Volume III · Part I · Chapter 6
Potency, Post-Digestive Effect and Special Action
Foundations of Ayurvedic Living
About 1 min read
Taste is only the first layer. Ayurveda describes three more properties that explain exceptions — why honey is sweet yet reduces Kapha, or why ginger is pungent yet does not aggravate Pitta as much as chilli.
| Property | Meaning | Types | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virya (potency) | The heating or cooling energy a food releases | Ushna (heating), shita (cooling) | Heating: ginger, sesame, mustard, curd, jaggery. Cooling: milk, ghee, coconut, fennel, coriander |
| Vipaka (post-digestive effect) | The effect after digestion, mainly on elimination and tissues | Madhura (from sweet and salty), amla (from sour), katu (from pungent, bitter, astringent) | Ginger: pungent taste but sweet vipaka — gentler than chilli. Rice: sweet vipaka — nourishing |
| Prabhava (special action) | An effect that cannot be explained by the other properties | Unique to the substance | Honey reduces Kapha despite its sweet taste; ghee cools yet kindles agni |
| Food | Rasa | Virya | Vipaka | Net effect |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ghee | Sweet | Cooling | Sweet | Pacifies Vata and Pitta; kindles agni (prabhava) |
| Honey | Sweet, astringent | Cooling | Pungent | Reduces Kapha; never heated |
| Curd | Sour | Heating | Sour | Pacifies Vata; aggravates Pitta and Kapha |
| Buttermilk | Astringent, sour | Heating (mild) | Sweet | Digestive; balances Kapha and Vata |
| Fresh ginger | Pungent | Heating | Sweet | Kindles agni; pacifies Vata and Kapha |
| Turmeric | Bitter, pungent | Heating | Pungent | Balances all three in culinary amounts |
| Amla | Five tastes (mainly sour) | Cooling | Sweet | Pacifies all three — the great rasayana |
| Moong | Sweet, astringent | Cooling | Pungent | Light; balances all three when cooked with ghee |
| Jaggery (old) | Sweet | Heating | Sweet | Warming sweetness for winter |
| Rock salt | Salty | Cooling (mild) | Sweet | The best salt in Ayurveda; less heating than sea salt |