[Health&Healing] Plant Medicines Based on Their Flavors

[Guest guest]

Yep, unfortunately that really bitter herb helps your liver by the

very fact that it is bitter... So no sugar to help that medicine go

down please...

Comments?

Misty L. Trepke

http://www..com

 

Plant medicines based on their flavors

 

 

Many traditions categorize plant medicines based on their flavors.

Flavors are a great way to understand plants because they relate to

the chemical composition of the plants, and therefore the actions of

those plants. The Chinese have a 5-flavor system, while the Ayurvedic

tradition honors 6 flavors. Native Americans also had flavor

categories for plants, as did the ancient Greeks and other lost

western traditions. Not every herb fits neatly into these

categories, and some herbs have more than one flavor, but this is a

great start to understanding plant chemistry. There can be many

subdivisions and nuances in flavor, but here's just a basic

description of some of the flavors of plants, from a multi-ethnic

perspective.

 

PUNGENT: Also called " acrid " or " spicy, " herbs with this flavor are

warm or hot and drying in energy. Pungent plants usually contain

volatile oils. Many of our favorite essential oils come from pungent

plants. They are excellent digestive herbs ( " carminatives " ) and

blood purifiers and they move poor circulation and dispel conditions

of cold and mucus. They often move energy from the inside of the

body to the outside of the body ( " diaphoretic " ), opening the pores

and allowing sweating to occur. They are relaxing and also possess

antimicrobial activity. They have a direct effect on the lungs and

the colon. Great bunch of plants for " cold " colds without fevers!

Think of herbs in the mint family (marjoram, rosemary, thyme,

lavendar, mints), ginger, herbs in the Apiaceae family

(angelica/dong quai, fennel, coriander, cumin, dill, anise), prickly

ash, cayenne, black pepper, garlic.

 

SWEET: The sweet flavored herbs are warm-to-neutral and moist in

nature. This kind of sweetness is the full flavor of complex

carbohydrates and other macronutrients, not the empty sweetness of

pure sugars (which are cooling in nature). These herbs/foods tend to

build, harmonize, strengthen, tonify, and nourish the body,

especially for those with a lack of energy or weak blood. They have

an inward and consolidating action. These plants actually form the

bulk of most diets around the world (e.g., grains, beans). It is now

believed that the polysaccharides (long-chain carbohydrates) in

mildly sweet herbs and foods are the reason for their long-term

nourishing and immunostimulant effects. In excess, however, sweet

(esp. empty sweets) can cause congestion and lethargy and dampen

(quell) the digestive fires. Examples of sweet herbs include

ginseng, jujube dates, cinnamon, licorice, astragalus. (While

classified as a bitter herb, echinacea also contains these

immunostimulating polysaccharides.)

 

SOUR: The understanding of sour herbs is divided among different

traditions. Some of the sour herbs are warming and moistening. This

warming group tends to gain its flavors through the presence of

organic acids and bioflavonoids. These foods cleanse the body of

toxins and promote digestion. Some are cardiac tonics. They

stimulate digestion by directly affecting the liver and galbladder.

Sour herbs are high in vitamins (e.g., Vitamin C = ascorbic acid).

Examples of these warming sour herbs/foods include citrus, berries

(blackberries, cranberries, strawberries, etc.), plums, peaches,

pineapple, hibiscus ( " red zinger " ), rose hips, hawthorn berry,

vinegar.

 

ASTRINGENT: Astringent herbs (also called " sour " by the Chinese) are

typically cooling and drying and condensing. They gain their flavor

from the presence of chemical constitutents called tannins. These

herbs are most useful for tissue contraction and fluid absorption,

such as in stopping excess perspiration, loss of fluids, diarrhea,

or excess mucus secretion or bleeding. They are especially tonifying

to the mucous membranes of the digestive tract, urinary tract,

uterus, and kidneys. In excess, astringent herbs can actually harm

digestion by coating the mucus linings of the digestive tract, just

as tannins act to toughen the flesh when tanning hides. Examples

include blackberry leaf, raspberry leaf, strawberry leaf,

schizandra, black walnut hulls.

 

BITTER: The bitter herbs are generally cooling and drying in nature.

The bitter flavor comes from chemical components such as alkaloids

and glycosides. Bitter herbs are detoxifying, anti-inflammatory,

antibacterial, and antiviral in action. They stimulate the secretion

of bile, which stimulates the digestion and normal bowel

elimination. They also help clear the blood of cholesterol. This

taste stengthens the hearts and small intestines and cleanses the

blood. Bitter is America's least favorite flavor, with the notable

exception of coffee, with its stimlulating alkaloid, caffeine.

Bitter to excess can cause too much cooling and drying. If bitter

herbs are being used for more long-term digestive treatment, they

often are balanced with warming " carminative " pungent herbs.

Examples include dandelion, gentian, turmeric, any of the

berberine-containing plants (goldenseal, barberry, etc.)

 

SALTY: The salty taste is generally cold in energy. It stabilizes

and regulates fluid balance and also has a softening effect, such as

on hardened lymph nodes, tight muscles, constipation, or tumors.

Salty herbs have an effect on the kidneys, adrenals, and bladder and

they can improve elimination and bowel action. Salty herbs also help

control gas and coughs. A craving for salt is often a sign of

adrenal exhaustion. In excess, plain salt can be irritating and

heating to the body, causing water retention and high blood

pressure. Herbs high in mineral salts, however, will not cause these

complications. Examples include nettles, plantain, seaweeds

(considered warming in some traditions).