Sweet-tasting herbs

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Herbs used in TCM are classified according to taste. The 5 tastes are sweet,

sour, salty, bitter, and spicy. Some authorities also use bland and astringent.

 

Herbs with the same taste will tend to have similar properties. For example,

herbs with a spicy (pungent or acrid) taste will tend to have heating energy and

a drying and dispersing effect. They tend to get Blood and Qi moving. They can

be great for treating Stagnation of Dampness and Cold disorders. They can

aggravate Heat and Dryness conditions.

 

Herbs with a sweet taste tend to be moistening in their nature and be heavy.

Sweetness nourishes the Qi and Blood, but too much sweetness can cause Dampness

in the body. Some of the symptoms of Dampness are edema, puffiness, feeling

heavy (especially in the lower body), watery stools, and skin disorders

characterized by " weeping " , wet sores. Arthritis can be a Dampness disorder. The

arthritic pain associated with Dampness tends to stay in one place in the body

(unlike that associated with Wind which tends to move around). Phlegm is

Dampness that congeals.

 

Because of the moistening characteristic of sweet herbs, they tend to be great

for treating Interior Deficiency Dryness and Yin Deficiency conditions.

 

The sweet taste also tends to have a slight cooling effect which also makes it

good for Yin Deficiency conditions. (Too little Yin results in heating and

dryness.)

 

The taste corresponding to properties of a herb is a general tendency. It is not

100%. There are exceptions.

 

Also, keep in mind that many herbs and foods have more than one taste. For

example, honey is sweet but it also has a spicy taste. Because of that spicy

taste, honey is more warming in energy than other sweetners.

 

Most foods do have sweet taste, if not alone then in combination with other

tastes. For example, apples contain both sweet and sour. Celery contains both

sweet and bitter. Radishes have both sweet and pungent. (Think of how radishes

tend to have a spicy taste.) Meats generally are classified as pure sweetness.

(There are exceptions.)

 

One of the reasons why good cooks from around the world tend to use spices and

herbs in cooking is that they provide balance to dishes. By themselves

sweet-tasting foods tend to promote Dampness, Stagnation, and even Phlegm. Spicy

and bitter-tasting spices and herbs tend to have a drying effect. By adding

spicy and bitter herbs to dishes you cut down on the tendency of the sweet taste

in the foods to trigger Dampness, Stagnation, and Phlegm.

 

Note: Dairy foods can be particularly hard on people prone to mucus (Phlegm).

 

Victoria

 

 

 

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