Chinese medicine is decocted before being put into the pot

Patients should pay attention to many key points when making Chinese medicine at home. In addition to the overall decoction time, degree of doneness and other issues, Chinese medicinal materials also have differences in whether they are decocted first or later. There are some differences in the needs for the following unique medicines.

1. Chinese medicinal materials that are crushed first and then fried for 30 minutes: mainly some iron ores, shellfish or horn-shell medicines, such as gypsum, cold water stone, red ochre, magnetite, hematite, pumice, realite, natural copper, oyster, stone cassia, mother of pearl, sea clam shell, corrugated stone, tortoise shell, turtle shell, pangolin, dragon bone, dragon tooth, antelope horn, etc. 2. Chinese medicinal materials that need to be decocted for 30 minutes first (they can only be effective if decocted first): Radix Glehniae, Fructus Hemp, Dendrobium Officinale, etc. 3. Chinese medicinal materials that should be decocted for 1-2 hours first (to reduce or remove poison): Aconitum, Rhizoma Lucidum, Rhizoma Phytolaccae, etc. The purpose of adding Chinese medicine last when decocting it is to reduce the risk of components being damaged or lost due to long-term boiling. The best time to put it in is in the last 5 to 10 minutes of decocting time. The Chinese medicinal materials needed are mainly those with fragrant taste and rich in volatile oils, including mint, patchouli, sweet myrtle, nutmeg, white cardamom, white cardamom, sandalwood, agarwood, dalbergia, green oar, asarum, etc.; some medicines that are easy to relieve the effect after long-term boiling, such as Uncaria rhynchophylla, sweet almond, and raw rhubarb.

"Pre-decocting" means putting the medicine into the container first, adding water and decocting it separately for about 30 minutes, and then putting in other medicines to decoct together. The medicines that need to be decocted first are mostly mineral medicines and intermediary medicines with strong properties, as well as some toxic medicines, such as magnetite, magnetite, oyster, dragon bone, stone cassia, mother of pearl, tortoise shell, turtle shell, aconite, and luteolin. Since mineral drugs and intermediary drugs are hard in color, it is not easy for their components to be decocted out in a short period of time. Therefore, they should be crushed and decocted first when used to increase the components in the decoction and enhance the efficacy of the drug. Aconitum, Lutein, etc. are all chronic poisons. Their harmful ingredient is aconitine, which can be dissolved after long-term boiling, and the toxic side effects become weaker, while the ingredients increase accordingly.

"Later" means when other medicines are almost ready to be decocted, add the medicine that is about to be decocted, and decoct for 5 to 10 minutes. Most of the medicines that are needed are those with fragrant smell and light medicinal effects, as well as some medicines whose medicinal effects will be reduced after long-term decoction, such as mint, white cardamom, sweet myrtle, fresh perilla, fresh patchouli and Uncaria rhynchophylla. Most of the fragrant and light-dispersing medicines contain volatile oils, which have the effects of sweating, replenishing deficiency, regulating qi and relieving pain. For example, mint volatile oil can induce sweating, replenish deficiency and reduce fever, while white cardamom volatile oil has the effects of regulating qi and relieving pain.

If it is simmered for a long time, the flavor will be lost, a large amount of volatile oil will escape, and the medicinal effect will be reduced or even lost. Although Uncaria rhynchophylla is not a fragrant and light medicine, its ingredient is uncarine, which has the effect of lowering blood pressure. If the decoction exceeds 20 minutes, part of it will be destroyed. The longer the decoction time, the more the Uncaria rhynchophylline will be destroyed, and the lower the blood pressure lowering effect, or even completely ineffective. Therefore, it is also necessary to go back.