As anyone who has ever consumed a hot curry soup
knows, such meals can really stimulate the sinuses to drain. In
fact, such draining, called errhine therapy, is a recognized Ayurvedic
mode of treatment for phlegmatic conditions. Foods and spices,
along with special culinary and medicinal herbs, can be used to
help balance the elements. Such therapies can be effectively used
in conjunction with astrology (or independently thereof) if the
consultant is qualified. Since this is one of those therapies that
interfaces readily with astrology and since my own Jupiter in Cancer
predisposes me to a love of cooking and this particular form of
chemistry, a special section is being added to this site to enable
visitors to understand the energetics of eating.
In the West today, we tend either to pride ourselves
on our efficiency and to toss frozen dinners into the microwave,
or we try to exhibit nutritional awareness by counting calories,
proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals, etc. Many, if not
most, of my clients either hate cooking and ignore the consequences
of neglect of this most fundamental requirement of life, or, they
pop supplements as though it were possible to live creatively on
tablets instead of real food. Moreover, our food is often so adulterated
that the average American eats some five pounds of chemical preservatives
per year. Add to this the probable long-term side effects of irradiation
and microwaving and
other presumed sources of free radicals, and we have a formidable
picture. Even if all of our foods were as safe as our Federal agencies
would like us to believe, nothing in our culture, even the saner
concepts of nutrition, takes into account the energetics of food.
Not only do no standardized tests reveal the lack of prana in
processed foods, but absolutely no Western nutritional concepts
profoundly address the issues of body type and energetics. For
instance, a hot spice, such as cayenne pepper, stimulates fire.
If the individual eating such a spice is already of a fiery nature,
the fire element may aggravate and result in diarrhea or temper
flare-ups. However, if the person is watery, cayenne may not only
increase the appetite and digestion but result in a little dehydration
and weight loss due to its metabolic effects. If the individual
has a cold, the cayenne may help to warm the body so that mucus
liquefies and is easier to expectorate. This is real kitchen medicine,
easy to understand and to apply, but it will require an investment
in cooking and eating.
Before covering this subject more fully, it may
be interesting to note some situations that were observed during
the years I operated a clinic. First of all, most, perhaps even
90% or more of my clients, say they do not like to cook. Many are
unable to do so because they have become too ill, but others insist
that they simply do not have the time or the interest. For me,
this is like saying, "I don't have time to live; other things
are more important." There is little that can be said to someone
who has just bought a microwave oven in the hopes of making her
life more efficient. It goes without saying that such people are
seldom readily convinced to buy a good wok or slow cooker instead!
One wonders how much one's health has to deteriorate before eating
will be taken seriously. Since almost no one knows what it would
be like to function optimally, nearly everyone is used to a pill
for this and another for that, but as has been pointed out in my
writings, conditions tend to be systemic. That is, it is not really
possible to have good digestion and poor elimination. Therefore,
though a laxative may help one part of the problem, it does not
treat the root cause. Thus, such therapies are like pruning a tree
which needs water or fertilizer rather than surgery. A dead branch
may be expendable. Likewise, a woman may be able to survive just
fine without her uterus; she may even enjoy the freedom conferred
by no longer risking pregnancy, but does she really want to give
up her gall bladder and perhaps also a breast? We have almost become
numbed to such operations, but are they necessary? Can we avoid
them by treating the underlying imbalances before any serious problems
occur? This is what proper eating can offer persons who are willing
to make provisions for good health by learning what their bodies
need in order to function harmoniously. Consider eating the same
way you would a carburetor adjustment, tune-up, and fuel filter
replacement for your car. You would do this for your car, but would
you do it for yourself?
These are some of the questions I ask clients,
many of whom have been sick for years or even decades and who no
longer know what it feels like to feel good. Often, one will find
a psychological issue standing between them and health. It can
usually be traced to childhood and to a fundamental lack of nurturance
when an infant or toddler. The pattern, moreover, may have been
perpetuated throughout youth and never rectified in adulthood.
The adult may therefore be entirely convinced that it is impossible
to feel good and to feel nurtured and nourished. Some people are
emaciated because of such feelings and others eat and eat and eat
without feeling satisfied because they keep hoping to experience
what they, on some level, know that they need. The Moon in the
horoscope is the key to what a person needs in order to feel nurtured,
and it is also a clue to what a person needs to experience in intimate
relationships as well as what he or she needs to eat in order to
feel nourished on a physical level. As everyone studying my work
knows by now, the Moon is the major factor in constitutional type
and hence the primary indication of what throws an individual off
balance and what could restore harmony. A certain amount of counseling
around the issues of mother-child relationships, nurturance, and
their interrelation with eating often contributes to profound and
healthy changes. There is a strong connection between issues involving
the ability to receive nurturance, love, and support from partners,
friends, and family and the ability to "digest" or receive
nourishment on the physical level. Those of us who have tried this
approach recommend that others give it a whirl, too. It can be
absolutely amazing to watch an alcoholic give up drinking or a
depressed person come in happy by simply eating properly for a
few days and finding out what a difference it makes.
According
to Ayurveda, each food has a particular taste that correlates to
its digestive action and that has a bearing on the balance of the
elements. This taste is not a coincidence but is a direct result
of the biochemical traits of the food and therefore also of its
pharmaceutical properties. There are six tastes: sweet, sour, pungent,
bitter, salty, and astringent.
The Sweet Taste
The sweet taste consists predominantly
of the water element and secondarily earth. It is found in carbohydrates
(starches), sugars, fats, and amino acids and is, to no one's
surprise, anabolic, i.e. building. In other words, it helps to
build body tissue. It is therefore absolutely necessary in the
diet of emaciated people such as extreme air type individuals.
The sweet taste acts quickly on the taste buds and saliva. Its
nature is heavy, cold, and viscous (oily and gelatinous). In
excess, it is clogging. In moderation, this taste, associated
as it is with water and earth, is stabilizing, tonifying, and
calming. It is therefore "medicinal" for air and fire
types who are irritable. It may even help promote fertility and
longevity for such persons. However, where there is overweight,
mucus congestion, coldness, or chills, excessive consumptions
of sweet foods is contraindicated. It is important to realize
that anything watery is anti-fire so where the fire element is
already low, sweets will cause considerable short- and long-term
harm.
Nearly all staple foods, vegetable oils, nuts,
sugars and syrups, dairy products, and meat belong to the group
of foods having this taste. They are all, therefore, nourishing
provided they are not consumed in excess. The exception to this
rule is honey which has a slightly drying or astringent taste and
is hence not apt to increase weight to the same extent as cane
or beet sugar or even maple syrup.
As everyone knows, sweets are fattening. What
many appear not to understand is that they also contribute to mucus
formation and eventually to congestion and coughs. Thus, though
they may be soothing where the disposition is overly excitable
and in cases where there is dryness, brittleness, and/or burning
sensations, sweets can be lethal for those with a weak fire element.
Not surprisingly, then, despite whatever pick-up a candy bar is
expected to offer, the sudden rise in blood sugar is followed by
a drop in insulin that is necessary to carry blood glucose to the
cells that can utilize energy. Therefore, in reality sweet foods
contribute to lethargy and drowsiness and other symptoms of water
and earth excesses, including poor digestion, sweetness of breath,
intestinal worms, vomiting, difficulty breathing, eye diseases,
urinary disorders, and in extreme cases headaches, diabetes, elephantiasis,
and tumors.
The Sour Taste
Sourness
is found predominantly in fruits, fermented foods (like yoghurt),
and organic acids (oxalic acid, for instance). Oxalic acid is
poisonous and should not be eaten in large amounts. The sour
taste is similar to the sweet except that sour is hot where sweet
is cold. Otherwise, both heavy and somewhat oily. Fire is the
predominant element in sour foods. Fermentation produces heat
because the process itself creates combustion. Earth is second
strongest element in the sour taste, but there is also some water
present in such foods. In other words, the sour taste tends to
increase all but the air element. It is hence the taste of choice
for air type persons.
The sour taste promotes salivation, the first
step in the digestive process. Sour foods are generally cleansing
as well as stimulating to the appetite. They are also carminative
and often diaphoretic (cause perspiration) due to their heat producing
qualities. Overconsumption of fruits can derange the fire element
and lead to excess catabolism. The first evidence of this will
usually be muscle weakness and/or diarrhea. Dark rings around the
eyes are another indication that purification has been carried
too far and should be balanced by proper tonifying foods, particularly
those that address kidney-adrenal functioning. One of the favorite
sour foods used in India is tamarind. This is prepared as chutney,
juice, or a paste and is often used for alcoholism. In the West,
rose hips, lemons, limes, raspberries, etc. are used where mangoes
and tamarind might be in India. It is important to keep in mind
that each fruit has some specific properties as well as the general
ones.
It is worth noting that during my many years of
living in Hawaii, there was frequent occasion to observe people
who had been on fruit fasts. Though there is much to be said for
periodic cleansing of the body, fruits tend to be more eliminative
than building. Hence, many of those who carried such fasts too
far, often making lifelong occupations out of fasting, were in
severely debilitated condition after sometimes only a few months.
Though Ayurveda may teach that this is due to the predominantly
catabolic effects of fruit, it is my opinion that after a certain
point, the body begins to consume its own earthiest parts, joints
and bones, to obtain the trace minerals that the vital organs need
in order to function. Therefore, though a well planned fruit fast
may be excellent for people who have consistently overeaten heavy
and junk foods, beyond a certain point, it is reckless. It is certainly
ill advised once thirst, fever, or dizziness make their appearance.
Also, though this is often celebrated, it is also probably unwise
to continue fruit fasts if a woman ceases to menstruate. Likewise,
a severe drop in the libido may not be a sign of spiritual transcendence
but rather of loss of genuine vital power. So, though sour foods
are generally purifying and they aid digestion and impart strength
to the heart and other organs of the body, they should not be consumed
injudiciously.
The Salty Taste
Unlike our sodium phobic medical community,
Ayurveda holds a fairly lofty opinion of salt, which like sour
foods, elevates all but the air element. Salt is consequently
soothing for people who are very nervous. Salt aids digestion
and circulation. It also affects the fluid action of the body
by increasing saliva and diluting phlegm. It opens up blocked
channels. In excess, salt causes contraction and can lead to
general debility: wrinkles, hyperacidity, high blood pressure,
impurities in the blood, itching and burning sensations, inflammation
of the lymph glands, gout, heart conditions, impotency, loose
teeth, baldness, and darkening of the skin pigmentation.
Salt is considered to be heavy, hot, unctuous,
and pungent. Its sharpness stimulates the appetite, changes the
consistency of saliva, and softens food. Though Ayurveda considers
salt to be hot, its capacity for retaining fluids gives it a fairly
balanced fire-water action. Salt's hygroscopic action, the technical
term for salt's action on fluids, is soothing and cleansing as
salt helps to loosen denser materials that tend to impact and clog
the body's vital organs and ducts. In high enough dosages, salt
is an emetic (causes vomiting).
It ought to be quite obvious that intake of salt
should be curbed when there is excessive thirst. It is also contraindicated
where there is any kind of skin disease, where teeth are loose,
or where there are signs of premature aging such as graying or
balding of the hair.
It should be remembered that all Ayurvedic teachings
arose in a time preceding our age of processed, devitalized, and
chemically altered foods. Indians think of rock salt and sea salt
(and alkaline foods) when they say salt. These forms of salt are
often rich in other trace minerals . . . and they are available
in health foods stores in the West, too, but, be careful, the taste
of these salts is stronger and you will require far less to get
your salivary glands going. It is also important to realize that
wholesome foods have wonderfully appetizing tastes and require
less conjuring to make them appealing to the palate. However, if
eating something utterly bland from the freezer, it may take a
considerable effort to render such a meal interesting to the taste
buds. It is on such occasions that people are prone to dumping
ketchup and salt on their food, and this is no doubt quite medically
unsound.
Thus, it should be made clear that salt,
in moderation, is calming for people who are highly excitable,
but, in excess it is harmful to the arteries, just as doctors
have warned.
The Pungent Taste
The
pungent taste stems from the essential oils in the herbs and
spices. These stimulate the appetite and are useful to the assimilation
and absorption of food. They cause an elevation of the air and
fire elements and are hence drying and exciting to all organs.
Pungent foods are light, hot, and dry; their volatile oils, besides
rendering the spices aromatic, tend to cause a tingling sensation
on the tongue, to promote salivation, and sometimes also lachrymation.
They are hence indicated in cases of excess water, but due to
their drying effects have to be used somewhat more carefully
with air types and much more judiciously with fire types. Earth
types generally benefit from the use of spices so long as their
dryness is compensated for by moisture in the food.
Hot spices are vivifying and decongesting.
They can be used to drain the sinuses, to promote expectoration
of phlegm, to decongest cholesterol clogged arteries, and to treat
obesity and diabetes. Since Westerners tend use relatively few
really hot spices in their cooking and even fewer in a medicinal
way, it is worth taking some time to understand the pharmacological
properties of spices. For example, though many people use herbs
such as thyme, marjoram, and oregano in sauces and salad dressings,
they seldom realize that ginger root and black pepper can be used
to clear up a cold. It is important to realize that watery disorders
are a major cause of ill health, probably not just in the West,
but certainly everywhere that refined sugar and other hazards of
civilization have made strong inroads. People with excess water
tend also to have high levels of mucus, serum cholesterol, undigested
fatty acids, as well as extra pounds straining efficient functioning
of their bodies. Spices will relieve many such problems and should
be considered by those with excess water conditions as a substitute
for pastries, ice cream, and other sweet foods. Many snack foods
can be made with spices though the truth is that watery types do
not need snacks between meals. Still, a spicy trail mix is a marvelous
substitute for chocolate. Dalmoth, a product available in many
Indian import shops is excellent as are some spicy nuts; these
help to reduce craving for sugar and alcohol.
Besides aiding fat metabolism and
reducing the tendency towards arteriosclerosis and myocardial infarction,
many spices are antifungal, antibacterial, and vermicidal. This
means that they help to wipe out low grade infections, candida
albicans, and intestinal parasites. The essential oils also stimulate
peristaltic action of the intestines, aid assimilation and elimination,
and clear congestion in the body.
Lest this sound too much like a hymn
of praise to spices, it should be mentioned that most spices are
irradiated. As of September 1987, 48 spices were approved for irradiation
in the U.S. This list includes almost everything you would expect
to see on the spice racks of your supermarket: allspice to turmeric.
Gamma radiation levels for these spices is not supposed to exceed
30,000 Gray (Gy), 30 times the irradiation permitted other food
products. It is generally agreed that 1000 Gy would kill a person
several times over, but the explanation where spices are concerned
is that spices do not constitute a major part of the diet and that
higher exposure to gamma rays is therefore "safe". My
own opinion is that it is worth the trouble to find nonirradiated
spices. Many health food stores, herb shops, and special mail order
distributors provide such spices—not only are they free of
radiation, but they taste a lot better.
It is not possible to say whether
the pharmacological actions of spices are affected by radiation,
but logic compels me to believe that the air element is deranged
and the molecular structure is affected by radiation. The oils
are also affected so that irradiated spices are drier and more
irritating. It therefore makes no sense to use spices medicinally
if they have been irradiated.
Since many herb books provide information
on the special medicinal effects of spices (for instance, The
Yoga of Herbs by Dr. Vasant Lad and David Frawley, Lotus Press),
little more will be said here except that wider use of spices,
at the beginning of meal preparation when the onions are being
sautéed, will benefit many people. The purchase of a good
Indian cookbook and some spices may be the first step towards better
health for many persons.
Spices are slimming; many can also
be chewed after meals, like cardamom or fennel seeds, to cleanse
the mouth and give fresh breath. Aside from the warnings already
given, pungent foods are excellent except where there is fever
or other indications of an elevated fire element or where the palate
is so unaccustomed to this taste that the spices have to be introduced
slowly and gradually. In excess, spices can produce symptoms of
too much air and fire: dizziness, trembling, burning sensations
in the throat, impotency, spots before one's eyes, ulcers, and
hemorrhoids.
The Bitter Taste
Bitter
foods elevate the air element and reduce the excesses of the
other elements. Consequently, bitter foods aid the intellect.
They are light, cold, and dry, and their characteristic taste
is due to the presence of alkaloids (such as caffeine, nicotine,
etc.), bitter principles (e.g. berberine), and glycosides. The
dryness of bitter foods helps relieve mucus, pus, and watery
accumulations. Bitter foods are generally overwhelming in taste
and therefore obscure the presence of the other tastes. Such
foods are slimming, and according to Ayurveda, reduce fat, flesh,
and marrow. This taste is therefore much needed by diabetics.
Bitter foods absorb mucus and the minuteness of bitterness (a
characteristic of air and ether) enables it to move through narrow
channels and clear the way for better circulation.
Of all the tastes discussed herein, the bitter
one is perhaps the one best known in Western herbalism which has
long touted various bitters (gentian, dandelion, aloe vera, goldenseal,
etc.) for treating a wide range of conditions predominantly associated
with the liver. Bitters are purifying and detoxifying and they
help to remove poisons from the blood as well as from mother's
milk. They are also useful when a person has suppurating wounds.
They are hence indicated for skin disorders, especially where there
is also fever, jaundice, or loss of appetite. Many bitters are
germicidal, bactericidal, and anti-inflammatory.
Because of the catabolic quality of bitters, an
excessive intake will be debilitating. Moreover, many bitter plants
are poisonous; however, many have well appreciated pharmaceutical
uses, such as foxglove which is used in making digitalis. Bitters
are strong medicine and should be used carefully. There are many
bitter herbal formulas on the market. The best known is perhaps
Swedish Bitters. It is quite intense but well regarded. The Floradix
formula is my personal preference. It can be used relatively safely
to regulate appetite and digestion. Of the culinary spices which
are bitter, turmeric is perhaps the most widely used. It is turmeric
which imparts the yellow color to curry, and this spice is extremely
beneficial both internally and externally. Coriander is another
bitter spice used in curry; it helps to provide energetic balance
since it is slightly cooling whereas many of the other ingredients
of curry are heating.
The average person can probably benefit from occasional
use of bitters, even as part of a detoxification program (preferably
in autumn or winter). By tonifying the liver and thereby also the
gall bladder and blood stream, the regular flow of bile is promoted.
This, in turn, kills intestinal worms. Nearly all types, except
perhaps the air type, should consider annual health programs employing
bitters, but their use should be stopped if the mouth becomes too
dry or if the individual becomes constipated. Bitters are contraindicated
where there is a headache, dizziness, loss of muscular strength,
or reduction of stamina.
The Astringent Taste
The
astringent taste is perhaps the most difficult to describe. A
little anecdote from my own life may help to make this point.
In 1962, between undergraduate and graduate school, I spent a
wonderful year studying in Japan. One day, my teacher asked me
to make a sentence with the word, shibui. I had, in fact,
looked up the word in the dictionary, but it meant nothing to
me. She therefore suggested I ask my host family for an unripe
persimmon. I absolutely insisted to my hosts that this persimmon
be shibui. The result was that my mouth puckered up and remained
this way for a full week. It goes without saying that it took
me years to try another persimmon, but one experience like this
explains the taste for the rest of an incarnation.
Astringent foods are drying. Not surprisingly,
then, their consumption results in an elevation of the air and,
to a lesser extent, the earth elements. Such foods are light, cold,
and dry and are hence similar to pungent foods except that they
are cold where the spicy foods are hot. So, though both act on
air, pungent foods are more catabolic whereas astringent ones are
slightly anabolic. The dryness of this taste reduces water whereas
its coldness reduces fire. The astringent taste is due to the presence
of tannins, usually found in the bark of trees.
Astringency, as one may suspect is absorptive.
Such foods and herbs have hemostatic (arrest bleeding) and vulnerary
(aid healing) properties. They can be used where there is diarrhea
or hemorrhaging. Such foods also help to reduce the flow of urine
when there is an excessive loss of fluid due to frequent urination
or incontinence.
Tannins are chiefly useful in reducing irritability.
They are slightly anesthetic and therefore calming, but they also
reduce sensitivity. They can be used to help control excessive
perspiration and to neutralize putrefaction. Such herbs are thus
quite antiseptic. The astringent herbs perhaps best known in the
West are sage and St. John's wort, but the most common item in
the kitchen with such properties is aged honey (which is both sweet
and astringent). Ayurvedic doctors caution against mixing honey
with salt and they generally advise against heating honey.
By final word, astringent foods should be avoided
where there is cardiac pain, flatulence, hoarseness, constipation,
hemorrhoids, debility, impotency, or paralysis.
Summary
This is but a brief summary of the action of
food, according to taste, on the elements. In addition to the basic
taste, Ayurvedic medicine addresses secondary and tertiary stages
of digestion. For example, a food that tastes sweet to the tongue
is sour when combined with digestive juices and bitter when reaching
the large intestine. Such detail is beyond the scope of this page,
but interested persons can certainly study further to develop greater
skill in applying the idea that there is an energetic aspect to
food that is at least as important as the properties commonly considered
by Western nutritionists.
Elements
and Tastes
[ In Order] |
Air |
astringent, bitter |
Fire |
pungent, sour,
salty |
Water |
sweet, salty, sour |
Earth |
sweet, astringent |
It is my firm conviction that life today
is so stressful, ecologically imbalanced, and socially complex
that every individual is truly challenged to develop a strategy
of living that obviates the risk of ill health simply due to
oversights and neglects that can be rather easily remedied. For
example, once we know that flying in the ozone is equivalent
to about five chest x-rays and that it deranges the air element,
we know that if we fly, we would also be well advised to do something "grounding" as
well. Thus, we might take some ginseng to pour into hot water
while in the air. Then, since we know that excess air can disturb
fire and thereby affect digestion, we can take some ginger and/or
cayenne capsules to help us get down the nearly universally awful
food that we are served on planes. As for me, wherever possible,
I order an Asian vegetarian meal, as these will have spices and
no meat (which is very difficult to digest compared to most other
foods). When traveling for any extended time period, it may be
advisable to bring along a little "food emergency kit".
Try not to let this kit go through the x-ray equipment at the
airport. The kit can be hand inspected or checked through with
the luggage. I have learned a few tricks I can share. Juiced
ginger is a wonderful digestive stimulant. It refreshes the breath,
feels energizing, and relieves most intestinal upsets caused
by changes of schedules, food, etc. It keeps well and can even
be doctored with a few drops of brandy or wine to make certain
that it does not ferment. A few bottles of good quality seasonings
can improve most any restaurant fare and make it more digestible.
Though it is generally preferable to add food to spices, i.e.
to start with the spices and oil and then add food instead of
shaking on salt and pepper after cooking, this is impractical
for travelers so a few bottles of hot and aromatic spices may
mean the difference between the feeling of being clogged and
vigor when eating in restaurants.
In conclusion, it might be noted that though many
have strong constitutions when they are born, it is not at all
easy to maintain health and still be active in the world. Moreover,
since some people are born without such health resources, they
need to be doubly sensible. It ought to be recognized that the
body is slow to adapt to anything new, including certain hybrid
foods, antibiotics in meat, preservatives, radiation, etc. However,
since we live in a time in which such foods are the norm rather
than the exception, we ought to be certain that our bodies are
equipped to deal with food stresses. It may therefore be necessary
to devote time to preparing special foods which are particularly
essential to your specific constitution. For some people, herbal
foods may be used as supplements, especially when going through
stressful episodes. For others, periodic eliminatory or tonification
programs may be recommended. For example, every now and then, it
may be useful to detoxify the liver and blood stream as a precaution
against future trouble; or, it may be wise to develop more adrenal
power to deal with stress. Some of the therapies that are organ
specific will be covered later, but general balance is the issue
for now, and everything discussed here can be applied with relative
safety by simply employing a good measure of common sense and care
to your well being.
Reprinted from The Elements: Constitutional
Type and Temperament,
Copyright 1989 and 1998 by Ingrid Naiman
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