The Four Humors
If you've ever wondered why some diets and natural remedies seem to work for some people in putting herpes into remission, but not for others, the answer is that one size doesn't fit all. It comes down to your constitutional temperament, as unique as your fingerprints. Your temperament was established before birth and is hardwired at birth. Your temperament also determines your aura color, by the way.
In the ancient world, the Greek physician Hippocrates (460-370 BC), known as the Father of Medicine, developed the scientific theory of the four humors: blood, phlegm, yellow bile, and black bile.
- Yellow Bile ~ Hot/Dry (FIRE) ~ Choleric~ Irritable, belligerent, and impatient.
- Phlegm ~ Cold/Moist (WATER) ~ Phlegmatic~ Detached, cool-tempered, calculating, and a little dull.
- Blood ~ Hot/Moist (AIR) ~ Sanguine~ Cheerful, warm, and generous.
- Black Bile ~ Cold/Dry (EARTH) ~ Melancholic ~ Gloomy, depressed, and envious.
Hippocrates believed it ideal to have a fair balance of humors. He was also convinced an imbalance of humors resulted in bothersome symptoms, such as headaches, digestive upsets, pain, or susceptibility to frequent viral infections, including herpes outbreaks.
One's humors would be thoroughly looked at, touched, smelled, and even tasted for discrepancies to determine one's state of health. So, too, were the seasons and the country in which one resided, as they were influences. Then, depending on which humors were out of balance, specific foods and herbs were prescribed to boost the individual's immune system, promote better energy flow, and help the patient regain their path to health and wellness.
Another philosopher, Galen, added to the theory of the four humors. He proposed that each humor is related to a combination of elements ( hot, dry, cold, and moist), which is further associated with a specific temperament: Choleric, Phlegmatic, Sanguine, and Melancholic. Not only were an individual's symptoms and balance of humors considered in treatment, but also an individual's immediate environment (home, place of business), habits, beliefs, and age.
Each of the four temperaments also corresponds with certain aspects of personality. I encourage you to watch Zach Anderson's short and humorous (pun intended) video, "The 4 Humors Enactment," which demonstrates the differences in traits between the four constitutional temperaments' personalities.
