Best description of the Galenic degrees I have found.

	Hot (Purify)	Cold (Hold the organism together)
First Degree	Opens the pores of the skin and tissues to let fluids flow out	Cools the body, on a hot summer day, refreshes the spirits, and returns the temperature to normal
Second Degree	Thins fluids so that they can flow out through the pores	Abates active inflammations
Third Degree	Increases the innate heat of the body that drives the fluids out through the pores	Thickens and contains substances within the organism, such as sweat and diarrhea, also condensing “vapors” that rise and cause nervousness, restlessness, and madness
Fourth Degree	Burns the skin to remove foreign growths	Causes unconsciousness and pain relief

Measures of humidity

Dry

Hardens to such an extent that it causes a boundary that keeps things within, especially fluids.

~ “strengthening to nature” (acclimatizing, resistance building)

~binding (astringent)

~hardening

~drawing

Damp

“Moisture spreads unstoppably in all directions until it meets a boundary.”

~loosening or relaxing

~moistening

~softening

~nourishing

Adapted from: Wood, Matthew. The Earthwise Herbal: A Complete Guide to Old World Medicinal Plants. North Atlantic Books: Berkley, 2008. Pages 5 – 7.