The 4 Humors

If you've ever wondered why some diets and natural remedies seem to work for some people, 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.

1. Yellow Bile ~ Hot/Dry (FIRE/WANDS) ~ Choleric ~ Irritable, belligerent, and impatient.
2. Phlegm ~ Cold/Moist (WATER/CUPS) ~ Phlegmatic ~ Detached, cool-tempered, calculating, and a little dull.
3. Blood ~ Hot/Moist (AIR/SWORDS) ~ Sanguine ~ Cheerful, warm, and generous.
4. Black Bile ~ Cold/Dry (EARTH/COINS) ~ Melancholic ~ Gloomy, depressed, and envious.

Hippocrates believed it ideal to have a fair balance of humors. He was also convinced that an imbalance of humors caused bothersome symptoms, such as headaches, digestive upsets, pain, and increased susceptibility to frequent viral infections, including herpes outbreaks.

One's humors would be thoroughly examined, touched, smelled, and even tasted for signs of imbalance 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, practitioners prescribed specific foods and herbs to boost the individual's immune system, promote better energy flow, and help the patient return to health and wellness.

Another philosopher, Galen, added to the theory of the four humors. He proposed that each humor relates to a combination of elements (hot, dry, cold, and moist), which is further associated with a specific temperament: Choleric, Phlegmatic, Sanguine, and Melancholic. Treatment considered not only an individual's symptoms and balance of humors, but also their 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, humorous (pun intended) video, "The 4 Humors Enactment," which demonstrates the differences in traits among the four constitutional temperaments.

You can discover your temperament and energy-balancing remedies by taking my Aura Energy Self-Test.