The Four Humors

If you've ever wondered why some diets and natural remedies seem to work for some people but not 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 hardwired when you were born. Your temperament also determines your aura color, by the way.

In the old world, the ancient Greek physician Hippocrates(410-360 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) ~ Choleric ~ Irritable, belligerent, and impatient.

2. Phlegm ~ Cold/Moist (WATER) ~ Phlegmatic ~ Detached, cool, calculating, and a little dull.

3. Blood ~ Hot/Moist (AIR) ~ Sanguine ~ Cheerful, warm, and generous.

4. 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 breakouts.

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 influenced the humors and one's state of health. Then, depending on which humors were out of balance, certain natural foods and herbs were prescribed to boost the individual's immune system, provide better energy flow, and put the patient back on the map 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 considered an individual's environment, habits (personality), and age. 

Each of the four temperaments also corresponds with certain aspects of personality. I encourage you to watch Zach Anderson's short video, The 4 Humors Enactment, which demonstrates the differences in traits between the four constitutional temperaments.