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A substance that creates tastelessness in mouth and has a cleansing effect on mouth, throat etc is said to be bitter in taste. It is exactly opposite to that of substance sweet taste and is itself against the general liking of majority of people.

Common substances that are bitter in taste are: Bitter gourd, serpent gourd, neem, turmeric, sandalwood etc.

Properties:

  1. It is cold in nature.
  2. It is most light to digest as compared to others.
  3. It is also very dry in nature and because of its minute quality, is able to penetrate smallest part of the body.

Functions:

  1. Though itself being against the liking of normal taste, it helps to improve mouth taste and helps to improve the sensation of taste by reducing the excess secretions over tongue because of its dryness.
  2. Due to its cleansing action in mouth, herbal stick or powder bitter in taste is indicated for brushing teeth and mouthwash. For example- Herbal stick of neem tree is used.
  3. It also helps to increase digestive fire being very light in nature and is very much useful in case of fever when sour and spicy drugs hot in nature cannot be used to improve digestion. It also increases digestion by drying up excess water content in stomach.
  4. Water prepared by addition of such substances is very light in nature and helps to improve digestion. It also helps to control excessive thirst being cold in nature.
  5. It also helps in controlling worm infestation due to excess intake of sweets. It reduces excess water content in stomach ideal for growth of worms and there by prevent growth of it.
  6. It also reduces itching sensation and is useful in various skin diseases especially in wet eczema as it reduces excess watery secretions in it.
  7. Use of drugs bitter in taste is indicated in bleeding piles to stop bleeding being cold in nature and also helps to improve digestive fire.
  8. Due to its cold nature, it has a cooling effect on blood and reduce burning sensation in body. It is therefore useful to control loss of consciousness due to excess heat.
  9. Due to its dry nature, it has a cleansing effect on breast milk reducing its viscosity.
  10. Reducing the stickiness of mucous in throat, cleansing action of it improves voice quality.
  11. Being light and dry in nature as well as exactly opposite to that of sweet, it is useful in diabetes mellitus and helps to maintain blood sugar level within limit. For example- Use of bitter gourd, neem etc is useful for same.

Overuse of it will lead to:

  1. Debility: Excess of it reduces nourishment and overall strength of body resulting in severe debility.
  2. Pain: Overuse of it causes symptoms like body ache, joint pain, joint stiffness, tremors, shifting pain etc. in the body.
  3. Bone disorders: Being dry in nature, excess of it causes degenerative changes in bones resulting in osteoporotic and spondylotic changes along with pain in bones, painful or reduced joint functions, joint stiffness, loss of hairs, falling of teeth etc.
  4. Hypoglycaemia: Being opposite to sweet, excess use of it by diabetic patients is not advisable as it may lead to very low level of blood sugar and result in hypoglycaemia. Also it will lead to degenerative changes in bones like osteoarthritis etc.
  5. Infertility: Excess use of it may reduce viscosity of semen and lead to infertility due to its dry nature.

Use of serpent gourd is an exception to rule and can be used as a vegetable in diet frequently.