Shad Rasa - the 6 essentials tastes in Ayurveda

When it comes to nutritional balance in Ayurveda, taste plays a key role. We look beyond the functional levels of nutrition and a balanced meal surpasses calorie-counting or balance of fats, carbs and proteins on your plate. Healthy balance in Ayurveda starts with attention to the 6 tastes.

Each taste contributes to a very specific action on the body and. Here is a snapshot of how tastes influence our body.

𝙎𝙬𝙚𝙚𝙩 (𝙢𝙖𝙙𝙝𝙪𝙧𝙖) - 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙧
This taste brings nourishment to our body and mind, builds body tissues, enhances strength and pacifies vata and pitta. This taste invokes the feelings of love, joy and compassion.

𝙎𝙤𝙪𝙧 (𝙖𝙢𝙡𝙖) - 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙖𝙥𝙥𝙚𝙩𝙞𝙨𝙚𝙧
Due to its hot and light nature, the sour taste increases appetite, digestion and increase body moisture and benefits all (except the reproductive) tissues. It is balancing for vata but aggravating for pitta and kapha in excess.

𝙎𝙖𝙡𝙩𝙮 (𝙡𝙖𝙫𝙖𝙣𝙖) - 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙚𝙣𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚𝙧
Life can become bland without salt and it enhances the other flavours as well as their actions. Salt also plays a key role in digestion and can have a penetrating and moisturising effect. Can balance vata but aggravate pitta and kapha in excess.

𝘽𝙞𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙧 (𝙩𝙞𝙠𝙩𝙖) - 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙘𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙣𝙨𝙚𝙧
A bitter pill to swallow? This taste in meals helps to curb cravings for sweets outside of meals and it has an action of cleansing and scraping toxins in the body channels (lekhana), the liver and skin aggravations. 

𝙋𝙪𝙣𝙜𝙚𝙣𝙩 (𝙠𝙖𝙩𝙪) - 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙗𝙪𝙧𝙣𝙚𝙧
This fiery, pungent taste is spicy in character and therefore able to burn off and cleanse and clear toxins and support our digestive fire and well as bring clarity to the mind. In excess can imbalance pitta but can bring balance to vata and kapha.

𝘼𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙚𝙣𝙩 (𝙠𝙖𝙨𝙝𝙖𝙮𝙖) - 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙙𝙧𝙮𝙚𝙧
This subtle taste has a drying effect on the body and therefore cleansing due to the chalky sensation it can leave in the mouth. It can help absorb excess fluids in the body. It is balancing for kapha and pitta but aggravating for vata in excess.

Are you aware of the tastes on your plate? Do you have a balance of these tastes in each of your meals? The right balance of taste will depend on your constitution, the time of the day, the season, your age and health concerns. But we can certainly start to cultivate the awareness of taste in our diet. Any taste that is excess can of course create an imbalance.