The 6 Tastes (Rasas)

There are 6 Tastes (Rasas):  

Ayurveda classifies all foods into 6 tastes, (rasas).    The rasa is determined by our perception of the taste of the food when it first enters our mouths.  For example, if we put a cherry lollipop into our mouths, most of us would agree that the sweet taste is our experience.    The six tastes are as follows: sweet, sour, salty, bitter, astringent and pungent. 

Each rasa has qualities that will affect us differently, depending on our constitutions.  The salty taste is good for Vata as it warms there usually cold constitution, is heavy, which grounds their light bodies and is moist, which provides moisture to their dryness.  This same taste would aggravate an already hot-blooded Pitta, whose tendency is to be too hot and oily. 

Below is a chart describing the six rasas and their effects on the Ayurvedic doshas.

The 6 Rasas:

Tastes	Elements	Qualities	In Moderation Balances	In Excess Aggravates
Sweet	earth & water	Heavy, moist, cool	Vata&Pitta	Kapha
Sour	Earth & fire	Warm, moist, heavy	Vata	Pitta & Kapha
Salty	Water & fire	Heavy, moist, warm	Vata	Pitta & Kapha
Pungent	Fire & air	Hot, light, dry	Kapha	Pitta & Vata
Bitter	Air & ether	Cold, light, dry	Kapha & Pitta	Vata
Astringent	Air & earth	Cool, light,, dry	Pitta & Kapha	Vata

Virya:

Foods also have an effect on our digestive systems.  When we eat a food, we will feel the effects of this food inside our bodies.  For example, some foods will have a heating effect on the body, and we will feel warm after eating them.  These warm foods are easier to digest than the foods that cool our bodies down.  Our digestive system needs internal fire to digest our food properly. 

It is best to avoid eating prior to going to bed, as our digestive systems slow down during sleep and the food tends to sit in our digestive system and ama, toxins, build up.  We may wake-up feeling heavy, sluggish and have excess mucous and even constipation.  If you must have a snack before going to bed, choose from foods with a warming virya, sour, salty and pungent.  However, also know that these foods can be stimulating to the system, and may keep you awake.  It is best to have your supper 3 hours before bedtime.  This gives your body time to digest.

Vipak:

This is the post-digestive effect of food on the body, once it has made its way through your digestive system and has been absorbed and assimilated into the body.  Ayurveda typically describes 3 vipaks: sweet, sour and pungent.  The most common vipak is sweet.  Sweet has a calming and building effect on the body, giving us strength and a feeling of being grounded.  It keeps tissues healthy.  Rice is an example of a food that has a sweet vipak.  The sweet and salty tastes usually have a sweet vipak. 

Sour tasting foods will have a sour vipak.  Buttermilk and sour cream are examples of sour foods.  They are heating to the system and are not good for people who have ulcers or excess Pitta dosha. 

Foods that have a pungent, biter or astringent taste will usually have a pungent vipak.  These foods are heating and drying to the body, especially the colon.  They are to be avoided by vata, as they are too drying for the already dry vata constitution.  Hard cheeses and pickles are examples of foods with a pungent vipak.  Kaphas can handle these foods as their systems tend to be cool and moist.

The following table provides a summary of the rasas, viryas and vipaks.

Taste	Digestive Effect	Post-Digestive Effect
Sweet	Cooling	Sweet
Sour	Heating	Sour
Salty	Heating	Sweet
Pungent	Heating	Pungent
Bitter	Cooling	Pungent
Astringent	Cooling	Pungent