five flavors

five flavors,

n in the dietary component of Chinese medicine, the five basic tastes into which foods are divided, each of which has different physiologic actions. Sour has astringent effects, retaining and generating fluids; bitter flavored foods are purgative, drying the body; sweet tastes replenish and strengthen, harmonize the stomach and spleen, and are generally tonic; pungent flavors eliminate toxins and alleviate stagnation by supporting movement of qi; and salty tastes soften congestions and tissue masses. The goal of Chinese dietary medicine is to achieve balance among these five tastes. See also qi.