No, I don’t mean that kind of flavor.
I’m talking about the five fundamental flavors of Classical Chinese Medicine.
Sweet, Sour, Bitter, Pungent, and Salty.
Did you know the flavors you crave may be your body telling you something? I’ll explain.
There are 5 major organ systems that encompass all aspects of body, mind, and spirit.
Each organ system is closely correlated to one of the five fundamental flavors.
Your organs try to balance themselves primarily through your diet.
When an organ is deficient or unbalanced, the body can tell you what organ may be impaired through cravings for a particular taste.
Have you been craving any particular foods lately?
Maybe it’s been…
1. Staring down the sweets.
The Spleen is an organ dominating digestion, including functions of transformation, transportation, and absorption of nutrients from food.
If you crave sweets, you may need to tonify your Spleen Qi and digestive energy, as that is the function of the sweet flavor.
2. Salty goodness.
Craving salty foods can often point to a kidney deficiency.
If there is excess water in the body due to deficiency of the Kidneys, the salty taste can strengthen kidney meridian.
3. More garlic please.
If you have recurring colds, dry cough, or sorrows you are unable to let go of, your Lung meridian may be weak.
Craving Pungent (Acrid) foods can also point to this.
Pungent foods open channels and disperse Qi through the body.
4. Citrus caught your senses?
Feeling that sour tingle at the back of your tongue? It may be your Liver.
The Liver is an important organ dominating the emotions and the free flow of Qi (energy).
If the Liver experiences patterns of Qi stagnation or heat, the body can experience a lot of emotional symptoms. Being easily angered, irritated, and emotional are examples of that.
5. Can’t live without my dark chocolate…
If you have trouble sleeping, worry, anxious feelings, or dream excessively your heart Yin may be weak.
You may also crave bitter foods. Dark chocolate anyone?
Bitter foods help by draining excess, descending excess, and drying dampness to form Yin.
We all have cravings every once in a while.
And there’s no harm in indulging every now and then, but it’s important to maintain balance.
Are you nourishing Yin as we enter Autumn?
In Autumn you should alter your diet to nourish Yin and support the production of body fluids.
We should move away from the cold, raw Summer foods and replace them with warm, cooked foods such as porridge, soups, steamed vegetables, and poached fruit.
Increasing fluid intake is also important, and reducing pungent foods such as onions and garlic can help as well.
Symptoms Depend On The Organ Affected
Being Yin deficient in any one of the five Organ systems can present with unique symptoms.
If you look at your tongue, is it lacking a coating?
Does it have any cracks on it?
These are often some of the early signs of Yin deficiency.
More general symptoms can include night-sweats, dryness throughout the body such as a dry throat, dry cough, dry lips, dry eyes, dry mouth, and constant thirst for small sips of your drink.
If not taken care of, Yin deficiency can lead to a build up of empty heat.
When too much empty heat accumulates, you may experience:
- Feelings of being too warm (which get worse in the evening)
- 5-Palm heat (heat in the palms, chest, and soles of feet)
- Flushed cheeks
- Low grade fever
- Red or swollen tongue
A Fruit of all Five Flavors
A few tonic herbs exist that are known to contain ALL five flavors.
Giving them the powerful ability to tonify each of the five organ systems – at once.
One berry in particular was eaten regularly by royalty in China.
Renowned for its ability to nurture beautiful skin, support brain and memory functions, calm the Shen, and soothe the Heart.
Here are the channels the five flavors of Schisandra affect:
- Sweet enters the Spleen
- Sourness enters the Liver
- Saltiness enters the Kidneys
- Bitter enters the Heart
- Pungent enters the Lungs
A Little Extra Help, If You Need It!
The power of the Schisandra berry to enter the meridians of all five major organ systems has secured its place as one of the top tonic herbs in Classical Chinese Medicine.
In addition, the astringent quality of Schisandra supports the body’s ability to retain fluids…
But sometimes, a little extra is needed.
If you’ve been feeling particularly dry this Autumn, I’ve put together a special bundle just for you!
It’s called the Autumn Skin Support Combo.
With it you get THREE powerful tonics for nourishing healthy, hydrated skin.
Make sure your skin gets the care it deserves!
To an Autumn free of dryness,
The Jing Herbs Team
