The Six Tastes - Astringent

The six tastes include the astringent taste, which combines the Air and Earth elements, which are characterized by their drying, cooling, and heavy properties. It is generally produced by tannins from the bark, leaves, and outer rinds of fruits and trees.

As the least common of the six tastes, it is often described more in relation to its effect on the tongue and mucus membranes, creating an immediate dry, chalky sensation and puckering sensation in the mouth.

This taste is usually associated with legumes, cranberries, and unripe bananas. However, many foods have a milder astringency, such as broccoli, cauliflower, crackers or chips, and most raw vegetables. Sweet or sour flavors frequently complement the astringent taste.

If overused, the astringent taste can cause dry mouth, choking, spasms, gripping sensations in the intestines, gas, bloating, distention, and constipation. It can also smooth the digestive fire, cause thirst, stiffness, coagulation and clotting in the blood, stagnation in circulation, cardiac spasms, insomnia, emotional stagnation, and depression.

Ayurvedic Facts:

Elements: Air & Earth

Energetics: Dry and Heavy

Taste (Rasa): Bitter

Temperature (Virya): Cooling

Digestive after effect (Vipaka): Pungent

Stage/Location Digestion: Cecum

Digests carbohydrates, proteins, and fats; absorbs liquids and is very high in minerals.

Balances: Pitta & Kapha

Aggravates: Vata

Benefits: It tones tissues, reduces sweating, and cools excess heat. It also stimulates peristalsis and elimination, absorbs excess moisture, promotes blood clotting, cleanses mucus membranes, decongests and scrapes fat, improves absorption, and has a binding effect on the body.

Bio-Medical Actions: Anti-inflammatory, hemostatic (stops bleeding), and vasoconstrictor.

Foods: Apples, bananas, cranberries, pomegranate, sprouts, avocado, broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage, raw carrots, cauliflower, green beans, lettuce, peas, potatoes, pasta, legumes, popcorn, basil, bay, caraway, coriander, dill, fennel, nutmeg, oregano, parsley, poppy seeds, rosemary, saffron, turmeric, and vanilla.