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COMPARATIVE STUDY BETWEEN ANCIENT GREEK AND TRADITIONAL CHINESE MEDICINE Author: Alexandros Tilikidis

A. INTRODUCTION This comparative study between Ancient Greek and Traditional Chinese Medicine is based on Hippocrates (transl. Georgios K. Pournaropoulos, MARTINOS publications) and Galinos works, as well as on the literature on TCM (sited at the end of this article). B. YIN-YANG THEORY The first report on the YIN-YANG theory is found at YI CHING (The Book of Changes). The world is made of the extreme polarity. From her are born the two principles of YIN and YANG (liang yi). In Yellow Emperors Internal Classic (Nei King, So Wen, Ling Shu), the text on which TCM is based on, the YIN-YANG theory constitutes the basis for the understanding of human physiology and pathology. In Hippocrates On diet, the first book, according to my opinion, that sites the fundamental philosophic principles of Ancient Greek Medicine, is mentioned that All animals, nay, man himself, is made of two elements which have different powers but same application. These two elements are water and fire. These two, when united, suffice to create everything else, but the one without the other does suffice neither for itself, nor for anything else. The power of each is such: Fire can move anything, water can nourish everything. Each one by its turn rules and is ruled at every edge, from here and until where it can reach out. None may dominate absolutely for the following reason: Fire lacks food when it reaches the edge of the water, so it returns to the point where it can be nourished. Water loses its ability to move when it reaches to the edge of fire, so then it stops and when it stops has no more power. Then it consumed in order to nourish the oncoming fire. For this reason none of the above mentioned elements may prevail over the other absolutely. If the one would prevail against the other, nothing from what exists today would be as it is now. But since the two elements shall stay forever the same, all things shall stay the same forever as they are now, and none of the elements will be absent, and the two elements will not be absent at the same time. So, as I said, fire and water will always suffice for everything. C. THEORY OF THE 5 MOVEMENTS (WU XING) & THE 4 ELEMENTS The analysis of the exquisite attributes of numbers is a common element of the said medical systems. The first three numbers (1,2,3) reflect the worlds structure. 4 is the first number through which the three first powers are arrayed in order to manifest the world. Chinese thought attributes to 4 the qualities of the 4 primeval universal powers. The power YUEN reflects the urge towards growth. It is the material expression of cosmos, as it manifests in blooming and sprouting that take place at Springtime. The power of apex HENG reflects the urge towards growth in its supreme expression, as it manifests at Summers fruitage. The power of concentration LI reflects the first downward movement and return to Mother Earth as it manifests at the falling of the fruits and the leaves that takes place during Autumn. Finally, the power of introversion ZHI reflects the urge towards introspection, the climax of downward movement, as is manifests in the calmness and quiescence of the plants during Winter. The theory of the 5 movements (WU XING) is based on the expression of the 4 previous powers in terrestrial reality. At this stage, the centre of the expressed power is number 5, which describes the 4 previous universal powers as they materialize in terrestrial reality. Ancient Greek Medicine does not mention number 5. Galinos, influenced by Heraclitus, in his book On Hippocrates principles says: Whoever holds that any of the composite bodies is made of fire, air, water and earth, is possibly right Ancient Greeks, with Heraclitus as the main exponent, hold that all material things of the world we perceive, contain the four elements of water, air, fire and earth. These four elements correspond to the 4 primeval Chinese powers YUEN (air), HENG (fire), LI (earth) and ZHI (water). In TCM, the theory of the 4 primeval powers or that of the 5 movements (WU XING) exhibits two main characteristics: The first is that all phenomena contain, in varying degrees, corresponding attributes with the ones of the 4 primeval powers. Thus, everything can be classified by right of this attribute. E.g. YUEN: urge towards growth expansion air Spring Liver creativity green

color etc. The second is that among these 4 powers exist inner connections that have either an originative (Yang) or a controlling (Yin) character. And to this both elements, Ancient Greek Medicine agrees with TCM. Heraclitus describes the relations among the 4 elements in passage 76. Fire lives with earths death, air with fires death, water with airs death and earth with waters death. D. CORRESPONDENCES AT THE PERCEPTION OF THE INTERNAL ORGANS FUNCTION 1. ON LIVER. In TCM, Liver is the organ that, in the human body, expresses the primeval power YUEN, which is associated with the urge towards expansion and growth. The Greek word for Liver (Hepar), comes from the word epairomai (meaning swank). This verb expresses the urge towards occupation of more space, that is the urge towards growth and expansion. 2. ON HEART. In TCM, the Heart is the Emperor and houses the Shen (Spirit). The Heart is associated with the primeval power HENG (fire). Galinos mentions that (5th paragraph, p. 328, according to Chrysippos) the Heart is greatest and most prominent part of the soul. There are similar correspondences with other organs also. 3. ON SPLEEN. In TCM, Spleen is related with dampness. His main function is to transform and transport this dampness. In ancient Greek Medicine Spleen is an area in the abdominal cavity (behind the Stomach, below diaphragm and in front of spinal column) where is situated a part of the Liver, Pancreas and - what they call in the west - Spleen. This areas name is Spleen which is coming from the word (Spilaion - meaning cave) because is dark and wet like a cave. 4. ON LUNG. In TCM, Lung governs breathing and Qi. In Ancient Greek Medicine the word (Pneumon - meaning Lung) is coming from the word (Pneo - meaning Blow) which, in Greek, means the movement of the wind. From the word (Pneo meaning blow) are coming the words: (Pnoi - meaning Breath), (Pneuma meaning Spirit), (Pneumon - meaning Lung). 5. ON KIDNEY. In TCM, Kindeys store the primordial Yin (water) and Yang (fire) energy of the whole body. In Ancient Greek Medicine the word (Nefros - meaning Kidneys) is coming from the abbreviation of the words: (Nero meaning water) and (Fos meaning Light - Fire).

E. THEORY OF MERIDIANS AND BRANCHES In TCM, meridians and branches hold a prominent position, both to the understanding of the human body, as to therapeutic protocols. In Chapter 27 of So Wen we read: As in the sky the heavenly bodies move in certain paths and in the earth the rivers flow, so the human body has meridians (Yang) and branches (Yin). Hippocrates, in his ON MANS NATURE (transl. Georgios K. Pournaropoulos, MARTINOS Publications, Volume C, p. 233, par. 11) mentions: The great veins have the following arrangement: There are four pairs in the human body. One of these starts at the back of the head, traverses the collum, then the back and ends, through the right and left side, at the hip and the legs. Then, passing from the knees, it ends to the outer part of the ankles and the toes. Therefore, one should perform exsanguination for pain at the back and at the hipbone, at the outer part of the hamstrings and the ankles. The veins of the second pair, which are called jugular veins, start at the head close to the ears, traverse the collum, cross the back from one side and head across the lumbar area, reaching the sex glands and the thighs. Then, from the interior part of the hamstrings and the knees, they end at the interior part of the ankles and the toes. Therefore, for lower back pain and pain at the sex glands, one should perform exsanguination at the interior part of the hamstrings and the ankles. The third pair of veins starts at the temples, traverses the collum and heads towards the shoulder blade. Then it reaches the lungs and the right-side vein goes to the left while the left-side vein goes to the right. The rightside vein heads from the lung to the right breast, the spleen and the kidney, while the left-side heads towards the right breast, the liver and the kidney. Both end at the anus. The fourth part starts at the front side of the head and the eyes, traverses the collum and the collar bone and then the arms to end at the fold of the elbow. Then it traverses the forearm and descends to the carpus and the fingers. Then it ascends to the palm of the hands, to the forearm, to the fold of the elbow and the lower part of the arms to the armpit and at the upper part of the ribcage the one vein descends to the spleen and the other to the liver, while both end, traversing the abdominal area, to the genitals. This is the ramification of the great veins. The human body also contains many veins that start at the navel,

which carry food to the whole organism At this point it is worthwhile to make a comment in order to understand the reason for which modern medicine has departed so much from the Hippocratic principles, though without realizing it, is based on them. G. Pournaropoulos translation is reputedly the best. In spite of this, in the said paragraph, where Hippocrates mentions some of unknown to us meridians, quite similar with those of TCM, he uses the term veins. Here veins does not denote the common veins but some energy channels that Hippocrates knew and worked on. Even so, G. Pournaropoulos, ignoring the meridian theory, gives this most important chapter the title: Hippocrates Inexplicit views about veins. I wonder how many readers of these texts understood properly this most important paragraph. Thus, Ancient Greek Medicine was misunderstood, not only by its foes, but also by its advocators. F. PRINCIPLES OF HEALING TCM uses the allopathic approach. Cold is treated by heat and heat with cold. Hippocrates, at the 1st par. of his important book ON NATURES states clearly: Opposites are medicine for the opposites because medicine is like addition and subtraction: we subtract something that is redundant and we add to something that is insufficient. Whoever acts thus, is an excellent doctor. But whomever does not apply this way of thinking, has distanced himself from the true medical principles. G. METHODS OF TREATMENT In these two medical systems, nutrition and herbal treatment play a prominent role (see the paper in Bibliography). However, Hippocrates is not content only with these. In some points of the above-mentioned veins, he practices techniques similar to those of acupuncture (specifically: exsanguination, cauterization, needle insertion and bloodletting). He says at ON MANS NATURE, par. 11: Exsanguinations must therefore be performed according to these principles, but one should take care to apply them as further as possible from the painful spot, where the blood accumulates. We should therefore perform exsanguinations for pain at the back and hips, at the external part of hamstrings and ankles. EPILOGUE The entire previous datum, according my opinion, corroborates the similarities between the two medical systems. The Academy of Ancient Greek and Traditional Chinese Medicine is established exactly on these principles and focuses on these similarities. But what is the meaning of this emprise? TCM is the antipode of Western Medicine. Worldwide, and especially in the Western world, TCM, through its therapeutic strategies (acupuncture etc.) is renowned more and more. If these two systems indeed have similarities, then the theory of Ancient Greek Medicine could succeed and even interpret better, as it stands closer to the Western mentality, the theory of TCM. This would revive the forgotten Ancient Greek Medicine, restoring Ancient Greek Spirit in the prominent place it should occupy in the modern world. BIBLIOGRAPHY: 1. Hippocrates, Collected Works, MARTINOS Publications, editorship, G. K. Pournaropoulos (Prof. Of History of Medicine, Athens University) 2. Galinos, Collected Works, Od. Hatzopoulos Publications 3. Heraclitus, Kostas Axelos 4. Yellow Emperors Internal Classic (Nei King, So Wen) transl. Filimonas Rossis 5. Basic Theory of TCM, Alexandros Tilikidis 6. The Foundations of TCM, Giovanni Maciocia 7. The Web that has no Weaver, Ted Kaptchuk 8. Comparative study between Ancient Greek and Traditional Chinese Herbal Medicine.* Authors: Alexandros Tilikidis, Elefteria Mantzorou, Magia Mavraki, Papadogianni Eva, Ladas Andreas, Jason Danikas, Panagidou Alkisti, Marilena Petraki, Eirini Sarri. This paper was presented in 2nd Mediterranean Congress, under the aegis of Pharmaceutical School of University of Athens. * In this paper is presented a comparative study between Dioscurides herbal medicine (whose works are known under the title On Materia Medica, transl. Into modern Greek by Od. Hatzopoulos publications) and Chinese Herbal Medicine. Dioscurides On Materia Medica (1 A.D.) is the first Western script that analyses the healing properties of herbs (by herbs are meant materials from

both flora and fauna alike). In the Western world, herbal medicine and modern conventional medicine were, and still are based on this script. At exactly the same period, a similar work was written in China called Shen Non Gan Ben Cao (Divine Farmers Materia Medica). An English translation of this text was not available then, so we used the Materia Medica of Shanghai Medical School. The goal of this paper was to investigate any possible similarities between the two medical systems. The conclusions were as follows: 1. There is one common element, of utmost importance: Every herb is analyzed in two levels: The first analyzes the herbs character, based on the following terms: hot, cold, damp, dry, astringent, acrid, and its taste (bitter, sweet, salty, sour, spicy). This analysis is found at both works, even if not both works agree as to the healing properties of the herbs.. This level may be considered as equivalent of that of the biochemical analysis of herbs. The second level analyzes the healing properties of the herbs, based on their effect on various parts and organs of the human body, e.g., cathartic, diuretic, stimulating, demulcent, aphrodisiac, cicatrizing, emetic, cholagogue, expectorant, haematogogue, etc. This analysis is also found at both works regardless to the fact that works may agree or not to properties of the herbs. 2. Dioscurides describes about 950 herbs (from the plant or mineral kingdoms). The Chinese Shen Non Gan Ben Cao sites about 350. In spite of the difficulties we had concerning the nomenclature, it was found that dozens of them are identical. 3. Among the common herbs: a. To some are ascribed different properties concerning their character or their healing properties, either by Dioscurides or by the Chinese work. B. Some herbs have identical elements but also differences c. Some have many things in common, if they are not absolutely identical, concerning their character (energy features) and their healing properties. Through this comparative study, we concluded that the two systems, in spite of their geographical distance, have many things in common.