Rasa - The six tastes
Rasa - The six tastes The knowledge of Rasa or taste is considered as important as the knowledge of Doshas for the purpose of treatment. Charaka brings this out very succinctly in this way: "A physician well versed with the classification of rasas and doshas seldom commits a mistake in diagnosing and treating a disease." There are six tastes identified by Ayurveda: Madhura (sweet) Amla (sour) Lavana (salt) Katu (pungent) Tikta (bitter) Kashaya (astringent) Each of the six tastes identified in Ayurveda has its own qualities or gunas. A taste can be light or heavy, moist or dry. These specific characteristics unique to each taste influence how it will affect us, both immediately and over the long term. Tastes which are light are generally easier to digest and assimilate, while those that are considered heavy from an Ayurvedic stand point take more energy to digest. Moist tastes will have a lubricating effect o