Food Cravings – Traditional Chinese Medicine Five Element Perspective of Five Flavors
“Behind the flavors we most crave lies what we most need”.
- Earth: A craving for sweets (earth-spleen energy – may reflect physical or emotional deficits, such as a lack of protein, reassurance , love, centeredness, carbohydrates, sense of self, mother’s affection, security, satisfaction, feeling connected).
- Metal: A craving for spices (metal-lungs-large intestine, i.e., the organs of letting go, moving on, needing a new experience, clearing congestion out of one’s life).
- Water: A craving for salt (kidneys-adrenals-bladder, the element of storage and reserve, the need to retain moisture to keep our bodily tissues soft and youthful, willpower, focus, tolerance, endurance, the need for minerals, drive, motivation, hormonal reserve, determination, libido).
- Wood: A craving for sour flavors (wood-liver-gallbladder, the element of regulation and control). Sourness astringes, helps to retain essence engenders greater courage, prevents us form losing too much of ourselves to others.
- Fire: A craving for bitterness (fire-heart-small intestine; allied to the emotion of joy). Related to the small intestine, separates the pure from the impure. The heart represents the mind and thoughts. Purity of our mind and thoughts can enhance our ability to more deeply love another, freeing our heart of unneccessary obstacles as the bitter taste clears obstruction from our circulatory system.
The Way of Chinese Herbs by Tierra, Michael pages 84-86
Properties and Energies of Five Tastes
Chinese Tastes – slide 12
| Taste | Energy (Temperature) | Organ Networks Affected | Properties | Comments | |
| Pungent | Hot | Lung Large Intestine | Increase digestion, circulation, perspiration, saliva |
For surface conditions |
|
| Salty | Cold | Kidney Adrenal Bladder |
Stabilizes fluid balance, softens lymph nodes, constipation, lumps, tight muscles, cysts |
||
| Sour | Cold, Dry | Liver Gallbladder |
Dries mucus, tightens tissue (astringent), stimulates digestion/ bile |
Ayurveda has separate taste- “astringent†|
|
| Bitter | Cold, Dry | Heart Small Intestine |
Increase digestion, circulation, perspiration, saliva |
Drying, detoxifying, anti-inflammatory, promotes bile, digestion, bowel movement |
|
| Sweet | Cold | Spleen Stomach |
Build, harmonize, tonify, nourish | ||
Directions
Upward (often pungent, sweet, bitter)
| Apricot | Beet | Black sesame | Cabbage |
| Carrot | Celery | Citrus (Orange) peel | Fig |
| Grape | Honey | Kidney bean | Kohlrabi |
| Licorice | Lotus seed | Milk | Olive |
| Peanut | Pineapple | Plum | Pumpkin |
| Shiitake | Green bean | Sunflower seed |
Downward (often cold, sweet, sour)
| Kaki (persimmon calyx) – add clove to increase effect |
Citrus (Orange, tangerine) – fruit and peel- add ginger or cardamom to increase effect |
||
| Apple | Banana | Barley | Tofu |
| Cucumber | Eggplant | Hawthorn berry | Lettuce |
| Mango | Mung bean | Cantalope | Spinach |
| Strawberry | Watermelon | ||
Inward (often cold, bitter, salty)
| Banana | Bitter melon | Hops |
| Kelp | Lettuce | Seaweed |
Outward (often pungent, sweet)
| Peppermint | Black pepper | Cinnamon |
| Ginger | Chilies |