Pungent Taste

The pungent taste is one of dry heat and can be found in spicy foods and many herbs and spices. It is usually
created by the presence of aromatic volatile oils, resins, and mustard glycosides that stimulate the tissues and nerve
endings of the mouth with a sensation of heat. 1

The Pungent Taste At A Glance

Balances:

kapha

Aggravates:

pitta and vata

Primary Elements:

fire and air

Virya (temperature):

heating (the hottest of the heating tastes)

Vipaka (post-digestive effect): pungent

Gunas (associated qualities):

hot, dry, light, sharp (penetrating), aromatic

Associated Positive Emotions:

enthusiasm, excitement, curiosity, clarity, vitality, vigor,

concentration, and expansiveness

Emotions of Excess:

irritability, aggressiveness, anger, rage, competitiveness,

envy

Location on the Tongue:

central region of the tongue

Affinity for Organs:

stomach, heart

Most Affected Tissues:

blood and reproductive tissues

Direction of Movement:

upward, lightening (activates udana vayu)

Additional Actions:

blood-thinning, antispasmodic, antiparasitic, anthelminitic

(deworming), carminative, diaphoretic, vasodilator

Dr. Vasant Lad2

Examples Substances that Illustrate the Pungent Taste

Vegetables

chilies, garlic, leeks, onions, kohlrabi, mustard greens,

radishes, turnips, raw spinach

Grains

buckwheat, spelt

Nuts & Seeds

mustard seeds

Spices

most spices, especially black pepper, cardamom, cayenne,

cloves, ginger, hing, mustard seeds, and paprika

Benefits
The pungent taste warms the body, cleanses the mouth, clarifies the sense organs, enhances other flavors, kindles
the digestive fire, and improves digestion, absorption, and elimination. 2 The pungent taste is critically important to
balancing excess kapha because it is able to heat, dry and eliminate kapha from the body, eliminating ama and
mucus, claring the sinuses, breaking up clots, and supporting the elimination of excess fat. 2 The pungent taste is
stimulating, invigorating, penetrating, and it effectively clears moisture, stagnation, and congestion. 1 It also
increases circulation, encourages sweating, eliminates itching, clears toxins, cleanses the blood and the muscles,
reduces cholesterol, opens the internal channels, and clears blockages. 2

In Excess
While the warming nature of the pungent taste is initially good for vata, its longer term effects are extremely
drying and therefore generally aggravating to vata and can lead to giddiness, tremors, insomnia, and muscle
pain.2 Excess pungent taste can kill sperm and ova and can lead to sexual debility in both men and women. 2 It can
also cause burning, choking, dizziness, fainting, hiccups, skin conditions, bleeding, inflammation, excess thirst,
fatigue, nausea, heartburn, peptic ulcers, diarrhea, constipation, and colitis. 1, 2 Excesses in the pungent taste can also
be carcinogenic and can cause mental confusion, malaise, depression, emaciation, and debility. 2

Contraindications
The pungent taste can exacerbate the situation if there is excess heat, excess acidity, or a deficiency in the
reproductive system (shukra dhatu).1

Exceptions
Though predominantly pungent in taste, ginger and cooked garlic do not tend to aggravate vata; in fact, they
support vata because they improve digestion and help to eliminate intestinal gas. 1Similarly, cloves, coriander,
cumin, and fennel though pungent tasting herbs do not tend to aggravate pitta when used in moderation. 1

References
1

Pole, Sebastian. Ayurvedic Medicine: The Principles of Traditional Practice. London: Churchill Livingston, 2006. Print. 64-65.

Lad, Vasant. Textbook of Ayurveda Vol I: Fundamental Principles of Ayurveda. Albuquerque: The Ayurvedic Press, 2002. Print. 241-242, 246-247.

Lad, Usha and Dr. Vasant Lad. Ayurvedic Cooking for Self-Healing. 2nd ed. Albuquerque: The Ayurvedic Press, 2006. Print. 232-238.