Rasa Panchak
Ayurveda is a unique science, which has an equally unique understanding of digestion and nutrition. One can interpret digestion and the concept of rasa panchak by simply understanding what effect/impact food has on the body.
Ayurveda helps one decode the compatibility concept of food with the body as one tastes it, swallows it after chewing, digests it and then eliminates it. And this concept is explained in terms of the rasa panchak. One can become the master of his/her own health with the knowledge of rasa panchak and its applicability.
So what is Rasa Panchak?
Rasa Panchak means the five factors of dravya (substance) which contribute to the experience of that substance:
RASA, GUNA, VIRYA, VIPAKA, PRABHAV
- Rasa indicates taste or the first sensation/experience of the substance
- Guna means attribute or basic nature of substance
- Virya is related with action/potency
- Vipaka indicates biotransformation or metabolite of substance
- Prabhava refers unexplained action or specific action regardless of rasa, guna and virya
Put chilli in your mouth, the sensation that you get on your tongue is the rasa/taste. The hot feeling that one gets after eating a chilli is due to its Guna/quality. The hot temperature sensation that you get as soon as it enters the stomach is the Virya/potency. The after effect i.e. a burning sensation that one gets in the stools is the Vipaka/biotransformation.
Rasa
Rasa means taste. It is the particular sense object perceived by the tongue.
Just like the first impression one gets of a person, place or object, rasa is the first impression of a substance, one gets when placed on the tongue.
These tastes get differentiated into six basic types – sweet (madhura), sour (amla) salty (lavana), pungent (katu), bitter (tikta) and astringent (kashaya).
| Taste | Element | Effect on Dosha | Season related dominance | Examples |
| Sweet | Earth + Water | V ↓ P ↓ K ↑ | Hemanta (early winter) | Honey, dates, maple syrup, rice, milk, figs, peaches, pears |
| Sour | Earth + Fire | V ↓ P ↑ K ↑ | Sharad (Autumn) | Lemon, sour cream, vinegar |
| Salty | Water + Fire | V ↓ P ↑ K ↑ | Varsha (Rainy Season) | Sea salt, rock salt, tamari |
| Pungent | Air + Fire | V ↑ P ↑ K ↓ | Greeshma (Summer) | Chillies, garlic, ginger, buckwheat |
| Bitter | Air + Space | V ↑ P ↓ K ↓ | Shishira (Winter) | Fenugreek, turmeric, kale |
| Astringent | Air + Earth | V ↑ P ↓ K ↓ | Vasanta (Spring) | Pomegranate, broccoli, brussel sprouts, chicken, caraway |
Guna
Can you recall discussing about a person’s character or quality, which they carry naturally / innately? Though the same qualities may be present in others as well but this one person has his own set of those traits which defines him.
Similarly traits, qualities or attributes when taken in context of a substance is called Guna in Ayurveda.
All elements of creation and different substances made up of these elements have certain attributes or qualities, which are categorized into ten antagonistic pairs. Though they are opposite, yet they work in tandem.
Can you recall discussing about a person’s character or quality, which they carry naturally / innately? Though the same qualities may be present in others as well but this one person has his own set of those traits which defines him.
Similarly traits, qualities or attributes when taken in context of a substance is called Guna in Ayurveda.
All elements of creation and different substances made up of these elements have certain attributes or qualities, which are categorized into ten antagonistic pairs. Though they are opposite, yet they work in tandem.
Can you recall discussing about a person’s character or quality, which they carry naturally / innately? Though the same qualities may be present in others as well but this one person has his own set of those traits which defines him.
Similarly traits, qualities or attributes when taken in context of a substance is called Guna in Ayurveda.
All elements of creation and different substances made up of these elements have certain attributes or qualities, which are categorized into ten antagonistic pairs. Though they are opposite, yet they work in tandem.
Basic qualities that apply to a substance:
| Quality | Example | Antagonistic Quality | Example |
| Guru (Heavy) | Meat, cheese | Laghu (Light) | Popcorn, rice |
| Snigdha (Unctuous/Oily) | Avocado, olive oil, coconut oil | Ruksha (Dry) | Rye, millet |
| Sthira (Stable) | Ghee | Cala (Mobile) | Popcorn, alcohol |
| Slakshana (Slimy) | Okra, aloe vera | Khara (Rough) | Flour of roasted grains, pulses, beans |
| Sthula (Gross) | Curd,cheese | Sukshma (Subtle) | Alcohol |
| Hima (Cold) | Ice cream | Ushna (Hot) | Chillies, hot peppers |
| Manda (Slow) | Yogurt, meat | Tikshna (Sharp) | Garlic, onion |
| Mrdu (Soft) | Coconut cream | Kathina (Hard) | Coconut |
| Sandra (Dense) | Biscuits,meat | Drava (Liquid) | Honey |
| Picchila (Sticky) /Avila (Cloudy) | Dairy products | Vishada (Clear) | Cooked rice |
Virya/ Heating or Cooling energy
Virya is the potential energy of a substance which can either be hot or cold.
When a substance is placed on the tongue the first experience is the taste. After chewing and swallowing the same substance passes through the stomach, small intestine and large intestine. While passing through these organs these substances create different tastes and temperature sensations.
So, when a substance upon swallowing enters the stomach, the hot or cold sensation that is felt immediately or later is called Virya.
| Ushna Virya – Hot potency | Ginger, Tulsi, Cinnamon, Honey |
| Sheeta Virya – Cold potency | Fennel, Mint, Amla, Sandalwood |
VIPAK / Post digestive effect
The final post-digestive effect of taste is called Vipak.
Vipak is the change in the taste of a substance at the end of digestion. The substance after getting digested exhibits its effects on urine, faeces and sweat and that’s what Vipak is.
| Ras | Vipak | Example |
| Sweet | Sweet | Sweet potatoes |
| Sour | Sour | Lemon |
| Salty | Sweet | French fries |
| Pungent | Pungent | Ginger |
| Bitter | Pungent | Neem |
| Astringent | Pungent | Celery |
To summarize, the first subjective experience of a substance on the tongue is rasa; a short time later, heating or cooling sensation that is felt is Virya. Finally the substance has an action on urine, faces and sweat called Vipak.
Prabhav
When two substances exhibit similar taste, qualities, energy and post digestive effect but still have an entirely different action than expected it is called Prabhav. Prabhav is the unexplained action or exception to the rule.
Example: Honey is sweet in taste and also Vipak . Sweet tastes generally have a cold potency and also tend to increase weight. However, honey has hot potency and it improves fat metabolism. This unexplained action of honey against all the rules is Prabhav.
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