Salty Taste in Your Mouth? What It Could Mean for Women Over 40

Have you ever noticed a salty taste in your mouth that just won’t go away, even when you’re not eating salty food? For many women over 40, changes in taste, thirst, or cravings can be subtle signs that the body is asking for support.

In Western medicine, your GP might check for dehydration, mineral imbalances, or underlying illness, and sometimes tests come back normal. In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), we look at the body through a different lens: one that connects your tastebuds, emotions, and energy systems.

In TCM, a persistent salty taste is linked to the Water element and the Kidneys, the powerhouse of your vitality, longevity, and hormonal health. November in Chi Flow with Jo, our focus is on the Kidneys and Jing, the deep essence that governs everything from bone strength to hormonal transitions in peri- and post-menopause.

Before we begin, a gentle reminder: this information is for complementary self-care and should be used alongside medical advice, not as a replacement.

The Five Element Framework & Food Medicine

In Traditional Chinese Medicine, Five Element Food Medicine teaches us that each organ and its meridian system is linked to one of nature’s elements: Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, or Water. Each element has a season, time of day, emotion, colour, and sensory organ, clues that help us understand our bodies and the signals they send.

For example, the Water element relates to the Kidneys and Bladder, the season of winter, the emotion of fear, the colour black, and the sensory organ of the ears.

By noticing patterns, such as craving salty foods, changes in hearing, or feeling more fearful or anxious, we can identify which element needs nourishment and use food, flavour, and cooking methods to restore balance.

Why Salty Taste Points to Kidney Imbalance

In TCM, the salty flavour is the taste of the Water element. If you’re noticing a salty taste when you haven’t eaten anything salty, it can mean the Kidney system is out of balance, either overworked or needing deeper support.

The Kidneys store Jing, your essence, which is like your lifetime battery. Jing powers your growth, fertility, hormonal cycles, and how you age. As we enter peri, mid and post-menopause, Jing naturally declines, which is why it’s so important to protect and nourish it.

There’s also a fascinating connection between the Kidneys and the Heart. In the destructive cycle of the Five Elements, Water (Kidneys) controls Fire (Heart). If Water is weak, Fire can flare, leading to high blood pressure, palpitations, anxiety, and restlessness. For our listener with a salty taste and high blood pressure, this connection is especially relevant.

Acupressure for Kidney & Heart Balance: Kidney 3 (Taixi)

One of my go-to points for restoring Kidney strength and calming the Heart is Kidney 3, known as Taixi; the Great Ravine

Location:
You’ll find it in the hollow between your inner ankle bone and your Achilles tendon. Slide your finger accross from the ankle bone until you feel a soft dip before the tendon, that’s Kidney 3.

Benefits:

• Nourishes Kidney Yin and Yang
  
• Supports Jing (vital essence)
• Calms the mind and reduces anxiety
• Helps regulate blood pressure via the Kidney–Heart connection

How to use it:

1. Sit comfortably with one ankle crossed over the opposite knee.
2. Press gently but firmly with your thumb into the hollow.
3. Breathe slowly and deeply for 1–2 minutes.
4. Repeat on the other side.

Practise twice a day for best results.

This isn’t about forcing change, it’s about steady, consistent support for your body’s own balancing mechanisms.

Food Medicine: Corn Silk Tea & Kidney-Nourishing Foods

Corn silk tea is a gentle, traditional remedy in TCM for supporting the Kidneys and Bladder. It’s mildly diuretic, helps clear dampness and heat, and supports healthy fluid balance without overstimulating the system.

To make from fresh corn:

• Peel back the husks and collect the silky threads from 2–3 corn cobs.
• Rinse well.
• Simmer in 1 litre of water for 10–15 minutes.
• Strain and sip warm.

To make from dried corn silk:

• Available loose or in teabags from health food shops.
• Steep in hot water for 5–10 minutes.

The tea has a naturally sweet, grassy taste and can be enjoyed warm or at room temperature.

Other Kidney–Jing supporting foods:

• Black beans and adzuki beans
• Black sesame seeds
• Walnuts
• Seaweed
• Dark leafy greens
  Bone broth
• Miso
• Berries

Hormonal tip for women over 40:

As Jing declines, we may notice hot flushes, poor sleep, low mood, or bone loss. Supporting Kidney Jing through food medicine can help ease these changes and improve energy, mood, and resilience.

You’ll find many more recipes for Kidney health and hormonal balance in my books, Shiatsu & the Art of Conscious Cooking and Good Food: Better Sex.

Qi Gong for Kidney & Hormonal Support

Qi Gong is a beautiful way to move energy through the Kidney and Bladder meridians, strengthen the lower back, and support hormonal balance. One of my favourites is the Kidney–Bladder Stretch and I’ll be teaching it in the free class at the end of the month. It’s great for encouraging flow of cranio-sacral fluid up and down the spine, massaging and supporting the kidneys

This combination of stretch and spiral massages the fascia, stimulates meridian flow, and harmonises the body during hormonal transitions.

If you’ve been experiencing a persistent salty taste, TCM reminds us to look deeper, to listen to what the body is telling us about our Kidneys, Jing, and hormonal balance.

You now have three simple tools to try:

• Kidney 3 acupressure for Kidney–Heart harmony
  
• Corn silk tea and Kidney-nourishing foods for deep vitality
• Kidney–Bladder Qi Gong stretch to keep your energy flowing

WATCH THE PODCAST

Boost your Jing with Qi Gong, Acupressure & Food Medicine

In November Chi Flow with Jo, we’ll spend the whole month focusing on Kidney and Jing energy, with daily live Qi Gong, acupressure guidance, and seasonal food medicine to support you through hormonal changes.

Join us and give your Kidneys the love they deserve.

💗 Ready to Join?

Click here to become a member of Chi Flow with Jo → CLICK HERE

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Self-administered acupressure or Chinese Medicine is not a substitute for visits to qualified healthcare practitioners.

Knowing how to treat yourself and your loved ones with complimentary therapies like acupressure can be greatly beneficial and convenient. However, for serious and chronic conditions, you’ll want to visit an Shiatsu therapist / Acupuncturist or other qualified healthcare practitioner who can develop a treatment plan based on your unique medical history and combination of symptoms.  The information provided should not be considered medical advice.