According to this definition, the temperament and composition percentage of no two people are the same, just as the fingerprints of no two people are the same.
The theory posits that in a clinical category, healthy and sick people are pigeonholed into different groups given symptoms such as facial color, body temperature, pulse characteristics, physical and mental conditions, quality of excreta, etc.
The purpose of this classification is to teach and facilitate the separation of people’s characteristics so as to put in one group and study people who are most similar in terms of general characteristics through simplification.
The key point is that in the basic principles of traditional Iranian medicine, every edible substance, including food and medicine, has a special temperament that interacts with the consumer’s body according to their effect.
In previous articles, we gave a general definition of traditional Iranian medicine and the concept of temperament (Read more). To get familiar with the characteristics of each temperament and the correct lifestyle for each temperament in traditional Iranian medicine, you are recommended to read this one.
The right lifestyle for hot and dry temperament in traditional Iranian medicine
The special tips for hot and dry temperament are:
- Breathe fresh and cool air.
- In your diet, instead of meat, include more vegetables and fruits.
- Drink more water and fluids so that your morning urine is not thick and its color changes to lemon yellow.
- Get six to seven hours of sleep every night. On summer days, an hour of rest after lunch provides enough moisture to your body.
- Do physical activity and exercise in cool weather early in the morning or in the evening.
- Every night, moisturize your nose with a little natural sweet almond oil.
- Avoid weather, environment, activities and mental states that increase heat and dryness.
- Avoid drinking too much tea and coffee.
- Avoid excessive activity and vigorous exercise, as it increases heat and dryness.
- Avoid insomnia and lack of sleep (less than five hours of sleep) and sleeping late.
- Avoid anger, mental excitement and talking too much.
- If people with hot and dry temperament do not follow these instructions, they are more prone to suffering from the following diseases: anxiety, mental tension, migraine, tinnitus, heart palpitations, dysentery, jaundice, spotting and increased bleeding during menstruation, bitterness in the mouth, dry cough, insomnia, burning without reason during urination and severe weight loss.
- Foods suitable for hot and dry temperament are: apple, pear, plum, okra, stewed pumpkin, watermelon, almond nut, pumpkin, mung bean and barley soup.
- Eating garlic, onion, melon, eggplant, black seed, banana and cantaloupe is not suitable for people with hot and dry temperament
The right lifestyle for hot and moist temperament in traditional Iranian medicine
Special temperamentological tips for hot and moist temperament:
- Keep yourself warm in cold weather and cool in hot weather.
- Include fruits and vegetables in your diet almost as much as you do meat. Seafood is compatible with hot and humid weather.
- Fifteen to thirty minutes of walking or running in the morning is useful for people with hot and moist temperament.
- For hot and moist temperament, six to seven hours of night sleep is enough. These people should avoid sleeping early and waking up early. In the summer, half an hour of rest after eating is useful for them, so if your temperament is hot and moist, avoid trying to sleep more than 8 hours.
- Include laxative foods in your diet to have a natural bowel movement.
- Cupping therapy is good for people with this temperament and it is better to do it in spring or summer.
- Avoid air, environment, activities and mental states that increase heat and humidity, especially in humid weather.
- Too much activity and hard sports are not useful for those with this temperament.
- Avoid excessive worry, anger and excitement.
- If people with a hot and humid temperament do not follow these general and specific instructions, they will suffer more from these diseases: headache, sleepiness, blood in the urine, fatigue, sexual impotence, obesity and heart palpitations.
- Use more of these items in your diet: lettuce, cucumber, oranges, barley bread, sprouted grains, apples, tamarind and Aloo Bukhara (also known as Semi dried plum).
- These foods are not suitable for people with hot and moist temperament: All types of salty spices also known as shoor, too much meat, fatty foods, dates, mangoes, raisins, liver, bananas and garlic.
The right lifestyle for cold and moist temperament in traditional Iranian medicine
Special temperamentological instructions for cold and moist temperament are:
- Do not drink water half an hour before a meal and one to two hours after a meal.
- Due to the weak ability of the digestive system, it is better for phlegmatic people to eat only two meals a day.
- Include exercise and regular physical activity in your daily schedule.
- Useful to walk for 10 to 15 minutes after dinner.
- Eight hours of sleep would be good. People with phlegm should wake up at dawn so that excess phlegm is not produced in their body.
- Sleeping and resting too much increases coldness and dryness and would be harmful. It is recommended that they wear suitable warm enough clothes, especially in humid weather conditions.
- Excessive rest and inactivity are harmful for the people.
- Sleeping during the day, especially an hour before sunset, is very harmful. Because it causes an increase in phlegm, heaviness of the head, inflammation of the sinuses and slowdown of brain activity.
- If people with a cold and moist temperament do not follow the above instructions, they are going to be vulnerable to suffer from these symptoms and diseases: sneezing, headache, memory loss, dyspnea, hypersomnia, asthma, sinusitis, inflammation and enlarged tonsils, indigestion, stomach reflux and esophagus, nocturia, joint pains and inflammations, female secretions and delayed menstruation.
- People with this temperament must eat protein-rich and laxative foods such as eggs, meat, shrimp, and liver. Also, they need to be cautious about eating cold foods during winter and at night.
- If your temperament is cold and moist, use these ingredients in your diet: lamb, turkey, apple, fennel, carrot, peas, wheat, cinnamon, ginger, honey, juice, date and pistachio.
- Ingredients such as lentil, sour fruit, mushroom, beef and lettuce are not good for people with this temperament.
What is the best temperament?
If each temperament is balanced and healthy, it is good for the person, and people with different temperaments that are in a state of health and balance are healthy, and none of them is bad.
Therefore, one cannot assert that the hot and moist temperament is superior to the others or the cold and moist temperament is the worst.
For example, if someone’s temperament is hot and dry, this temperament is ideal for the person, and if his/her temperament is out of balance or, due to the wrong lifestyle and improper diet, his/her temperament becomes cold and moist or hot and moist, they fall ill.
That’s why any person with any temperament leads a healthy and happy life, provided that they observe what is suitable to their temperament.
In our next article, we will tell you how you can identify your temperament.
