The Western practice of eating salads at the beginning of meals is because of a natural reaction the human body has to bitter foods (bitter in taste, as contrasted with bitter in the Chinese flavor system). When the tongue tastes bitter, the body starts producing digestive fluids, such as saliva and stomach acids. By eating salads first in a meal, the nutrients in the food that follows are absorbed more efficiently, resulting in better health.
Chinese medicine divides foods and herbs into seven flavors, each representing a basic Energetic property. Note that the flavors are based on the effects on the body and may differ from actual taste.
Bitter is Clearing and Drying. Clearing is the oppostie of Tonifying and can be used to treat Heat excess and Toxin excess. Drying is the opposite of Moistening and can be used to treat Damp stagnation.
from “Chrak Samhita”:
XVI. 43
DESCRIPTION OF THE SIX TASTES
AyurvedicV. Bitter
Bitter taste, though it does not taste good in itself, restores the sense of taste. It is detoxifying, antibacterial, germicidal, and kills worms. It relieves fainting, burning sensation, itch, inflammatory skin conditions and thirst. Bitter taste creates tightness of the skin and muscles. It is antipyretic, febriguge; it enkindles digestive fire, promotes digestion of toxins, purifies lactation, helps scrape away fat and remove toxic accumulations in fat, marrow, lymph, sweat, urine, excrement, Pitta and Kapha. It is dry, cold and light.
Yet when used by itself or in excess, owing to its natural properties of dryness, roughness and clearness, it causes a wasting away of all the tissue elements of the body. Bitter taste produces roughness in the vessels, takes away strength, causes emaciation, weariness, delusion, dizziness, dryness of the mouth and other diseases of Vata.
slightly bitter foods and herbs
bitter foods and herbs
Chinese flavors
See also yin foods, yang foods, and neutral foods
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