Traditional European Medicine - Four Juices Doctrine, Therapies and Products

Traditional European Medicine is both a natural science and a spiritual science. The ancient natural medicine of Europe perceives and takes seriously the human being in its wholeness. It aims to strengthen the individual constitution of a person, regulate imbalances and activate self-healing on the basis of the theory of the humours. The ancient art of healing does not consider the human being in isolation, but in interaction with life circumstances, the seasons, environment, climate and phases of life. TEM can be used to accompany and support conventional medicine. It extends disease treatment to promote health knowledge and thus the ability to stay healthy,or to become so again.

The European tradition may not have been around as long as TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine), but all traditional systems agree that illness is to be seen as a lost balance, everything has spiritual, mental and energetic causes. The living being is the focus, i.e. the whole person and not just individual organs or parts. Good lifestyle and healthy food are essential for maintaining health and all the knowledge of the world that we possess on earth comes only from the light of nature.

History and four-juices doctrine

. Hippocrates of Kos and Galenus of Pergamum are considered the founders of humoral pathology (four-juices doctrine). TEM has Greek, Roman, perhaps also Egyptian roots, absorbed Germanic, Celtic and Slavic impulses. In the Middle Ages, monastic medicine reached a peak with Hildegard von Bingen. Representatives of TEM are the physician and philosopher Paracelsus as well as Samuel Hahnemann with homeopathy, Rudolf Steiner with anthroposophy and pastor Sebastian Kneipp with the five pillars for a healthy life. The medical upheaval in the 19th century with the turn towards cellular pathology ended the era of TEM as university medicine. However, it lived on among the people and traditional healers.

The basis of TEM is the four-juices theory. Hippocrates and Galenus of Pergamon are considered the founders of humoral pathology. Hippocrates assigned the elements water, air, fire and earth the four humours sanguis (blood), phlegma (phlegm), cholé (yellow bile) and melancholé (black bile) with the corresponding temperaments sanguine, choleric, phlegmatic and melancholic. The qualities of dry and moist; warm and cold as well as assigned organs also characterise the archetypes. Health was defined as eucrasia, the correct mixing ratio of the humours, whereby the humours are symbols for energetic principles of action in the body. Dyscrasia is said to exist when there is an imbalance of the humours.

Medical diagnosis and methods of therapy

. In TEM, no single symptom is treated, but the interaction of organs and functions is observed. Observational skills and the sensitivity of the senses help the TEM doctor to make a diagnosis. Inspection (looking at), palpation (touching), auscultation (listening), iridology (iris findings), tongue, pulse and segmental findings complete the picture in addition to the detailed conversation. With the help of comprehensive diagnostic methods and attention to the interplay of all organs and functions, weaknesses can be detected, which can manifest themselves at some point in a disease. With the multi-layered TEM applications and therapies, one tries to prevent this.

In order to balance the imbalance of the juices, different and newly developed methods are applied based on the five pillars of Pastor Kneipp:

• Special examination by the TEM doctor
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• Massages, Reflexology/Reflex Point Treatment or Holistic Four Temperament Treatment "Reflexology" (individual massage strokes, reflex point treatments as well as herbs and oils)
• Individual wrap and water treatments.
• Bloodletting according to Hildegard von Bingen
• Type-appropriate nutrition, fasting, detoxification & purification.
• Life order and spirituality
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• Movement: hiking, archery and wyda (the yoga of the Celts, brings energy, flexibility and inner centredness)
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• Spagyric

In addition to the therapeutic methods mentioned above, medicinal plants and herbs have always had their fixed place in TEM. These include:

Products from medicinal plants and herbs of TEM

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• Print tinctures: Are alcoholic extracts of the fresh plant. A very intensive, effective plant tincture.
• Gemmotherapy/embryonic cell therapy: In gemmotherapy, only embryonic plant tissue is used, i.e. plant parts that are particularly active in division, e.g. buds, shoots and root tips. The wealth of protein in these plant parts is enormous. We offer gemmotherapy e.g. from the brand Phytopharma.
• Essential oils: Essential oil is the pure liquid essence of the plant. Essential oils have a direct effect on the limbic system and thus on the mental-emotional level. They have antiseptic, antiviral, antiparasitic and fungicidal properties.
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• Flower waters: Flower waters are produced according to centuries-old tradition by means of gentle steam distillation. Flower water obtained in this way carries all the valuable information.
• Lithotherapy/stone medicine: According to Paracelsus, everything is significantly determined by the basic elements Mercury, Sulphur and Sal. Since there is an analogy between man and the cosmos, man finds the right remedy in his immediate environment. We offer lithotherapy, for example, from the brand Phytopharma.

Engaging in this holistic method, which addresses the body system as a whole and aims at mental and physical balance, is part of Saint Charles's self-conception. Our goal is not "more", but "better"! "Better" for us means ethical business with moral products. We stand fully behind our products. Not only because they are of the highest quality, but because they change something for the better. In you and in your environment. The herbs we find on our doorstep we can process into remedies, make them work in cosmetics or eat them. Right to the Roots! Learn more about our philosophy here.

Source (excerpts): Bad Kreuzen - Traditional European Medicine [14/10/2019].