witnessed. From what I have experienced and observed, however, an insufficiency of aromatic condiments may give rise to difficulties with assimilation, excess mucus, a certain dullness of mood, a grave demeanor, and an overearnest, even plodding approach to life. In other words, no fun, no lightness. An excess of stimulating condiments and highly spiced foods, on the other hand, may create digestive distress, muscular weakness, a“ spaced-out,” hyperactive condition, and a lack of concentration and focus. As with all things,“ the right measure” is what works: The proper amount of herbs and spices is the one that keeps our digestive processes running smoothly and our soul content. SINGLE-NUTRIENT FOODSTUFFS: CRYSTALS AND FATS The three most unfoodlike substances that we consume are salt, white sugar, and oil. They are, respectively, a pure mineral, a pure carbohydrate, and a pure fat. Let’ s begin by looking at the first two, without cultural, nutritional, or gustatory biases— as if we were examining them for the very first time. Both salt and sugar are crystals. They precipitate out of liquids( seawater, cane juice) and form themselves into evenly ordered molecules with smooth planar surfaces. They have, therefore, a most distinct characteristic: They are form created out of formlessness. And it is a highly ordered form at that: crystalline substances are composed of row after row of similar, clearly shaped molecules. Crystals are fascinating phenomena. Though they are minerals, and thereby lifeless, they can nevertheless grow. In fact, they are regularly“ grown” in laboratories for various scientific purposes. An entire science, crystallography, is dedicated to the study of the properties of crystals. Without crystals, the field of electronics, semiconductors, and transistors could not exist. How do crystals grow? They emerge, as Aphrodite from the sea, out of a highly saturated solution. As the liquid cools or evaporates, the substance dissolved in it precipitates into a solid form of smooth surfaces. If the crystallization process in nature is slow and steady, the resulting crystals will be large and beautiful— gemstones, diamonds, quartz. If the process is hastened and has to endure abrupt changes in temperature, the crystals will be smaller, sometimes even impossible to discern with the naked eye. Yet, regardless of size, there will still be a precise order and a repetitiveness to the molecular arrangement of a crystalline substance. Sugar and salt, the edible crystals, have both at one time been considered precious luxuries. Salt cakes were used as money in early Rome, where soldiers earned a“ salary.” b In Persia around A. D. 600 sugar was considered“ a rare and precious miracle drug,” a sedative dispensed with great caution. 47
Both substances have been intimately involved in the development of European trade and commerce with faraway lands— as, in fact, have been the spices of India. Today both sugar and salt, precious substances though they once were, have swung from their original exalted place to the opposite. They are cheap and plentiful, available to all, and during this century they have been consumed in ever-increasing quantities. As we know that quantity changes the quality of things, it comes as no surprise that the erstwhile magic medicines have of late turned to poison. Let us now look at the differences between our crystalline seasonings. Salt first, as it is older. Salt
• Contractive
• Alkalizing
• Holds heat
• Promotes metabolism Salt stands alone among all traditional foods and condiments: It does not grow originally in a garden or run through the fields, but is obtained from the evaporation of seawater or, today more commonly, mined from the land. It gives the sea its character, and our tears their peculiar flavor. Scientists say that all life emerged from the ocean’ s saline depths. Although not“ live” itself, salt acts as a base for and a supporter of life.“ Life began in salinity, and cannot free itself therefrom,” wrote trace-mineral expert Henry Schroeder. 48 In terms of opposites, salt is contractive and tightening. Its main element, sodium, is a major alkaline component of the fluid that bathes the cells of our body; it is closely associated with the transmission of electrical impulses and the maintenance of the acid-alkaline balance. Prolonged perspiration, vomiting, diarrhea, and extensive use of diuretics can cause a depletion of sodium; this condition then causes muscular cramps, weakness, headache, and the collapse of blood vessels. 49 Without sodium, our nervous system couldn’ t function, and we’ d be, quite possibly, vegetables. Although salt is thought of mainly in terms of its sodium content, the chloride in it is also significant. Chlorine, in fact, is a component of our powerful digestive juice, hydrochloric acid. This could be the reason why in Ayurvedic medicine salt is considered a digestive aid, especially helpful in the assimilation of cooked foods.