the body is unable to gain and maintain a normal level of humidity thin people with dry and cold or dry and warm mizaj are more likely to suffer from excessive dryness. excessive wetness on the other hand, some actions and eating some foods and drinks can lead to excessive wetness in the body. these include: lack of movement and not exercising, which cause excessive wetness built up in the body spending a long period of time in wet places, such as a bath or swimming pool wet climate or seasons, such as spring and winter, or residing in coastal areas being in close contact with water, for instance by working in paddy fields, teaching swimming, or being a lifeguard consuming too much food and drink with wet mizaj such as water, dairy products, or vinegar overeating, as the digestive system is not capable of converting the food into energy properly, and unwanted materials and humidity will build up in the body decrease in the amount of body waste discharged from the body, which causes excessive wetness in the body overweight people with wet mizaj are more prone to suffer excessive wetness. types of temperaments in iranian traditional medicine the excess or lack of warmness and humidity define four essential temperaments. these are "warm and wet (sanguine or damawiy)", "warm and dry (choleric or safrawiy)", "cold and dry (melancholic or saudawiy)" and "cold and wet (phlegmatic or balghamiy)". the terms in the parentheses refer to four groups of material in the body (called "humors" or 'akhlat') including blood, yellow bile, black bile, and phlegm respectively. words written in italic show original persian terms in the ancient literature. choleric: warm and dry people with choleric temperament are usually tall and thin. they have a small frame, their fingers, lips, and other body parts are not large, and they are unlikely to get overweight. they have a dry and warm skin color with a yellow and sometimes peachy undertone. they have a rapid pulse, are exuberant, quickly finish what they are supposed to do – usually perfectly and carefully – and speak fast. people with warm and dry mizaj have a naturally high body temperature. due to the dryness of their mizaj they might suffer constipation and waste matter (urine, sweat, and feces) discharged from their bodies usually has strong odor and color. burning in the anus and urinary tract can be common among this group. due to the warmness in their body they digest food quickly, and as they do not have adequate amount of nutrients to provide for the energy needs of the body, they get hungry quickly. their mouth gets dry quickly. due to the warmness in their body which moves upward to the head, their hair grows faster. they have coarse thick black hair. premature graying and hair loss is prevalent among these people. as they're able to think fast and act fast, they may lose some concentration abilities. they have keen senses and can easily notice the smallest changes in smells, voices, tastes, and colors. they are overly sensitive and will be easily upset or offended. they function well on low amounts of sleep. they are not very sound sleepers and are prone to suffer stress, anxiety, and sleep deprivation. they are idealist and fond of efficiency. they are also in favor of punctuality. sanguine: warm and wet people with sanguine temperament are normally sociable and cheerful. they are usually in high spirits, patient, and adaptable. they have a rosy complexion and soft and smooth skin. they also have thick black hair, with thick density and more volume. people with a sanguine temperament are stout, sturdy, and burly with a muscular body. these people have bigger veins which are prominent and easily seen through the skin in the arms and legs. they also have a more powerful and stronger pulse. they rarely get sick, however, they are more prone to develop conditions such as obesity, hypertension, blood clots, high cholesterol, and high uric acid. drowsiness, particularly in spring, is common among people with sanguine temperament. they are more likely to develop acne. they are good leaders. they have a good appetite and a craving for meat, bread, and rice. waste matter discharged from their bodies have usually strong color and odor. as they consume food in large quantities they expel more body waste. melancholic: cold and dry people with a melancholic temperament are usually thin and have a small frame. they do not have large body parts and they do not gain weight. they have a dark complexion and are likely to develop dark spots on their skin. their skin is dry and rough and is prone to get wrinkles and show signs of premature skin aging. their hair is coarse, curly and coiled. they also have excessive unwanted hair. people with a melancholic temperament tend to be introspective and introverted. they act and speak unhurriedly, and might need more time to accomplish a task, but they do it well. they might have negative thoughts. they can be perceived as cynical, skeptic, distrustful and suspicious, and are more likely to develop mental disorders such as depression. they are also likely to have more nightmares than other people. they do not sleep much, have trouble falling asleep fast, and they have a lower sleep efficiency which might cause disturbed sleep. they have a retentive memory. they are much more likely to suffer constipation and dry skin. body waste discharged from their bodies might become dark in color. they are not in favor of change. they are sensitive to foods and drinks with a cold and dry temperament, and they have to cut down on pickled fruits and vegetables, foods with vinegar content, lentils, eggplants, and fast food. phlegmatic: cold and wet people with phlegmatic temperament usually feel cold and run colder than other people. they are light, fair and smoothed-complexioned, and relatively speaking they have glowing skin. they have silky, straight, smooth and thin hair. they do not have much unwanted hair. their body parts are large. they are normally bulky and quickly gain weight with a body composition of larger proportions of fat rather than muscle tissue, and they usually seem swollen. they take their time thinking, speaking and acting. they oversleep and when they get up they feel they have not slept enough. they usually have trouble waking up and they wake up tired. these people are prone to wake up with swollen feet, hands and puffy face specially after sleeping in the evening. they feel dizzy and tired in the early morning, particularly when it is cold or they have consumed food or drinks with wet mizaj such as yogurt. they usually are more sensitive to cold and humid weather. they are sensitive to dairy products, sour foods, large amounts of water, and high-water-content foods and should cut back on them. due to the wetness of their bodies and brains, they tend to have a poorer and shorter memory compared to people of other temperaments, as wetness and coldness result in a decrease in transferring and storing data. people with cold and wet mizaj are patient and calm. they expel a fairly large amount of waste matter, but the waste does not have a strong color or odor unless waste materials have built up in their bodies. they do not have a strong pulse, neither do they have prominent veins. they also tend to suffer low blood pressure. humors humors, or 'akhlat', are liquid humours formed in the liver and gastrointestinal system following digestion. afterwards the substances move towards the liver and will be processed again (called the second digestion in traditional medicine) and will form the four liquid humors: blood, yellow bile, black bile, and phlegm. the gastrointestinal tract, also known as digestive tract, plays an important role in one's health and it is said that all diseases begin in the gut. the four aforesaid humours, or akhlat, are supposed to supply the cells and the body organs with necessary nutrients. therefore, the healthier the humors are, the healthier the body. selecting healthy foods in accordance with the main mizaj (temperament) to aid digestion keeps one healthy. excessive amounts of blood, yellow bile, black bile, and phlegm is rooted from the fact that someone has not stuck to a healthy diet. in the iranian traditional medicine 'abstaining' is the best path to effective treatment. according to a saying by razi, once you are aware of the detrimental effects of a food item you should abstain from it and it is wise "not to choose your desire over your body's comfort". mizaj in the humors in itm everything in this world has mizaj, and akhlat are no exception. akhlat can be also examined according to their warmness and humidity : yellow bile is warm and dry, if it increases in the body, the body will become warmer and drier blood is warm and wet, excessive blood will increase the warmness and humidity in the body black bile is cold and dry, with copious amounts of black bile the body will get drier and colder phlegm is cold and wet, high amounts of phlegm in the body will raise the coldness and humidity in the body yellow bile yellow bile is not as abundant as phlegm and blood in the body. it is the lightest of all humors. it resembles cooking foam. yellow bile acts as a diluent and facilitates the transfer of blood and nutrients from capillaries to the remote body organs. it is also in charge of the metabolization of fats and lipids, and eases digestion. yellow bile is tasked with cleaning up the digestive system, vascular tissues, and genitalia. that is why people with excessive yellow bile might experience burning sensation with urination or defecation, frequent urination, frequent bowel movements, and heavy or prolonged menstrual bleeding. thick or viscous blood cannot effectively flow into the small vessels and capillaries and provide the tissues with sufficient oxygen and nutrients, so it can cause fatigue, along with bruising or discoloration, cold feet, and cold hands. yellow bile stops such health conditions by improving blood circulation, as its job is to accelerate the transfer of blood and nutrients in the body. being hot and dry, yellow bile is accompanied with movement and motion rather than immobility. excessive yellow bile symptoms yellowing of the skin and eyes; feeling bitter taste in mouth; getting acne on the face or the scalp; having dry skin, eyes, mouth, nasal passages and bad breath; getting wrinkles; dark circles under the eyes; losing appetite; feeling nauseated, itching, burning, and irritation in genitalia or rectum; getting thin; feeling unquenchable thirst; troubled sleep; sleep deprivation; feeling stressed out; pins-and-needles sensation in fingers and/or toes and strong smelling waste materials (urine, sweat, menstrual blood) are some of the symptoms which appear by excessive yellow bile. blood "blood" is the most abundant and most important humor in the body, which is formed by eating food. the humor of "blood" is necessary for growth, especially in children and teenagers, when their growth spurt happens. so they need larger amounts of "blood" by consuming foods which will produce this humor in the body. a great deal of the bloodstream is made up of the humor of "blood", which is warm and wet. excessive "blood" symptoms similar to any other humour excessive amounts of "blood" will cause discomfort or even serious illnesses. dizziness, lightheadedness, frequent yawning, fatigue, red and bloodshot eyes, redness of the face and lips, blood filled pimples, abscess especially on the hips, genitalia or anus, bleeding of the gums while brushing your teeth, frequent nosebleeds, high blood pressure, losing mental acuity, a sweet taste in the mouth specially in the morning, heavier than normal or prolonged menstrual bleeding, itching, and hot and moist skin are of the symptoms of excessive "blood". black bile black bile is cold and dry. it is sparse, but it is essential for the body. the right amounts of black bile keep bones healthy and strong and bones, teeth and tendons primarily live off black bile. normal amounts of black bile also support hair and nails. black bile strengthens body parts, therefore a lack of black bile in the body will compromise bone strength and the tendon's function. in a