How long can decoction of Chinese medicine be kept at room temperature?

Traditional Chinese medicine is a common way of treating diseases. Different types of traditional Chinese medicine are needed for different diseases and different requirements. In daily life, how long can Chinese medicinal materials be kept? What are the factors that cause Chinese medicinal materials to become moldy? What are the common mold conditions of Chinese medicinal materials? The editor will explain them one by one for everyone.

How long can Chinese herbal medicines be stored?

1. How long can the decocted Chinese medicinal materials be kept?

At present, the most common packaging for decocted Chinese medicine decoctions is vacuum-sealed packaging, followed by containers provided by the patients themselves.

Studies have found that the higher the temperature, the faster the medicine will mold. In seasons with higher average temperatures, when the indoor temperature is above 25°C, the medicine is generally stored for no more than 2 days. If it is frozen, it is generally not easy to mold after being stored for 7 days. In addition, even under the same standard, different prescriptions have very different degrees of mildew. If the medicine contains more ingredients such as starch, protein, and glycogen, it will mildew faster.

In order to ensure the safety of drug use, the best storage temperature of Chinese herbal medicines in sealed vacuum-packed bags is 0-5°C, and the storage time is 7-14 days, but it is best not to exceed 7 days. On the one hand, after the decoction is cooked, it is often stored at room temperature for half a day to a day before being taken home and frozen, which will "accelerate" the mildew of the decoction; on the other hand, if the decocted decoction contains animal-based Chinese medicinal materials such as whole insects and centipedes, or Chinese medicinal materials with high sugar content such as cooked rehmannia and scutellaria, it will also affect the storage time. If you find that the medicine bag is bulging or the medicine tastes different, or has bubbles or other abnormal conditions, it is moldy and cannot be taken.

2. How long can dried Chinese medicinal materials be stored?

According to modern pharmaceutical research methods, anthraquinone glycoside compounds in Coptis chinensis are the main components that fully exert its laxative effect. However, with the increase of storage time, anthraquinone glycoside compounds will gradually be hydrolyzed into anthraquinone aglycones, and the laxative effect will gradually weaken.

If Chinese medicinal materials are left for too long, their ingredients will be lost, so their medicinal power will drop sharply. Chinese medicinal materials often undergo some mutations during the storage process, such as being easily bitten by insects, moldy, rotting, fading and changing taste, etc. Therefore, Chinese medicinal materials have a shelf life, and the longer they are left, the better the effect will be.

Those containing volatile oils, lactones, and even anthocyanins, which are prone to insect infestation, generally require a shelf life of about one year. The chemical structure of iron ore drugs is relatively stable and the storage time is relatively long, but it should not exceed ten years. If insects or mold occur, the efficacy of Chinese medicinal materials will be affected. It is recommended to place Chinese medicinal materials in a ventilated and dry place.