How long can I keep the Chinese medicine I brew myself?

Many busy wage earners will boil the Chinese herbs they need to drink at one time during holidays, and then put them in the refrigerator until they are ready to drink them. Experts say that this practice is not advisable, and boiled Chinese herbs are best drunk within one day.

It is best to drink the decocted Chinese medicinal materials on the same day.

Modern people are busy at work and it is impossible for them to spend 1-2 hours every day to boil Chinese medicine. Therefore, many people choose to boil a course of Chinese medicine during holidays, and then put it in the refrigerator to freeze until they need to drink it. But do you know that this is an undesirable method from the perspective of medical treatment or hygiene?

Experts say that decocted Chinese medicinal materials cannot be stored for a long time. When the temperature is relatively high in summer, it is best to consume it within 2 hours to prevent the medicine soup from spoiling. In other seasons, it can be stored for a longer time, but it must be consumed within 24 hours to achieve the best effect.

So why is Chinese herbal medicine soup not suitable for long-term storage? This is because the ingredients in Chinese medicinal materials are relatively complex, including protein, glycogen, carbohydrates, vitamins, etc. These substances will be dissolved in the soup during decocting. If they are not consumed immediately after decocting, chemical changes may occur if left for a long time, and even the medicinal effect may be evaporated.

Another problem is that if the Chinese medicinal materials are not consumed immediately after being decocted, they may become moldy. This is because the enzymes in the medicinal soup will produce bacteria due to issues such as temperature and time. Not only will the medicinal power be affected, but even harmful microorganisms may appear, which will aggravate physical discomfort after people consume them. Therefore, the decocted Chinese medicinal materials should not be kept for a long time, and it is best to eat them within the same day.

So what else should we pay attention to when boiling Chinese medicine? Let’s follow the editor to learn about it below.

Common problems in boiling Chinese medicine

Pay attention to the application container

Many young people don't know that aluminum and other metal products cannot be used when boiling Chinese medicine, otherwise it will affect the efficacy of Chinese medicine. Experts believe that the best container for boiling Chinese medicine is pottery, followed by stone pot, and then stainless steel, because pottery is more evenly heated and its ingredients are more stable and are not likely to react with Chinese medicine.

Pay attention to the time of boiling Chinese medicine

Different prescriptions require different cooking times. If you don’t know how long your prescription needs to be cooked, you can consult a doctor first. Generally speaking, the decocting time for tonic Chinese medicinal materials is 40-60 minutes, while 10-15 minutes is enough for treating exogenous colds.