The correct way to boil Chinese medicine in an electric casserole

The electric casserole is a common type of casserole. It is easy to use and can be heated as long as there is electricity. Using an electric casserole to boil Chinese medicine is also a common method. It is more suitable for boiling Chinese medicine. It can be boiled over low or high heat. When using an electric casserole to boil Chinese medicine, you need to understand some correct methods. Let’s take a look at this aspect below.

Clay pots are suitable for decocting Chinese medicine, but you have to use both low heat and high heat to boil it. High heat means high heat, and low heat means slow heat. First, you have to boil it quickly with high heat, and then simmer it slowly with low heat for about half an hour. The effect will be better. The wattage of an electric clay pot is lower.

How to boil Chinese medicine in electric casserole

Just like boiling over fire, it is usually necessary to soak in water for 30 minutes. The cold and antipyretic medicine should be boiled quickly over high heat first, and then kept slightly boiling over low heat for 15 minutes. Generally, you need to keep boiling for 30 minutes. For tonic medicine, you need to boil it longer, usually more than 1 hour! The poisonous Aconitum is usually boiled for more than an hour. Use an electric casserole and try to keep the water boiling.

1. Three steps of decocting medicine

The first step is to soak the medicine in cold water for 30-60 minutes. The amount of water should be enough to cover the medicine surface by 3-5cm. The second step is to put the medicine on the fire and boil it with high heat (i.e. high fire). After boiling, switch to low heat (low fire) to maintain a slight boiling state to slow down the evaporation of water and facilitate the dissolution of active ingredients. Start timing after switching to low heat. Boil the antipyretic drugs (mostly those for treating colds) for about 15-20 minutes, and other drugs for 40-50 minutes. The third step is to pour out the medicinal liquid decocted for the first time, add appropriate amount of hot water (not too much water, just enough to cover the medicinal materials by 2-3cm) and boil it for the second time. The boiling time is about 20-30 minutes.

2. Decoction time

The time for decocting medicine starts from the time the water boils, and is divided into three situations: 1. Heat-clearing and dispersing drugs used to treat acute febrile diseases, exogenous wind-cold in all seasons, and wind-heat diseases. After the first decoction starts boiling, simmer over medium to high heat for 15 to 20 minutes. After the second decoction starts boiling, simmer for another 10 to 15 minutes. 2. Used as conditioning drugs to treat common chronic diseases, such as spleen and stomach diseases, organ dysfunction, hypertension, and cardiovascular diseases. The first decoction should be simmered on medium heat for 20 to 30 minutes after boiling, and the second decoction should be simmered for another 15 to 20 minutes after boiling. 3. Tonic medicines used to treat wasting diseases, such as qi deficiency, blood deficiency, kidney deficiency and other types of wasting diseases. The first decoction should be simmered on low heat for about 30 to 40 minutes after boiling, and the second decoction should be simmered for another 20 to 30 minutes after boiling.

3. How many times should I decoct the medicine?

Generally, it is advisable to decoct a dose of Chinese medicine twice. If it is decocted too few times, the extraction will be incomplete and the loss of medicinal materials will be great; if it is decocted too many times, the content of effective ingredients will be reduced and the therapeutic effect will not be achieved. The antipyretic medicine only needs to be decocted once. If the amount of medicine in a dose is small, you can add more water and boil it again. If the amount of medicine is large, it can be decocted three times. It should be noted that no matter how many times the medicine is decocted, the decocted medicine should be mixed together and then taken separately. This will ensure that the medicinal strength is even each time.

4. What kind of pot should be used to decoct Chinese medicine?

When decocting Chinese medicine, it is very important to choose the utensils. The first choice for boiling medicine is casserole and earthenware pot, followed by enamelware and stainless steel pot. It is most taboo to use iron pot and copper pot. The chemical properties of casseroles and earthenware pots are stable, they heat evenly, transfer heat slowly, and the water is not easy to evaporate when decocting medicine. It should be noted that sudden heating or cooling of the casserole will cause cracks. Therefore, do not wash the casserole that has just been used to boil medicine with cold water immediately. Let it cool on dry wood chips or racks before cleaning the medicine stains. Do not soak the oil stains on the casserole with detergent to prevent sewage from seeping into the pores. It can be wiped with leftover tea leaves, or soaked in rice water to heat it, and then scrubbed with a brush. Stainless steel pots transfer heat too quickly, so you need to stir the medicine frequently when decocting it, otherwise the herbs will stick to the wall of the pot and the pot will easily get burnt if you are not careful. I would like to remind everyone that you should never use iron or copper pots to decoct medicine. Because iron and copper are active elements, they easily react with the various chemical components in traditional Chinese medicine and produce toxic side effects.