Ayurveda gives importance to flavour, taste and the juices contained in the food rather than amount of carbs, protein or fat need to be consumed for healthy body. Therfore ayurveda describes the importance of Shad Rasa for optimum health and lifestyle. Ayurveda emphasis on correct food with right combination of shad rasa, or six tastes.
According to Ayurveda, we are born with a novel constitution or combination of three doshas. Tridosha is the energy concept that govern our bodies on the physical, mental and emotional levels. Vata, pitta and kapha are the dosha evolved due to intersection of pancha mahabhoota. Illness or disease is caused by associated degree of imbalance among these doshas.
Importance of Vatta
Vata is the energy related to the movement of the body or substances within the body. It governs respiration, circulation and elimination.
Aggravated vatta will cause disorders like flatulence, constipation, tremors, spasms, asthma, arthritic and degenerative joint disease.
Importance of Pitta
Pitta represents the fireplace part within the body. It governs digestion, absorption, assimilation, nutrition, metabolism and vital sign.
Aggravated Pitta will cause disorders like acidity, ulcers, all kinds of skin eruptions, chronic fatigue, Crohn's disease, redness and various inflammatory issues.
Importance of Kapha
Kapha is that the energy that forms the structure of the body and provides lubrication to the joints and organs.
Imbalanced kapha will cause issues like fat, high cholesterin, diabetes, edema, asthma, tumors etc.
Shada Rasa and their effect on dosha
According to Ayurveda, the most effective medicine and natural healing method is the right diet specific to the individual based on the imbalanced dosha. Because of their qualities and style, foods that tend to aggravate a particular dosha could irritate it and likewise, foods that decrease that dosha can pacify it and normalize its functions. Vata assuasive foods can have additional sweet, bitter and salty tastes and fewer of too hot, bitter and pungent tastes. Pitta assuasive foods are going to be additional sweet, bitter and astringent and fewer sour, salty and pungent. Finally, kapha assuasive foods are going to be additional pungent, bitter and astringent and fewer sweet, salty and bitter. The incorrect combination of rasas will cause the body's natural functions to become unbalanced.
What is Shad Rasa
The word Shad Rasa means six juices. These six juices/ tastes are
- Madhura Rasa (sweet)
- Amla Rasa (sour)
- Lavana Rasa (salty)
- Katu Rasa (pungent)
- Tikta Rasa (bitter)
- Kashaya Rasa (astringent)
Madhura Rasa (Sweet):
It balances the fireplace of the pitta, providing the body with vitality, energy and rejuvenates skin and hair. Foods like clarified butter, wheat, rice, milk, sugar, dates, and potatoes belong to the madhura rasa.
It promotes the expansion of plasma, blood, fat, muscles, bones, marrow and generative fluids. In excess, sweet produces several disorders altogether like loss of appetite, obesity, abnormal muscle growth, humour congestion, tumors, puffiness and polygenic disorder.
Amla Rasa (Sour):
It will increase pitta and kapha and reduces vata dosha. Found in foods like yogurt, tomatoes, alcoholic beverages, citrus, sour cream, vinegar, cheese, lemon, unripe mangoes and soured food. Food rich in amla rasha keeps the body heat, enhances craving and hurries up digestion. They stimulate the appetence, improve the digestion, energize the body and nourish the guts.
In excess, this style will cause stomach upset, acidity, ulcers and perforations. Its chemical change action may be harmful to the blood and skin. It may cause skin problem like dermatitis, eczema, psoriasis, boils and puffiness. It may create burning sensations within the throat, chest, heart, bladder and tract.
Lavana Rasa (Salty):
It will increase kapha and pitta and diminishes vata. Very like amla rasa, lavana rasa conjointly helps keep the body heat and improves digestion. It conjointly facilitates growth within the body. It's laxative and may reduce spasms and pain within the colon. Like sweet and bitter, it's anabolic in action.
However, an excessive amount of salt within the diet makes the blood viscous and thick. It will cause heat sensations, fainting, wrinkling phalacrosis and aggravates skin issues. Moreover puffiness, water retention, ulcers, heart disorders, skin eruptions, acidity and cardiovascular diseases may arise due to excessive consumption of salt.
Katu Rasa (Pungent):
It will increase vata and pitta, and reduces kapha. Food like hot peppers, black pepper, chilli, onions, garlic, ginger, tulsi and asafetida contains katu rasa. Once consumed properly, it helps the breakdown of fat, aids digestion, enhances absorption and elimination, stimulates circulation, breaks up clots, and kills parasites and germs. Its qualities are lightweight, drying and heating.
However in excess, it causes symptoms like nausea, and abdomen irritation, looseness of the bowels, heartburn, organic process ulcers, redness and skin conditions. If it provokes vata, it will cause tremors, sleep disorder and muscle pain.
Tikta Rasa (Bitter):
It will increase vata, and diminishes pitta and kapha dosha. This rasa improves digestion, enhances liver performance and strengthens muscles. Foods like neem tree, bitter gourd, spinach, bitter melon, turmeric, dandelion, aloe vera belong to tikta rasa. Its qualities are dry and lightweight. It promotes the flavour of all tastes.
It is atoxic and kills germs. Bitter helps to alleviate burning sensations, itching, fainting and obstinate skin disorders. Its a fever pacifier and stimulates firmness of muscles and skin. In little doses it will relieve viscus gas and work as a organic tonic. Excess consumption of tikta rasa could consume plasma, blood, muscles, fat, bone marrow and humor which can end in poor sexual drive and performance.
Kashaya Rasa (Astringent):
It pacify pitta and kapha and aggravates vata dosha. It possesses anti-inflammatory drug properties, cools the abdomen, and helps the body to absorb nutrients properly. Tea, asparagus, pomegranate, figs, cauliflower, unripe bananas, pomegranate, chickpeas, yellow split peas, okra, turmeric, alfalfa sprouts and herb are samples of the astringent flavour.
However it will cause constipation, distension, heart spasm and stagnant circulation. It additionally results in depletion of sperm cell and have an adverse effect on the sexual drive.
Summary
Ayurveda encourages the employment of herbs and aromatic spices, that includes healthful substances, to make a balanced mixture of all tastes. Indian thali, that consists of rice, lentils, vegetable dishes, roti, salad, pickle and a sweet dish, is the perfect example of balanced rasa diet.
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