灵枢经·五味 The Five Flavors
黄帝曰：愿闻谷气有五味，其入五藏，分别奈何？伯高曰：胃者，五藏六府之海也，水谷皆入于胃，五藏六府，皆禀气于胃。五味各走其所喜，谷味酸，先走肝，谷味苦，先走心，谷味甘，先走脾，谷味辛，先走肺，谷味咸，先走肾。谷气津液已行，营卫大通，乃化糟粕，以次传下。
黄帝曰：营卫之行奈何？伯高曰：谷始入于胃，其精微者，先出于胃之两焦，以溉五藏，别出两行，营卫之道。其大气之搏而不行者，积于胸中，命曰气海，出于肺，循咽喉，故呼则出，吸则入。天地之精气，其大数常出三入一，故谷不入，半日则气衰，一日则气少矣。
黄帝曰：谷之五味，可得闻乎？伯高曰：请尽言之。五谷：糠米甘，麻酸，大豆咸，麦苦，黄黍辛。五果：枣甘，李酸，栗咸，杏苦，桃辛。五畜：牛甘，犬酸，猪咸，羊苦，鸡辛。五菜：葵甘，韭酸，藿咸，薤苦，葱辛。
五色：黄色宜甘，青色宜酸，黑色宜咸，赤色宜苦，白色宜辛。凡此五者，各有所宜。五宜所言五色者，脾病者，宜食糠米饭，牛肉枣葵；心病者，宜食麦羊肉杏薤；肾病者，宜食大豆黄卷猪肉栗藿；肝病者，宜食麻犬肉李韭；肺病者，宜食黄黍鸡肉桃葱。
五禁：肝病禁辛，心病禁咸，脾病禁酸，肾病禁甘，肺病禁苦。
肝色青，宜食甘，糠米饭、牛肉、枣、葵皆甘。心色赤，宜食酸，犬肉、麻、李、韭皆酸。脾黄色，宜食咸，大豆、猪肉、栗、藿皆咸。肺白色，宜食苦，麦、羊肉、杏、薤皆苦。肾色黑，宜食辛，黄黍、鸡肉、桃、葱皆辛。
Huangdi said: 'I wish to hear how the five flavors of grain qi are distributed as they enter the five viscera.' Bogao said: 'The stomach is the sea of the five viscera and six bowels; water and grain all enter the stomach, and the five viscera and six bowels all draw their qi from the stomach. Each of the five flavors travels to the viscus it favors: the sour flavor of grain travels first to the liver; the bitter flavor of grain travels first to the heart; the sweet flavor of grain travels first to the spleen; the pungent flavor of grain travels first to the lung; the salty flavor of grain travels first to the kidney. Once the qi and fluids of grain have circulated, and the nutritive and defensive qi have become freely connected, the dregs are then transformed and passed down in due order.'
Huangdi said: 'How do the nutritive and defensive qi circulate?' Bogao said: 'When grain first enters the stomach, its essential and subtle portion first emerges from the two burners, the upper and middle burners, of the stomach, to irrigate the five viscera; it separates and travels along two distinct pathways, the paths of nutritive and defensive qi. The massed great qi that gathers together and does not circulate accumulates within the chest; this is called the Sea of Qi. It emerges from the lung and follows the throat, so that upon exhalation it is expelled, and upon inhalation it is drawn in. Of the essential qi of Heaven and Earth, the general rule is that three parts are expelled for every one part drawn in. Thus, if grain does not enter the body, after half a day the qi declines, and after a full day the qi grows scant.'
Huangdi said: 'May I hear of the five flavors of the grains?' Bogao said: 'Allow me to describe them fully. Among the five grains: unhulled rice is sweet, hemp seed is sour, soybeans are salty, wheat is bitter, and yellow millet is pungent. Among the five fruits: jujubes are sweet, plums are sour, chestnuts are salty, apricots are bitter, and peaches are pungent. Among the five domestic animals: beef is sweet, dog meat is sour, pork is salty, mutton is bitter, and chicken is pungent. Among the five vegetables: mallow is sweet, chives are sour, bean leaves are salty, scallions are bitter, and spring onions are pungent.'
As for the five colors: yellow is suited to the sweet flavor, green-blue to the sour flavor, black to the salty flavor, red to the bitter flavor, and white to the pungent flavor. In each of these five correspondences, each color has the flavor suited to it. Speaking of the five suitable correspondences in terms of the five colors and the viscera they represent: for a person with disease of the spleen, it is suitable to eat rice, beef, jujubes, and mallow; for a person with disease of the heart, it is suitable to eat wheat, mutton, apricots, and scallions; for a person with disease of the kidney, it is suitable to eat soybeans, sprouted soybeans, pork, chestnuts, and bean leaves; for a person with disease of the liver, it is suitable to eat hemp seed, dog meat, plums, and chives; for a person with disease of the lung, it is suitable to eat yellow millet, chicken, peaches, and spring onions.
The five prohibitions: in disease of the liver, avoid the pungent flavor; in disease of the heart, avoid the salty flavor; in disease of the spleen, avoid the sour flavor; in disease of the kidney, avoid the sweet flavor; in disease of the lung, avoid the bitter flavor.
The liver's color is green-blue, and it is suited to the sweet flavor; rice, beef, jujubes, and mallow are all sweet. The heart's color is red, and it is suited to the sour flavor; dog meat, hemp seed, plums, and chives are all sour. The spleen's color is yellow, and it is suited to the salty flavor; soybeans, pork, chestnuts, and bean leaves are all salty. The lung's color is white, and it is suited to the bitter flavor; wheat, mutton, apricots, and scallions are all bitter. The kidney's color is black, and it is suited to the pungent flavor; yellow millet, chicken, peaches, and spring onions are all pungent.