The theory of the four humours [ENGLISH version]

Summary

This script delves into the historical theory of the four humours, attributed to Hippocrates, detailing its influence on health and temperament. It explores the balance of blood, phlegm, yellow bile, and black bile, linked to seasons and ages, and how this theory shaped medical practices in both Western and Eastern traditions, including Unani and Ayurveda. The summary highlights the evolution of this theory from ancient Greece to its modern-day interpretations and critiques.

Takeaways

• 🏥 Hippocrates, known as the 'Father of Medicine,' introduced evidence-based practices and the concept of treating the body as a whole, rather than as isolated parts.
• 📜 The 'Hippocratic Corpus' contains the foundational work 'On the Nature of Man,' which outlines the theory of the four humours, attributed to Hippocrates' disciple, Polybius.
• 🔍 Hippocrates' theory identified four humours in the body: blood, phlegm, yellow bile, and black bile, each associated with different seasons and temperaments.
• 🧘 The balance of these humours was considered essential for good health, with imbalance leading to disease, and the theory suggested modifying one's regime according to the seasons to maintain this balance.
• 👶 Theophrastus of Eresus linked the predominance of humours to personality types, associating blood with sociability, phlegm with calmness, yellow bile with choler, and black bile with melancholy.
• 🌡️ Galen expanded on the theory, correlating humours with the elements, seasons, and character, and distinguishing them not only by color but also by taste.
• 🌿 Avicenna in 'Canon of Medicine' further developed the study of humours, discussing their influence on health in relation to seasons and climates.
• 🌡️ Hildegard von Bingen adapted the humour theory to her medical concepts, offering a collection of recipes for treating diseases based on the balance of humours.
• 🧪 Paracelsus challenged traditional humour theory by emphasizing the alchemical principles of sulphur, mercury, and salt, and the role of the 'Archeus' in health and disease.
• 🌏 The theory of humours was prevalent in Western medicine until the 18th century, when advancements in bacteriology led to its decline, but it continues in Eastern medicine, such as Unani and Ayurveda.
• 🍲 Healing methods based on the humour theory included phytotherapy, bloodletting, emetics, purges, and moxibustion, aiming to restore balance to the humours.

Q & A

Who is considered the father of medicine and what significant approach did he introduce?

Hippocrates of Cos, a Greek physician, is considered the father of medicine. He introduced evidence-based practices, treating the body as a whole, and emphasizing natural healing through rest, proper diet, fresh air, and bodily cleansing.

What is the theory of the four humours and how does it relate to the seasons?

The theory of the four humours is an ancient Greek medical concept that suggests the body contains four fluids or humours: blood, phlegm, yellow bile, and black bile. Each humour is associated with a season and a set of qualities: blood is hot and moist (spring), yellow bile is hot and dry (summer), black bile is cold and dry (autumn), and phlegm is cold and moist (winter).

Who is Polybius and how is he related to the theory of humours?

Polybius was the son-in-law and disciple of Hippocrates. He is attributed as the author of 'On the Nature of Man,' a work in the Hippocratic Corpus where the theory of humours is set out, although the authorship is considered to be of doubtful origin.

What is the significance of the four humours in temperament according to Theophrastus of Eresus?

Theophrastus of Eresus stated that individuals with a predominance of blood are sociable, those with phlegm are calm, those with yellow bile are choleric, and those with black bile are melancholic, thus establishing the importance of humours in temperament and their classification.

How did Galen contribute to the understanding of the four humours?

Galen, a Greek physician in the Roman Empire, established correspondences between the humours, the seasons, and the elements. He also created a relationship between humours and character, and distinguished them not only by color but also by taste.

What is the influence of the seasons on health according to Avicenna's 'Canon of Medicine'?

Avicenna in 'Canon of Medicine' detailed how each season predisposes individuals to certain ailments. For example, spring can cause disturbances of the gall bladder and bronchitis, while winter is favorable for digestion but can lead to pituitary affections and colds.

How did Hildegard von Bingen adapt the traditional theory of humours in her medical concepts?

Hildegard von Bingen adapted the traditional theory of humours by associating each humour with specific qualities such as dry, moist, warm, and cold. She also linked them to specific medical conditions and treatments, using her 'medicinal garden' for creating remedies.

What is the difference between Unani medicine and Ayurveda in terms of their foundational principles?

Unani medicine is based on the four classical humours (phlegm, blood, yellow bile, and black bile) and is influenced by Greek physicians like Hippocrates and Galen. Ayurveda, on the other hand, is based on the Tridosha (Vata, Pitta, and Kapha) and the five elements (ether, air, fire, water, and earth), with a focus on the integration of body, mind, and spirit.

How does the theory of humours relate to personality types?

According to the theory of humours, each humour corresponds to a traditional temperament: blood to sanguine, yellow bile to choleric, black bile to melancholic, and phlegm to phlegmatic. These temperaments are associated with specific personality traits and characteristics.

What are the healing methods suggested by the humour theory to balance the humours?

The healing methods suggested by the humour theory include phytotherapy, balancing food according to the seasons, bloodletting, emetics or provoked vomiting, purges, and moxibustion. These methods aim to restore the balance of humours in the body.

Outlines

00:00

😀 The Origin and Theory of the Four Humours

This paragraph delves into the foundational theory of the four humours, attributed to Hippocrates, the 'Father of Medicine'. It discusses his holistic approach to treating the body and the importance of natural healing methods such as rest, diet, and bodily cleansing. The humours—blood, phlegm, yellow bile, and black bile—are associated with the four seasons and are believed to influence human temperament and health. The paragraph also explores the historical development of this theory through works attributed to Hippocrates' disciple, Polybius, and its subsequent interpretation by Theophrastus, Galen, and Avicenna, each contributing to the understanding of humours' impact on personality and seasonal health.

05:06

🌡 Seasonal Afflictions and Health According to Humoural Theory

The second paragraph examines the impact of seasons on health as viewed through the lens of the humoural theory. It details the typical health conditions associated with each season, such as the prevalence of digestive issues in winter and the increased risk of certain diseases like bronchitis in spring. The paragraph also highlights the works of Hildegard von Bingen, who integrated the humoural theory into her medical concepts, offering a natural language description of diseases and their treatments. Additionally, it mentions Paracelsus' departure from the traditional humoural theory, emphasizing the alchemical principles of sulphur, mercury, and salt.

10:08

🌏 The Global Legacy of the Humoural Theory

This paragraph explores the global legacy of the humoural theory, tracing its influence in both Western and Eastern medicine. It explains how the theory was prevalent until the 18th century in the West but was eventually abandoned with the rise of bacteriology. In contrast, the theory persists in Eastern medicine, particularly in Unani and Ayurvedic traditions. Unani medicine, rooted in Greek teachings, still considers the four humours in its practice, while Ayurveda, with its 5000-year history, is based on the Tridosha concept, paralleling the humoural theory in some aspects.

15:11

🔍 In-Depth Study of the Four Humours and Their Healing Methods

The final paragraph provides an in-depth analysis of the four humours—blood, yellow bile, black bile, and phlegm—and their correlation with personality types, elements, seasons, and temperaments. It describes the characteristics associated with each humour and how imbalances can lead to specific diseases. The paragraph concludes with a discussion on healing methods that aim to restore humoural balance, including phytotherapy, bloodletting, emetics, purges, moxibustion, and the use of apophlegmatics.

Keywords

💡Hippocrates

Hippocrates, born on the island of Cos in Greece, is widely recognized as the father of medicine. He is known for advocating evidence-based practices in the 5th century BC, a time when illnesses were often attributed to supernatural causes. In the video, Hippocrates' theory of the four humours is discussed, which was a significant shift from supernatural explanations to a more systematic approach to understanding health and disease.

💡Four Humours

The concept of the four humours is central to the video's theme. It refers to the ancient belief that the human body contains four fundamental substances—blood, phlegm, yellow bile, and black bile—that are in balance for good health. The theory suggests that an imbalance of these humours leads to disease. The video explains how each humour corresponds to certain seasons, temperaments, and elements, illustrating the interconnectedness of health and the natural world.

💡Evidence-based Practices

Evidence-based practices, as mentioned in the script, are methods or treatments that are grounded in observable evidence and scientific reasoning. Hippocrates is credited with pioneering this approach in medicine, moving away from superstition and towards a more empirical understanding of health. The video emphasizes the significance of this shift in the historical context of medical practices.

💡Hippocratic Corpus

The Hippocratic Corpus is a collection of medical works that were written during the time of Hippocrates and his followers. The video specifically mentions the work 'On the Nature of Man,' which is part of this Corpus and is attributed to Polybius, Hippocrates' son-in-law. This work is significant as it sets out the theory of humours, showing the development of medical thought during antiquity.

💡Polybius

Polybius, the son-in-law and disciple of Hippocrates, is mentioned in the script as the attributed author of 'On the Nature of Man,' a work within the Hippocratic Corpus. His connection to Hippocrates highlights the transmission of knowledge and the development of medical theories in ancient Greece.

💡Theophrastus of Eresus

Theophrastus of Eresus, a 4th-century BC figure, is noted in the script for his work 'Sistema Naturae,' which discussed the classification of plants and animal blood with curative properties. His ideas contributed to the understanding of temperaments associated with the humours, such as individuals with a lot of blood being sociable and those with a lot of phlegm being calm.

💡Galen

Galen, a Greek physician and philosopher in the Roman Empire, is highlighted in the video for his extensive contributions to the theory of humours. He established correspondences between humours, seasons, ages, and elements, and further developed the relationship between humours and character. His work 'On the Doctrines of Hippocrates and Plato' is particularly significant in this context.

💡Ibn Sina

Ibn Sina, also known as Avicenna, was a Persian Islamic philosopher and physician whose work 'Canon of Medicine' extensively developed the study of human health, including the humours and their influence on health across different seasons and climates. His contributions are important for understanding the spread and evolution of humoural theory beyond the Greek and Roman world.

💡Hildegard von Bingen

Hildegard von Bingen, an 11th-12th century German abbess, is recognized in the video for her medical concepts that adapted the traditional theory of humours. Her works 'Physica' and 'Causae et Curae' served as medical recipe books, offering treatments and classifications of diseases based on the humours, showing the continued relevance of the theory in medieval Europe.

💡Paracelsus

Paracelsus, a 15th-16th century physician, is noted for his opposition to the prevailing Galenism and his focus on the alchemical principles of sulphur, mercury, and salt. He introduced the concept of the Archeus or inner alchemist, which acted upon these principles, and his theories represented a shift from the traditional humours to a more alchemical understanding of health.

💡Unani Medicine

Unani medicine, as discussed in the video, is a traditional Persian-Arabic medicine system that originated from the teachings of Greek physicians like Hippocrates and Galen. It is still practiced today, particularly in South Asia and Central Asia, and retains the concept of the four classical humours, showing the lasting influence of the humoural theory in certain regions.

Highlights

Hippocrates of Cos is considered the father of medicine for his evidence-based practices.

Hippocrates believed in treating the body as a whole rather than a series of parts.

The theory of humours is first expressed in Hippocrates' work 'On the Nature of Man'.

The authorship of 'On the Nature of Man' is attributed to Polybius but is of doubtful origin.

Hippocrates identified four humours in the blood and related them to the seasons.

Good health is defined by the balance of humours, while imbalance leads to disease.

Theophrastus of Eresus linked the predominance of humours to temperament and character.

Galen established a relationship between humours, seasons, elements, and character.

Avicenna developed the study of humours and their influence on human health in 'Canon of Medicine'.

Hildegard von Bingen adapted the humour theory to her medical concepts and wrote extensively on medicine.

Paracelsus opposed the Galenic view and emphasized alchemical principles over the four humours.

The theory of humours was prevalent until the 18th century when it was gradually abandoned.

Unani medicine, based on Greek teachings, still uses the four classical humours in its practice.

Ayurveda is an ancient Indian system that uses the concept of three doshas for health and wellness.

The four humours are associated with different elements, seasons, ages, temperaments, and physical characteristics.

Healing methods based on the humour theory include phytotherapy, bloodletting, and dietary adjustments.

Transcripts

The theory of the four humours

Hippocrates of Cos (5th century BC)

Hippocrates, a Greek physician who was born on the island of Cos, Greece, in 460 BC and

died in 337 BC, has been considered the father of medicine, for using evidence-based practices

at a time when illnesses were often explained solely by supernatural explanations such as

falling out of favour with the gods or possession by demonic entities.

Hippocrates held that the body should be treated as a whole and not as a series of parts.

He maintained that the process of natural healing could be obtained by rest, proper

diet, fresh air and bodily cleansing.

The theory of humours is set out in the Hippocratic Corpus work On the Nature of Man (Περι

φυσιος ανθρωποι [peri físios ánzropi]).

On the Nature of Man is attributed to Polybius, son-in-law and disciple of Hippocrates, through

a testimony in Aristotle's History of Animals.

However, as with the many other works in the Hippocratic Corpus, the authorship is considered

to be of doubtful origin.

The theory comes from the fact that, when analysing a drop of blood, Hippocrates rules

as follows: The red part of the fresh blood is very liquid.

The white particles are phlegm.

The yellow foam is the yellow bile.

The dense part is the black bile.

Here we see for the first time a very clear expression of the idea that the nature of

man consists of four humours, and that the properties of each of them correspond to each

of the four seasons, each of them predominating in the season which shares the same nature:

blood, hot and moist, predominates in spring; yellow bile, hot and dry, in summer; black

bile, cold and dry, in autumn; and phlegm, cold and moist, in winter.

Good health is defined as the balance and mixture of humours, while their imbalance

and separation is the cause of disease.

To avoid this imbalance, the physician recommends to modify the regime according to the seasons.

The predominance of humours varies not only according to the seasons, but also according

to age.

Theophrastus of Eresus (4th century B.C.)

Theophrastus of Eresus, born around 372 BC, stated in his treatise Sistema Naturae, a

manual on the classification of plants and animal blood with curative properties, that

"those individuals with a lot of blood are sociable, those with a lot of phlegm are calm,

those with a lot of yellow bile are choleric and those with a lot of black bile are melancholic".

The importance of the humours in temperament and their classification was thus established.

Galen (2nd-3rd c.

AD)

Galen was born in Pergamon in 129 AD and died in Rome between 201 and 216.

He was a Greek physician, surgeon and philosopher in the Roman Empire.

Galen establishes in "On the Doctrines of Hippocrates and Plato", the correspondence

between the humours and the seasons: "As for the ages and seasons, the child (παῖς)

corresponds to spring, the young man (παρακµάζων) to summer, the mature man (γέρων) to

autumn, and the old man (νεανίσκος) to winter.

Galen uses this new correspondence to create a relationship between the elements (fire,

air, water and earth) and the humours and, above all, a relationship between humours

and character.

There is a distinction between humours, not only by colour, but also by taste: blood is

sweet (γλυκύ), yellow bile is bitter (πικρόν), black bile is acid (γλυκύ),

phlegm is salty (ἁλµυρόν).

Ibn Sina (10th-11th c.)

Avicenna known in the Muslim world as Ibn Sina was an Islamic philosopher and physician

Persian born in 981 in Afshana (now Uzbekistan) and died in 1037.

Avicenna developed extensively in the Canon of Medicine or Al-qanun fi al-tibb the study

of human health, dealing in the first volume with the humours among other things and seasons

and the climates and their influence on human health.

Here is a quick enumeration of the seasonal afflictions:

Spring: "When it retains its characteristics, it is the most favourable season.

However, a number of ailments occur during this season: after-effects of winter illnesses;

disturbances of the gall bladder; rhinopharyngeal ailments (diphtheria, garrotal disease, etc.);

bronchitis, haemoptysis.

This season is favourable for children.

Winter: "Favourable for digestion, but also favourable for diseases due to overload.

Winter illnesses are essentially affections of the pituitary.

Colds are frequent, sometimes complicated by pleurisy and pneumonia, laryngitis, throat

affections, costal and dorsal neuralgias, neurological affections, chronic headaches

and even apoplexy and comas...

It is a favourable season for the elderly".

Summer: "The heat dissolves the humours and decreases the internal activity by excess

of degradation (probable allusion to the loss of water, etc., resulting from the excess

of heat).

Blood and pituitary decrease, while yellow bile is excessive.

Typical of this season are: anaemias due to decrease of blood elements; asthenia; infected

and extensive sores; enteritis, diarrhoea; ascites; tertian and other fevers; otitis

and conjunctivitis; epidemics: smallpox, measles, skin eruptions.

It is a favourable season for the elderly.

Autumn: "Predisposes to numerous diseases due to sudden variations in temperature and

excessive consumption of fruits and unhealthy foodstuffs.

Favourable for the elderly at the beginning and unfavourable at the end.

The following conditions are typical of autumn: scabies; mixed fevers, splenomegaly; rheumatism,

sciatica; cystitis, urethritis; enteritis, intestinal worms.

Unfavourable for tuberculous pulmonary lesions which the season may reveal.

Climate is linked to health".

Hildegard von Bingen (11th-12th c.)

The German abbess Hildegard von Bingen was born in 1098 and died in 1179 and is known

as the Sibyl of the Rhine.

Hildegard's medical concepts are adapted to the traditional theory of humours.

According to this, she writes: "Man sometimes contracts great diseases from

anger, because when the humours of yellow bile and black bile are stirred up, their

opposite effects make him ill".

Between 1151-1158 she wrote her works on medicine.

Her extensive writings on medicine fall under two titles:

Physica, also known as Book of Simple Medicine and Book of Complex Medicine, also known as

Causae et Curae.

Her works act as a medical recipe book in which Hildegard sets out the study of simple

curative substances: plants, animal substances and minerals.

She also describes diseases, their aetiology, symptoms and how to treat them by means of

compound curative substances.

Hildegard does not limit herself to describing the causes or symptoms of each of these diseases,

but offers a collection of recipes, some of which are taken from folk medicine, to which

she adds her own recipes.

For this purpose, she made use of the crops from her "medicinal garden" in the monastery.

Hildegard describes the medical concepts of her century in natural language.

In accordance with the theory of humours, she gives each plant the corresponding qualification

of its quality: robustus, siccus, calidus, aridus, humidus, etc., classifying the plants

according to their "temperament" or "character" present in the plant as in the person and

their wet, dry, warm and cold components.

She adds to these the "viriditas" or vigour of her own invention.

The humours in Hildegard are:

Dry phlegm: outflow of the heat of the fire and corresponding to the red blood cells.

Moist phlegm: outflow of moisture from the air, corresponding to the blood plasma.

Foamy phlegm: outflow of water, corresponding to platelets.

Phlegm, cold: outflow of soil, corresponding to the white blood cells.

Hildegard recommends the following actions: Vary food according to the season of the year.

Cleanse the organism according to cleansing procedures: bloodletting, cupping, fasting

and moxibustion.

Examples of phytotherapy for moods include the use of rose and sage for cholera and lavender

for melancholy.

Paracelsus (15th-16th century)

Theophrastus Bombastus von Hohenheim (1493-1541) adopted the nickname Paracelsus to indicate

that he had surpassed Celsus, the most famous physician of antiquity alongside Galen and

Hippocrates.

He was a fierce opponent of the prevailing Galenism, he considered the four elements

and the four humours to be secondary, and he attributed the greatest importance to the

principles of the alchemists: sulphur, mercury and salt.

All beings, according to alchemy, were made up of mercury, the volatile principle; sulphur,

the principle of combustibility; and salt, that which remains after combustion.

The Archeus or inner alchemist acted on sulphur, mercury and salt.

If the Archeus did not succeed in harmonising them, semi-crystalline deposits, tartar, arose

and rheumatic diseases, lithiasis, gout and inflammation of the joints, which Paracelsus

considered tartaric diseases, appeared.

The Western world, today

The theory of humours was in full force until the 18th century.

Subsequently, with the advancement of certain knowledge about the organs and the successes

of bacteriology, which Robert Koch greatly influenced, this theory was abandoned in the

the West, and has even come to be rejected and mocked.

Humours in the East Unani medicine

"Unani" or "Yunani medicine" ( Urdu: طب یونانی tibb yūnānī ) is the term

for traditional Persian-Arabic medicine as practised in Mughal India and Muslim culture

in South Asia and present-day Central Asia.

The term Yūnānī means "Greek", as the Persian-Arabic system of medicine was based on the teachings

of the Greek physicians Hippocrates and Galen.

The Hellenistic origin of Unani medicine is still visible because it is based on the four

classical humours: phlegm (balgham), blood (presa), yellow bile (ṣafrā) and black

bile (saudā' ), but it has also been influenced by Indian and traditional Chinese systems.

Ayurveda

Emerging in India more than 5000 years ago, it can be translated from Sanskrit as "Science

of Life" and is based on the integration of body, mind and spirit.

It affirms, among other things, that there is an equivalence and a profound relationship

between the universe or macrocosm and the person or microcosm.

Its philosophical basis is governed by the theory of the five elements (ether, air, fire,

water and earth) and the Tridosha (Vata, Pitta and Kapha).

The three doshas, or humours, are basic forces that interact and are present in the organism

of all people.

The doshic or mind-body constitution is the manifestation of the predominance of these

forces in our being.

They represent a map of our areas of strength and also areas of weakness that will lead

to deterioration over time.

The monotypes are:

Vata.

This is the expression of the force of movement.

People of Vata constitution tend to be active, intelligent, restless and creative.

The complexion is thin with prominent bones and tendons and dry, cold skin.

Sleep and appetite are irregular.

They react to stress with insomnia, fear and anxiety.

Pitta.

This is the expression of transformation.

Those with predominance of Pitta show great intellectual interest and are more executive.

Body proportions are intermediate and the limbs are warm.

Perspiration is easy and appetite and digestion are strong.

They react with anger and irritability to daily imbalances.

Kapha.

This is the expression of stability and structure.

Kapha people are methodical and thoughtful, react calmly and are little affected by stress.

They have a solid body constitution with smooth complexion, thick, greasy hair.

Appetite and digestion are slow and steady and they have a tendency to sleep a lot.

Diet, physical activity, daily routines and mental harmony techniques are four pillars

that help us to tune the inner forces to maintain the balance which is by definition unstable.

There are dual Vata-Pitta, Pitta-Kapha and Kapha-Vata types as well as a triple Vata-Pitta-Kapha

type.

In-depth study of the four humours

The humours Blood, Phlegm, Yellow Bile and Black Bile each correspond to one of the traditional

four temperaments.

Based on Hippocratic medicine, it was believed that the four humours had to be in balanced

proportions with respect to the amount and strength of each humour for a body to be healthy.

Imbalance of the humours, or dyscrasia, was thought to be the direct cause of all disease

while health was associated with a balance of humours, or eucrasia.

The elimination of the "humours" by the organism can be observed during illness (blood, phlegm

or mucus from the nose, vomiting, faecal matter, urine and sweat), and the condition usually

disappears after reaching crisis with expulsion of one of the humours.

The four humours of Hippocratic medicine are black bile (Greek: μέλαινα χολή,

melaina chole [melena joli]), yellow bile (ξανθη χολή , xanthe chole [csanzi

joli]), phlegm (φλέγμα , phlegma [phlegma]) and blood (αἷμα, haima [héma]).

Later scholars mixed the theory of humours with the four elements described by Empedocles

in the 5th century BC.

Personality, diseases and factors related to each humour

Blood Element: Air.

Season: Spring.

Age: childhood.

Condition: temperate and humid.

Temperament: sanguine.

Type: Artisan.

In this case the sanguine mood predominates.

The traits of the sanguine temperament are self-confidence, cheerfulness, optimism, good

humour, expressiveness and sociability.

The sanguine is open, interested in his environment, active, enterprising.

They are courageous, hopeful and loving but also thoughtless, fickle and carefree.

His emotional life is easily inflamed, and he has a tendency to flee, with a short duration

in his actions.

Also in the physical, it is predominantly light, easily inflamed, easily excitable,

and short-lived.

It is related to the organ of the heart.

Yellow Bile Element: fire.

Season: summer.

Age: youth.

Condition: temperate and dry.

Temperament: Choleric.

Type: Guardian.

Represents those who have a large amount of yellow bile.

This gives rise to a passionate temperament, with enormous vitality and given to anger

very easily.

It tends to show a bad temper.

The choleric is fiery, explosive, impatient, irritable, angry and sensitive.

In inter-human relations, he is dominant, has a guiding function and is a conqueror.

It has a strong will.

Physical processes are carried out in the same marked and sudden, precise, painful,

abrupt, dangerously vehement and aggressive manner.

It is related to the organ of the liver and gall bladder.

Excess yellow bile was thought to produce aggression and an excess of reciprocal anger

causing liver disorders and imbalances in the humours.

Black Bile Element: earth.

Season: autumn.

Age: adult.

Condition: cold and dry.

Temperament: Melancholic.

Type: Idealistic.

Characterises those who have a predominance of black bile in their organism.

They have a sad temperament, rather susceptible and given to artistic activities.

They are depressed, drowsy and depressive.

The melancholic is pensive, full of fears, sorrows, afflictions and worries, full of

feelings of guilt and susceptibility.

He has a strong sense of responsibility, a feeling of duty, scrupulous conscientiousness

and depth of thought.

Loves solitude, seclusion, silence.

The predominance of the physical, also crystalline, salty, is expressed everywhere.

In the physical, then, the heavy, cold, dry, hard, solid, but also slow, weak, hardening,

destined to extinction, to death, reigns proportionally.

It is related to the organ of the spleen.

Depression was attributed to the excess or unnatural black bile secreted by the spleen.

Phlegm Element: water.

Season: winter.

Age: old age.

Condition: cold and damp.

Temperament: phlegmatic.

Type: Rational.

Characterises those who have a predominance of phlegm in their organism.

Phlegmatic people are thoughtful, fair, calm, uncommitted and lazy.

The phlegmatic is calm and indifferent, balanced, always satisfied, uninterested, cordial, good-natured,

faithful and constant.

He is slow of action and "cold-blooded".

Correspondingly, the physical processes have a tendency towards slow, sluggish, wet-fresh,

thickening, slow flowing, but still able to function.

It is related to the brain and lung organ.

Cause of tumours, chlorosis, rheumatism and cacochemia.

Healing methods according to the humour theory

The healing methods according to the humour theory are as follows and are used for the

correct balance of the humours:

Phytotherapy Balancing food according to the seasons

Bloodletting Emetics or provoked vomiting

Purges Moxibustion

Chewed medicines called apophlegmatics for expulsion of humours and phlegm