Rye

Rye – cooked grains

Good for cold, harsh climates and seasons.
Like wheat, rye is one of the most important cereals for bread making, as it contains gluten that makes bread rise and stretch. Rye flour contains a high amount of pentosans (long chains of five-carbon sugars) that give it a strong capacity to bind water, a property that makes it a bit harder to digest than most other flours. The ability of rye to retain water has led many to believe that rye is a good appetite suppressant and dietary aid for losing weight.

Properties

Taste: Bitter, Sour (sourness is due to processes of baking)

Natural Attributes: Dry, Heavy

Tissue impact (Vipak): Sweet, Nourishing

Thermal impact (Virya): Heating

Dosha impact: Increase Pitta and Vata, Decrease Kapha

Digestive impact (Agni): Hard to digest, Heavy.

Channels (Srotas): opens the channels

Feces: increase bulk

Urine: diuretic

Strength (Bala): improves strength and immunity

Mind (Manas): increase Rajas

Effect:

Chinese five element impact: Nourishes the water and wood elements

Chinese medicine syndromes: Kidney Yang Deficiency accompanied with Phlegm, Liver phlegm Stagnation

Medicinal properties 

• Nourishment (rasa):  rich in minerals, migraine (when consumed as broth or congee)
• Blood-circulation-liver: improves elasticity of blood vessels, cleans and renews arteries, clears liver stagnancy,
• Muscles: stiffens, hardens,  aids muscle formation
• Bones-joints-tendon-ligaments: supports the skeletal system, bones, joints, ligaments, tendons, good for treating osteoporosis, improves teeth, aids fingernail, hair and bone formation,
• Immunity: improves stability and resistance,
• Kidney-Bladder:  diminishes watery conditions in the body,

Harmful:  Hard to digest, therefore usually used as flour and prepared as bread or noodles. Can be cooked as is to prepare porridge.