Historical Herbalists: Hippocrates
Introduction
Holistic Humorism
In Hippocrates’ lifetime, illness came from gods or superstitious beliefs.1 In fact, people viewed the body as a collection of separate parts.4 Hippocrates challenged these ideas and used a holistic approach to understand and treat illness.
The idea of humors goes back to Ancient Indian Ayurvedic medicine.5 So the idea of humors was not new to the Ancient Greeks. However, Hippocrates took the concept and defined the Four Humors of blood, yellow bile, black bile, and phlegm to unify his holistic theory of medicine.4 To that end, when the Four Humors are balanced, the body is free from illness.5
Additionally, Hippocrates believed that the body had ways to achieve this balance on its own and prescribed fasting as treatment.1 He also recommended a healthy diet, exercise, and plants as medicine.3
Modern Medicine
Today, modern medicine does not recognize the existence of humors, but the impact of Hippocrates is still undeniable. His namesake describes many symptoms including Hippocratic fingers and Hippocratic Smile.1 Not to mention, he started a School of Medicine where he taught students his medical theories and methods of diagnosis and treatment.3 In fact, this school brought us the Hippocratic Oath which doctors have taken, followed, and edited for centuries.
Sources
2 – Hippocrates | Biography, Writings, & Facts – Britannica
3 – Hippocrates – Biography – The Biography.com
