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Principal Elements in Nature

1. A pungent taste influences the action of the lungs, which belong to the mineral element. 2. A sour taste has power to contract the air in the blood and to assist in the functioning of the gall bladder and liver, which belong to the vegetation element. 3. A bitter taste rushes through the system and works especially upon the heart, which belongs to the fire element. 4. A sweet taste belongs to the earth element; anything sweet has a special effect upon the stomach and spleen. 5. A salty taste belongs to the water element. In nature, the water of the ocean is salty. In the human body, the kidneys and their sub-organ, the bladder, belong to the water element. Anything that is salty affects these organs.

In the early dawn of Chinese civilization, the Chinese classified all things in nature under the five principal elements. The five tastes are just as important as the five colors or the five musical tones. If a person understands these five tastes, he can tell approximately how any given food will affect his system. If any food has a deleterious effect upon any part of his system, he can easily abstain from that sort of food.

Some people take too much sour food. In America, lemons are abundant and their use extensive. The sour lemon juice tends to -(10)contract the air in the liver, to coagulate the blood, and to cause the nerves to shrink. Therefore, people who have nervous troubles should not be urged to take sour things similar to lemons.

Of the five tastes, the most destructive to the human system is the bitter (or hot), because it influences the blood passing through the heart.