Extraoral Taste Receptor Discovery: New Light on Ayurvedic Pharmacology

Table 2

Ethnopharmacological description of the six tastes (rasa) in Ayurveda [109, 110].

Rasa; (taste)	Virya; (energetic nature)	Guna; (qualities)	Vipaka; (postdigestive effect)	Karman (therapeutic activities)
Sweet	Cold	Heavy, wet	Sweet	Nourishing of plasma, blood, muscle, adipose tissue, bone, marrow, and semen, longevity enhancer, strengthening, antitoxic, antidipsogenic, sensorial soothing
Salty	Hot	Heavy, wet	Sweet	Carminative, digestive, laxative, deobstruent, lubrifying, sialogogue
Sour	Hot	Light, wet	Sour	Digestive stimulant, nourishing the heart and the entire body, sialogogue, stimulates appetite, emollient, strengthening the sense organs
Pungent	Hot	Light, dry	Pungent	Digestive stimulant, anti-itching, anti-infectious, reduces the muscle mass, breaks obstructions (e.g., anticoagulant), purifying, clarifies the passages, helps sensorial activity, intestinal peristalsis, elimination of waste products (e.g., feces), antiswelling, channel dilatory
Bitter	Cold	Light, dry	Pungent	Antianorexia, digestive stimulant, antitoxic, anti-infectious, febrifuge, antiemetic, milk purification, reducer of adipose tissue, muscle fat, bone marrow, lymph, pus, sweat, urine, stool
Astringent	Cold	Heavy, dry	Pungent	Sedative, styptic, constipative (antidiarrheic), antihemorrhagic, absorptive, blood purifier, skin purifier, wound/ulcer healing, anti-adiposity