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What are the Humors?
Monday 21st August 2023
Liverpool Iridology
The word ‘humor’ which is a Latin word derived from the Greek word ‘Chymos’ literally means ‘liquid’ and are therefore thought to be bodily fluids that are essential for the bodies proper function.
The humors originate from digestion and their characteristics and actions depend on the nature of the food, the digestive processes, their quality and how they interact within the body.
According to Avicenna, the 4 humors are derived from the digestion of food and are used as nutrient components for the growth and repair of the organs and give the body energy to work.
Once food has been digested, the site of the 4 humors focus becomes the Liver and the nature of the food and how far along the digestion process, depends on what humor it becomes. In Unani medicine, food undergoes 4 stages of digestion:
1. The blood humor develops first and is created using the best nutrients available.
2. Then the phlegm humor is created from the second level of digestion of the remaining digested food
3. Yellow bile is created during the 3rd phase of digestion which is usually from the coarser and less refined food.
4. Black bile is created using the least nutritious of the food.
Each humor has its own characteristics as shown below. The 4 humors are:
• Blood (is hot and moist in nature and is the sanguine temperament)
• Phlegm (is cold and moist in nature and is the phlegmatic temperament)
• Yellow bile (is hot and dry in nature and is the choleric temperament)
• Black bile (is cold and dry in nature and is the melancholic temperament)
The correct balance of humors within the body will determine the health and state of the body, mind and spirit and therefore determines the physiological state of health.