Humoral Theory Was Used for Centuries to Create Specialized Diets
Hippocrates, often referred to as the father of Western medicine, developed the humoral theory in ancient Greece. According to this theory, the human body is composed of four humors – blood, phlegm, yellow bile, and black bile. These must be kept in balance in order to maintain good health. Each humor is associated with a different element and personality type. Blood is associated with air and a sanguine personality, phlegm with water and a phlegmatic personality, yellow bile with fire and a choleric personality, and black bile with earth and a melancholic personality.
Imbalances in these humors were thought to lead to disease, and treatment involved restoring balance through diet, exercise, and sometimes bloodletting. While the humoral theory may seem outdated by modern medical standards, it had a significant impact on the development of medicine and the understanding of the human body in ancient times.