen: think of the tradition of aperitifs. Vermouth and Campari are both made of bitter herbs to stimulate digestive activity and the appetite.
Bitters also tonify the Kidneys. Think of the effects of Phellodendron, which, in spite of its bitter flavor, actually has the effect of nourishing and grounding the Kidney Yin. Other herbal traditions also use bitters as tonics. So, despite of the fact that the majority of bitter herbs are cold, Bitters can replenish a person constitutionally. By promoting healthy digestive functioning we can nourish the yuan- source qi and preserve our precious jing. Excess bitter is said to damage the lungs, which should be interpreted to mean that over consumption of cold bitter agents would compromise the Zhong qi- or the qi of the chest.
Sweet
The Spleen keeps the sweet taste to use for its own benefit. It is a yang flavor and tends to move upwards. It tends to move to the flesh. Sweetness is associated with nourishment. Most food is primarily sweet. Most of the tonics in Chinese Herbology are sweet. Since they nourish the flesh, they affect body shape. A nourishing diet tonifies the spleen.
The sweet flavor disperses excess in the Heart. More than a few people have been known to use sweets to calm down nervous tension. In excess it damages the Kidneys. Excessive sweet consumption is said to cause premature aging. Kidney damage in diabetes is a common example used to illustrate this point.
Acrid
Also called spicy or pungent. This is the only taste that doesn't have its own taste bud. It works by direct irritation. This is the taste of hot spices. The acrid taste is directed by the Spleen to the Lungs. It is yang and tends to move upwards. It moves to the qi. It also moves the qi by dispersing stagnancy, activating fluids, and opening the pores. So we can say that it expels external Wind Cold. It disperses excess in the lungs. Spices such as cayenne have been used in many herbal traditions to move bronchial congestion. In moderate amounts, acrid spices tonify the Liver. People with Liver qi congestion often crave spicy food because the flavor relaxes them.
In excess it damages the Liver, which provides us with a prudent reminder of moderation, moderation, moderation. In a typical western diet, the acrid flavor is usually provided by alcohol. Even though the exact amount is disputed, most authorities agree that small amounts of alcohol can be beneficial, yet large amounts are damaging. Likewise, small amounts of acrid flavors move the liver nicely; large amounts further exacerbate qi constraint by compromising the Liver’s ability to move smoothly on its own.
Bland
This is described as having no taste at all, no real character. It moves straight from the Spleen to the Bladder and then out of the body. Bland herbs function as gentle diuretics. Herbs that contain mucilage are often bland in flavor. Mucilaginous herbs and foods are used to sooth irritated tissue and provide a protective barrier of slime. Okra, slippery elm, Bletilla [Bai ji] all function in this way. Bland herbs provide a soothing arena here.
Seasonal considerations
As the seasons change so do the organs that are dominant. With each season, every organ system has the opportunity to become both exceptionally balanced as well as really off center. The weakest system will suffer in the season ascribed to it. Chapter 22 of the Nei Jing describes in elaborate detail, the way in which we can use the five tastes to balance the five zang organs seasonally.
According to the Nei Jing, in the springtime sweet foods should be consumed to soften the Liver, to allow it to flow unconstricted. This is useful advice for dry windy people. If however, you are treating a person who is damp or more sluggish in general, then the acrid flavor might be more useful in attuning that person to such a dynamic season. Many herb teachers, including myself, teach a set of seasonal modifications for the formula Si Wu Tang- soup of the four things. In the springtime, we are advised to double the amount of Dang gui. This is because the Liver is always more affected by Wind when the Blood is deficient. Dang gui nourishes and moves the blood via spicy and sweet flavors and thus balances any energetic default in the springtime.
In the summer, when the fire element is dominant, one should consume sour herbs to keep the Heart from being scattered. The modification of Si Wu Tang in the summer is a doubling of Bai Shao- Peony root. Peony is sour, and is used here to preserve the Yin¬
In late summer, when the Earth element is full, the Nei jing advises us to use salty herbs to dry dampness. Obviously, this is direct contradiction not only to what I have written here, but also to common sense. It is possible that at the height of the Earth season, salt anchors the energy. Right now it is August. My garden is a riot of flowers and vegetables, stretching higher and higher. Cicada’s are relentlessly rattling. The day says summer, but my mind’s eye is already looking towards fall. Intuitively we know that this is a different season than before. Salt may provide the flavor cue to shift our gears: to plan for winter.
Autumn is the time to address the Lung and Large Intestine Channels. At this time, the Nei Jing tells us to eat bitter herbs to purge and disperses. The Lungs dislike upward rebellious movement . Bitters would certainly move digestive stagnation in the Large Intestine. Bitters might help to dry a phlegmy cough. Autumn is the time of dry coughs, however. It is also said to be the windy season. The Modification of Si wu Tang for this season is to double the dose of Chuan Xiong -Ligusticum sinensis. Chuan xiong disperses Wind through its spicy, warm flavor.
In winter, the Kidneys and Bladder come alive. In this season we are advised to use pungent and lubricating herbs. Acrid flavors help to move fluids through the body. They increase sweat, increase saliva flow. Judicious amounts of spices are important for all Cold conditions. We use aconite, cinnamon, and ginger far more in the winter than in the summer, when there is greater risk of injuring the body fluids. The seasonal adjustment of Si wu Tang is not spicy however. In winter we are advised double the dose of Prepared Rehmannia- Shu di Huang, in order to nourish the Kidneys.
I was a chef before I was an herbalist. Seeking balance in flavors now extends to my herbalism as well as my cooking. Being mindful of balance helps me create formulas that are easier for the patients to integrate. Many of my patients come to crave my bitter concoctions. I'm often told "the flavor feels good". When someone declares one of my creations "undrinkable", I know that the formula is imbalanced for him or her and I go back and rethink it.
It's important to train your patients to create a balance of flavors in their diet. This is far easier than communicating concepts of warming and cooling. I have my patients keep a journal. Often, by this means, they learn they are emphasizing only a few flavors. Salt and sugar usually predominate. I encourage them to pull in more tastes, which helps them attune their awareness of their bodies. As the flavors in their diets balance, so will qi and blood.
