Salty

咸 or 鹹 xián, the salty flavour, is the flavour associated with water and the Kidneys. Water flows softly and so salty seaweeds such as sargassum (hai zao, Sargassum spp.) and kelp (kun bu, Thallus laminariae) are used to soften hard nodules and goiters, while mineral salts such as natrii sulfas (mang xiao, sodium sulfate) soften the stool in cases of severe constipation.

Some herbs, such as aconite (fu zi, Aconitum napellus), eucommia (du zhong, Eucommia ulmoides) and psorialis (bu gu zhi, Psoralea corylifolia) may be processed with salt to enhance or direct their actions towards the Kidneys.

Caution is advised in Blood-related disorders, as too much salt can damage the Blood.