Tastes and seasons

Table 16

TASTES OF THE SEASONS

Northerly Phase (Winter Solstice to Summer Solstice)
Season	Dry Tastes	Element Composition	Dosha
Late Winter	Bitter	Air and space	Vata
Spring	Astringent	Air and earth	Vata & Kapha
Summer	Pungent	Air and fire	Vata & Pitta
Note: the dry tastes are created by the progressive northward movement of the sun
Southerly Phase (Summer Solstice to Winter Solstice)
Season	Dry Tastes	Element Composition	Dosha
Rainy Season (early fall)	Sour	Earth and fire	Pitta and Kapha
Autumn	Salty	Water and fire	Pitta
Early Winter	Sweet	Water and earth	Kapha
Note: the moist tastes are created by the progressive southward movement of the sun

Beneficial Tastes According to Doshas

Vata : sweet, sour, salty

Pitta : Sweet, bitter, astringent

Kapha: pungent, bitter, astringent

Table 17

SEASONAL TASTE ADJUSTMENTS

	VATA	PITTA	KAPHA
LATE WINTER	Major: sour, salty, unctuous	Major: sweet, sour, salty, warm, unctuous	Major: sour,* astringent, pungent, warm, moderate unctuous
LATE WINTER	Minor: sweet	Minor: bitter, astringent, cool, light	Minor: bitter, salty, dry
SPRING	Major: sweet, salty, warm, moderate unctuous, alkaline	Major: sweet, bitter pungent*, warm	Major: pungent, moderate astringent, alkaline, ward, dry
SPRING	Minor: sour, pungent	Minor: astringent, cool, alkaline	Minor: bitter, salty
SUMMER	Major: sweet, sour, warm, moderate unctuous	Major: sweet, bitter, cool, moderate unctuous	Major: bitter, astringent, moderate sweet, warm, dry
SUMMER	Minor: bitter, salty, cool, light	Minor: astringent, light	Minor: pungent, cool
RAINY SEASON (early fall)	Major: sweet, moderate bitter,* salty, moderate unctuous, warm	Major: bitter, astringent, moderate salty, moderate sweet, warm, moderate unctuous	Major: bitter, astringent, pungent, warm, light
Temperate Climates	Minor: sour	Minor: pungent, cool	Minor: salty, sour, dry
		Major: sweet, bitter, salty,* warm, moderate unctuous
Tropical and Semitropical	Major: sweet, salty, moderate unctuous, warm	Minor: astringent, pungent	Major: moderate salty,* pungent, bitter, warm, moderate unctuous.
Climates	Minor: bitter, pungent		Minor: astringent, dry
AUTUMN	Major: sweet, sour, warm, light	Major: sweet, bitter, astringent, cool, light	Major: bitter, astringent, moderate sweet, warm, light
AUTUMN	Minor: salty, astringent	Minor: pungent	Major: bitter, astringent, moderate sweet, warm, light
EARLY WINTER	Major: salty, bitter,* moderate sour, warm unctuous	Major: bitter, astringent, moderate pungent,* warm, moderate unctuous	Major: pungent, astringent, bitter, warm, moderate unctuous
EARLY WINTER	Minor: pungent, sweet	Minor: sweet	Minor : salty

*Vata types: If strong tendency to Vata disorders, use bitter as minor tastes and increase the use of sweet and salty tastes during the seasons indicated.

*Pitta types: If strong tendency to Pitta disorders, use sour, pungent and salty as minor tastes and increase the use of bitter, astringent and sweet tastes during the seasons indicated.

*Kapha types : If strong tendency to Kapha disorders, use sweet,sour and salty as minor tastes and increase the use of pungent, bitter and astringent tastes during the seasons indicated.

[ vata, pitta & kapha disorders can be seen in the charts mentioning increase in the respective doshas in DOSHIC IMBALANCES ]

Table 18

SEASONAL DO’S AND DON’TS

Climates	DO	DON’T
Late Winter	Sour, salty, moderate sweet, unctuous, substantial quantity of food	Excess sweet, pungent, bitter, dry, cold, raw foods
SPRING	Pungent, astringent, moderate sweet, moderate salty, warm, moderate quantity of food	Sour, excess sweet, bitter, too many fluids, cold
Summer	Sweet, bitter, astringent, cool, moderate unctuous,	Salty, sour, pungent, hot, insufficiency of fluids
Summer	sufficient fluid	Salty, sour, pungent, hot, insufficiency of fluids
Rainy Season (early fall) Temperate	Sweet, moderate sour, moderate salty, warmfood,	Pungent, bitter, astringent, light, cold food. excess unctuous
Troplcal and Semitropical Climates	Sour, salty, unctuous, moderate sweet, moderate unctuous, warm	Pungent, bitter, astringent, excess sweet, cold, dry
Autumn	Sweet, bitter, astringent, cool, light, non-oily	Sour, salty, pungent, hot, oily, excess food, heavy foods
Early Winter	Salty, bitter, astringent, moderate sour, warm, moderate unctuous,	Sweet, excess sour, excess cold, dry, excess food, raw foods
Early Winter	Moderate quantity

The “Seasonal Don’ts” may be used occasionally as a minor taste. See previous chart.