Doctor Bon

Sweet taste

1. Mitigates pitta and vata
2. Produces greater strength in the tissues
3. Valuable for the aged, wounded, emaciated and children
4. University liked, often adhered to the inside of the mouth, and comfort
5. Good pleasure, contentment, and comfort
6. Good for complexion, hair senses, ojas
7. Increase breast milk
8. Unties broken parts such as bones
9. Prolongs life and helps life activities
10. Excess use may produce diseases arising from fat and excess kapha, e.g. obesity, dyspepsia, unconsciousness, diabetes, enlargement of neck glands, or malignant tumors.

Sour taste

1. Increases pitta and kapha
2. Simulates Agni
3. Good for heart and digestion
4. Encourages inactive vata energy in the pelvic cavity to move downward, aiding elimination
5. Sets teeth on edge, increases salivation
6. Excess use may cause looseness or flabbiness, loss of strength, giddiness, itching, irritation, a whitish yellow pallor, herpetiform lesions, swelling, thirst, fever, and diseases arising from excess pitta or kapha

Salt taste

1. Increases pitta and kapha
2. Clears obstructions of the channels and pores
3. Increase digestive activity and salivation
4. Lubricates and causes sweating
5. Penetrates the tissues
6. Improves taste
7. Excess use may cause baldness, graying of the hair, wrinkles, thirst, skin diseases blood disorders, herpetiform lesions, loss of body strength

Pungent taste

1. Increases vata and pitta, mitigates kapha
2. Increases hunger, is digestive, and improves taste
3. Causes irritation, brings secretions from the eyes, nose, mouth, and gives burning feelings in the mouth
4. Pungent foods include onion, garlic, and chilies
5. Dries up the moisture of food
6. Breaks up hard masses, dilates the channels
7. Excess use may cause thirst, depletion of reproductive tissue and strength, fainting, contracture, tremors, pain in the waist and back, and other disorders
8. Due to excess vata or pitta

Bitter taste

1. Mitigates pitta and kapha
2. Not liked by itself
3. Dries up moisture from fat, muscles, feces, urine
4. Cleans the mouth, destroy taste perception
5. Bitter herbs and spices include fenugreek seeds
6. Said to cure anorexia, worms, bacteria, parasites, thirst, skin diseases, loss of consciousness, fever, nausea, burning sensations
7. Excess use increases vata, causing diseases of vata origin and depletion of the tissues

Astringent taste

1. Increases vata
2. Mitigates increased pitta and kapha
3. Cleans the blood
4. Cause healing of ulcers
5. Dried up moisture and fat
6. Absorbs water, causing constipation and dryness
7. Hinders digestions of undigested food
8. Diminishes taste perception and causes a choking sensation
9. Astringent foods include unripe bananas, pomegranates, and chick peas
10. Excess use causes stases of food without digestion, flatulence, pain in the cardiac region, emaciation, loss of virility. Obstruction of channels, and constipation