The five properties of food and medicine in Ayurveda are called the Rasa Panchaka. One can equate these 5 properties with Ayurveda Pharmacological Principles.
The therapeutic approaches of Ayurveda science not only comprise scientific and practice-based theories for healthy living, but they also encompass holistic ways of healthy regimen.[1]
An Ayurveda Practitioner or doctor keeps these 5 properties in mind while prescribing the medicine or diet to a patient.
1. Rasa (Taste)
2. Guna (Quality)
3. Virya (Potency; cooling or heating)
4. Vipaka (After effects of digestion)
5. Prabhava (special property)
1. Rasa in Ayurveda (Taste)
This is the first thing we notice when we put food in our mouths.
There are six rasas or tastes;
1. Sweet or Madhura
2. Sour or Amla
3. Salty or Lavana
4. Pungent or Katu
5. Bitter or Tikta
6. Astringent or Kashaya
Some foods have more than one taste. For example, garlic has all the tastes except salty.
Celery is both Pungent and Bitter.
Apples are sweet and sour.
2. Guna in Ayurveda (Quality)
Guna is the quality of food, not like fresh or stale. There are 20 types of Guna as per Ayurveda. Each food has more than one guna.
10 pairs of opposite qualities are shown in the image below.
3. Virya in Ayurveda (Potency)
The heating or cooling effect is called Virya or the potency of food/medicine, according to Ayurveda.
There are two types of Potency:
A. Shita Virya (Cooling Potency)
- It has a cooling effect on the body after consuming it.
- It balances Pitta’s heat
- It aggravates Vata’s cool nature and Kapha’s sluggish nature.
B. Usna Virya (Heating Potency)
- Balances Kapha and Vata
- Aggravates Pitta
- Promotes digestion
- Enhances Blood Circulation
Sweet, Bitter, and Astringent tastes have “cooling Virya“. On the other hand, the Sour, Salty, and Pungent taste has “heating Virya“.
4. Vipaka (post-digestive effect)
Vipaka is the long-term impact of food on the body. In other words, Vipaka is a transformed state of indigestion substances after digestion.
Vipaka is the outcome of the digestion and metabolism of a substance, where the biotransformation of rasa
(taste) occurs.[2]
After the taste is exposed to the digestive enzymes, the final taste is called Vipaka. It is of three types.
A. Madhura Vipaka (Sweet Vipaka)
- Sweet Vipaka is anabolic which means it promotes growth and increases kapha dosha.
- It encourages the elimination of urine, feces, and sweat.
- It is helpful in situations of deficiency
- Sweet Vipaka comes from the sweet and salty taste.
- It helps balance vata and increase pitta dosha.
B. Sour Vipaka (Amla Vipaka)
- Foods with sour Vipaka promote secretions such as stomach actions and bile.
- It increases energy and digestion.
- It increases Pitta Dosha.
- Sour-tasting foods create Amla Vipaka.
- It also increases the acidity of urine, faeces, and sweat.
- It’s useful when digestion is poor.
C. Katu Vipaka (Pungent Vipaka)
- This is dry and promotes weight loss.
- It increases water and decreases the output of faeces, urine, and sweat.
- It increases Vata Dosha.
- It is dry and promotes weight loss.
5. Prabhava (Special Effect)
According to Ayurveda, it is a special power of food or a drug. It is hard to explain logically, you can call it the hidden superpower of the food.
The Prabhava can’t be predicted but must be learned from experience.
Example of Prabhava in Ayurveda
Ghee. Ghee is known to reduce fever. Normally, ghee increases the Kapha and nourishes the body. Generally, the foods that increase Kapha dosha also increase the fever.
Example 2 of Prabhava in Ayurveda
Cilantro. It is a great digestive food. Commonly, most digestive foods are hot in potency. But cilantro is cool in potency, making it an exceptional food for treating severe indigestion.
Example 3 of Prabhava in Ayurveda
Honey. Most Sweeteners are cold in potency and cause weight gain. But honey is heating and improves fat metabolism. So for Kapha-dominant people, honey is the perfect sweetener.
Example of Rasa Panchaka in Ayurveda
Let’s understand the practical application of Rasa Panchaka in Ayurveda medicine with an example.
Let’s say, a person has a ‘heat condition‘ characterised by rashes. On examination, we found that the person has an imbalance and irritation in the gut and a bacterial infection.
What will Rasa, Virya, Vipaka, and Prabhava be useful for the person?
The person will need foods with the cooling Virya to calm the hot rash and irritation in the gut. First, the person will need food or medicine to cool Virya.
As we have studied earlier in the blog, foods with Sweet, bitter, and astringent tastes are known for their cooling properties. Potatoes are both sweet and astringent, and they are ideal for cooling. Kale is also suitable as it is bitter.
Overgrowth of bacteria in the gut is a sign of weak digestion. Therefore, the person also needs a digestive. Cilantro is a perfect choice, as it has cooling properties and increases digestion.
Hence, Potato with Kale soup garnished with cilantro is ideal for the person.
This is just one example showing how important it is to know about the Rasa, Guna, Virya, Vipaka, and Prabhava in Ayurveda medicine.
In the Ayurvedic system of medicine, the drug is used as a whole, unlike the modern system of medicine, in which the fractional component or a synthesised molecule is used as a drug.[3]
Conclusion
The Rasa, Guna, Virya, Vipaka, and Prabhava predict the therapeutic qualities of food and medicine. Whether you are an Ayurvedic Practitioner or seeking natural ways to improve your health, blending the knowledge of Rasa Panchaka in your food and medicine will only enhance the vitality and balance in overall health.
Rasa Panchaka is a foundational Ayurvedic concept that classifies every substance by five key attributes—taste (Rasa), qualities (Guna), potency (Veerya), post-digestive effect (Vipaka), and special action (Prabhava)—helping practitioners understand and predict the therapeutic effects of foods and medicines on the body and mind.[4]
Reference
[1] Verma R, Sharma RK, Sharma DC. THE CONCEPT OF RASAPANCHAKA – 5 QUALITIES OF DRAVYA. World Journal of Pharmaceutical Research [Internet]. 2022 Jan 11 [cited 2025 Jul 8];11(1):1-8. Available from: Link to Study.<Go to Citation>
[2] Ranjitha S, Bhat C, Bhat S, Rejukrishnan. An experimental evaluation of Rasa Panchaka (attributes) of the folk medicinal plant Andrographis macrobotrys Nees. Int Ayurvedic Med J [Internet]. 2020 Aug [cited 2025 Jul 8];8(8):1-8. Available from: Link to Study. <Go to Citation>
[3] Vishwakarma SK, Ranjan R, Dubey VS, Chaturvedi US, Singh AK. Experimental Evaluation of Rasapanchak – A Narrative Review. J Med Sci Clin Res [Internet]. 2017 Sep [cited 2025 Jul 8];5(9):27772-7. Available from: Link to Study. <Go to Citation>
[4] Bhat S. DETERMINATION OF RASA PANCHAKA (5 AYURVEDIC PRINCIPLES OF DRUG ACTION) OF A FOLK DRUG – Alstonia venenata R. Br. International Ayurvedic Medical Journal. 2020. Available from: Link to Study. <Go to Citation>
