Virya and Vipaka: Heating, Cooling and Post-Digestive Effects

Two traditional ideas

After taste (rasa), Ayurvedic pharmacology describes foods and herbs by two more properties. A 2017 review of this system, called dravyaguna vijnana, lists them with taste, and with qualities (gunas) such as heavy, light, wet and dry. [1]

• Virya means energetic nature or potency. Plants with "hot" potency (ushna virya) are said to produce a sensation of heat, a drying effect and help with digestion; black pepper, ginger and cayenne are the review's examples. Plants with "cold" potency (shita virya) are said to give a cooling sensation and be pacifying and nourishing; licorice, sandalwood, aloe and arjuna are its examples. [1]
• Vipaka is the post-digestive effect. The review quotes the Charaka Samhita (an early Ayurvedic text) as defining it as "the taste after the substance is digested," and says "taste" here must be understood within the Ayurvedic framework, not as something you can perceive on the tongue. [1]

How the properties relate to taste

The review's summary table assigns each taste a usual virya and vipaka. These are classical-text descriptions as the reviewers report them.

The texts also note exceptions. The review gives amalaki (Indian gooseberry), described as sour and cold, as a remedy whose virya contradicts the usual rule for its taste. [1] For that fruit see Amla (Amalaki).

How they differ from nutrition science

Nutrition science describes food by energy, protein, fat, carbohydrate, fibre, vitamins and minerals and tests health effects in trials. Virya and vipaka are categories from classical texts. A "heating" food is not one shown to raise body temperature, and a food's vipaka is not a lab measurement. Do not use these labels to choose foods for yourself.

What research has looked at

• A hypothesis review. The 2017 review argues that taste receptors outside the mouth could help explain ideas such as rasa, vipaka, guna and virya. [1] It states that further experimental studies are required to see whether these descriptors could predict specific pharmacological activities. [1]
• Trials of heating or cooling foods. Proper evidence not found. We searched PubMed for human trials testing virya or vipaka classifications and found none we could read.
• Plant chemistry. A 2022 study showed an electronic tongue can partly sort plants by their traditional taste class. [2] It did not test virya or vipaka.

Evidence label: traditional use only; the receptor link is a hypothesis (preclinical reasoning).

Related pages

The Six Tastes (Rasa) covers taste. Ayurvedic Dietary Principles is the diet overview.