According to Ayurveda the key to health or illness does not lie in the application of medicaments or special therapies, but in the element on which our vitality is based: the nutrition.

According to Ayurveda each food has three aspects to consider.

• The five elements - earth, water, fire, air and ether.
• The six tastes - sweet, sour, salty, bitter, hot and astringent.
• The 20 qualities – heavy, stable, cold, moist, slimy, dense, smooth, hard, subtle, clear and the respective opposites.

In Ayurveda the combination of two elements results in the following taste.

The six Ayurvedic Rasas or tastes represent six different compositions of the five elements.
In accordance with the elements they increase or decrease the Doshas in the body. Sweet e.g. is formed from the elements earth and water, therefore this is the way to increase e.g. Kapha, a similar Dosha.
 
Warm and oily food stimulates Pitta (enzymes), which promotes digestion. Likewise it promotes a decrease of Vata (also beneficial for the digestive tract). Ayurveda advises oily meals. They are said to sharpen the sense organs and preserve the digestive tract.

Ayurveda prescriptions for food and tea consider these qualities. Ayurveda cures are specialized on a balanced Ayurveda diet.