Ἱπποκράτης / Hippokrátēs

Make a habit of two things: to help; or at least to do no harm.

~ Hippocrates

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Like Thales, Hippocrates sought natural explanations for natural phenomena. Basing his opinions on empirical knowledge, not on religion or magic, he taught that natural means could be employed to fight disease. In his treatise ‘On airs, Water, and Places,’ he noted the influence of climate and environment on health. Hippocrates and his followers put forth a theory that was to prevail in medical circles until the eighteenth century. The human body, they declared, contains four humors, or fluids, blood, phlegm, black bile and yellow bile. In a health body the four humors are in perfect balance; too much or too little of any particular humors causes illness. . . Page 94

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Dinesh ^club

2 years ago. Edited 11 months ago.

Dinesh ^club

Many modern drugs and treatments derive from plants, and the traditions and folklore of herbal medicine are as old as civilization itself. Almost 2,500 years ago Hippocrates -- renowned for the Hippocratic oath of the physician’s ethical code -- recommended chewing willow to alleviate pain, and ancient Chinese herbal medicine similarly prescribes willow bark to control fever. The essential oil extracted from lavender has antiseptic and anti-inflammatory properties and therefore useful as an external balm for cuts and bruises, whereas tea tree oil has been used traditionally for its antiseptic and antifungal action. Digitalin is extracted from foxgloves and can slow down the hear rate of those suffering from a fast irregular pulse, while the bark of the cinchona tree contains the antimalarial drug quinine, which gives tonic water its characteristic bitter flavor (and led to the British colonial penchant for shipping gin and tonics). ~ Page 155

11 months ago. Edited 11 months ago.

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