The Sense of Taste

Jul 05, 2013

By Cherie Carpenter

Part 2 of 5  Our Wonderful Totally Amazing Body                                                                               
By Cherie Carpenter, CLSC, RM, AdvCBP, BAT, CBI
 
The Sense of Taste



Our body is a magnificent ecosystem that carries us throughout our entire lifetime. It helps us experience ourselves and the world around us through our five physical and subtle senses. It is where our boundless and unlimited potential is recognized and registered. Pleasure comes from our sense of smell, sight, touch, and hearing and of course the gratifying sense of taste. 

Striving for nourishment, vitality and enjoyment, our sense of taste is sometimes at the top of the list of our five senses.  So food, in its purest essence, provides sustenance not only with nutrients. The organ of the sense of taste is the tongue.  Close inspection of the tongue's surface shows taste buds, perhaps too small to see with the naked eye. With help from a safe color dye, taste buds may be visible against a light colored background.   

They are composed of bundled groups of columnar epithelial cells. It appears that most taste buds contain cells that host receptors for the basic tastes. In general, the taste buds for "sweet" are on the tip of the tongue; the "salt" taste buds are on either side of the front of the tongue; "sour" taste buds are behind this; and "bitter" taste buds are way in the back.  

Individual "tastes" have medicinal or supportive properties. 

Salty:  All types of seaweed, and some herbs with a high mineral content, such a nettle and plantain, are considered to be salty. This corresponds to the water element, relating to the kidneys, adrenal glands and urinary bladder
Sour:  Raspberries, blackberries, lemons, orange peel, limes, pin cherries, cranberries are sour. This relates to the wood element, corresponding to the liver and gall bladder.
Sweet:  Cinnamon, dates, ginseng, licorice and marshmallow are sweet tastes.  This relates to the earth element, aiding the digestive organs of the stomach and spleen.
Bitter:  Dandelion root, gentian, artichoke leaf, grape root, and goldenseal are bitter. The taste relates to the fire element, supporting the heart and small intestine.
Spicy:  Ginger, garlic, black or cayenne pepper are spicy foods. They correspond to the metal element, which relates to lungs and large intestine.
And lastly Umami a Japanese taste is a more savory flavor. Fish, mushrooms, green tea and sea vegetables are some of these savory foods.

Sometimes, because of an illness like the 'flu' or a cold, our sense of taste can be diminished or totally missing. Or the texture or 'feel' of the food can be off.   Our 'visual' sense is important in the overall 'taste' too.  If we are unable to see what we taste, our taste buds connect differently with the actual individual flavors.  So we eat with our eyes too. 

All five senses support each other to help us experience life through our various lenses.  BodyTalk System's unique workshop 'Principles of Consciousness' gives a deeper understanding of the five physical and subtle senses and how to balance them when they come up as a priority.

Cherie Carpenter, Advanced Certified BodyTalk Practitioner, Certified Access Trainer and BodyTalk Fundamentals Instructor enjoys a successful BodyTalk Practice in Barrie and Orillia.  She teaches BodyTalk Access and BodyTalk Fundamentals and Integrative in Ontario. 
www.bodytalkcentral.com 1-877-884-1767
 


 

Print this Article | Facebook | Twitter

« Back to all news

 
Home Learn More Practitioners Courses Membership Testimonials
Who We Are BodyTalk Find a Practitioner Find a Course Join Today Videos
Get the Newsletter Access Become a Practitioner Founder's Courses Membership at a Glance Foundation
Contact Us Breakthrough Practitioner Levels Beginner's Courses Membership Levels Store
FAQ Mindscape BodyTalk as a Career View All Instructors Membership Prices Media Kit
Privacy Policy News Invest in Yourself Course Listing




Copyright © 2005 - 2024 International BodyTalk Association (IBA) | Legal