AYURVEDA + HUMORISM BOTH DESCRIBE HEALTH AS NOT ONLY THE ABSENCE OF DISEASE BUT THE HARMONY OF PHYSICAL, MENTAL, EMOTIONAL AND SPIRITUAL WELL-BEING.
aYURVEDA
Ayurveda is an ancient system of medicine from India whose teachings say all aspects and facets of the physical world are governed by the principles of the 5 elements, Ether, Air, Fire, Water, Earth and their resulting combinations. These concepts govern such things as body/mind constitutions, foods + herbs, seasons, directions, time, and states of matter.
By combining the elements, we get the three doshas, or body/mind constitutions:
Vata Ether + Air combine creating qualities of Cold, Light, Dry, Irregular, Rough, Moving, Quick, and Changeable. Vata governs all the hollow places of the body, the joints, the colon and is responsible for the movement of energy in the body and mind.
Pitta Fire + Water combine creating qualities of Hot, Light, Intense, Penetrating, Pungent, Sharp, Acidic. Pitta governs metabolism, sight, digestion and the digestive organs.
Kapha Water + Earth combine creating qualities of Heavy, Slow, Steady, Solid, Cold, Soft, Oily. Kapha governs the lungs and heart, immunity, and is responsible for lubrication and moistness in the body.
While all three doshas are present in every person, each of us has our own unique combination usually resulting in the predominance of one over the other two.
Humorism
Humorism is an ancient system of medicine methodized by several Greek philosophers. This system of constitution based medicine is also based around the elements; Earth, Air, Fire, Water. These concepts also govern such things as body/mind constitutions, foods + herbs, seasons, directions, time, and states of matter.
A strong sense of duality is found in this classical science which sees all cycles, manifestation and phenomena in the natural world as resulting from the dynamic interplay of opposite yet complementary forces and qualities. There is a heavy focus on what is refereed to as the 4 principle qualities of Hot, Cold, Dry, and Wet, which we see reflected in what we now understand as western herbalism.
The Humours are vital fluids found in the body. An extreme excess or deficiency of any can be a sign of illness. Each of the humors create temperaments of the mind/body.
The 4 Temperaments are:
Phlegmatic Cold and wet. Governs the the phlegm or liquid states in the body and relates to the element of water, winter, and midnight.
Sanguine Wet and hot. Governs the blood and relates to the element of air, spring, and sunrise.
Choleric Hot and dry. Governs the yellow bile responsible for digestion and relates to the element of fire, summer, and noon
Melancholic Cold and dry. Governs the black bile. Normal black bile is a sediment of blood. Abnormal or morbid forms of black bile can be the charred, oxidized residues of any of the Four Humors. Relates to the element of earth, autumn, and sunset.
Our modern lifestyles can throw us out of balance quite easily, effecting our sleeping and eating patterns, digestion, immune system, peace of mind, and general lifestyle routines.
Through discovering your unique constitution, we can determine what foods, herbal support, and lifestyle routines are best suited to keep you your most healthy and happy.