The pungent taste is due to essential oils. These stimulate the appetite and aid assimilation and absorption of food. Hot spices cause an elevation of the air and fire elements and are hence both exciting and drying to all organs. Pungent foods are light, hot, and dry. Their volatile oils, besides being aromatic, tend to arouse the senses, to promote salivation, and sometimes also tears. Spices can be used to stimulate digestion and balance excess water, but have to be used somewhat more carefully with air types and even more judiciously with fire types. Earth types generally benefit from the use of spices so long as the dryness is compensated for by moisture in the food.

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