Should I add boiling water or cold water when boiling Chinese medicine for the second time?

When boiling Chinese medicine for the second time, should I add boiling water or cold water? Due to the different materials of Chinese herbal medicines, their water absorption flow rates vary greatly. Generally, the water addition flow rate is controlled at 5-10 times. When boiling Chinese medicine for the second time, should I add boiling water or cold water? Let me introduce it to you in detail below.

When boiling Chinese medicine for the second time, add boiling water or cold water

1. Add cold water when boiling Chinese medicine for the second time

The traditional method is to soak the herbs in cold water for a long time, and then simmer them over low heat for several hours. After pouring the first and second decoctions, soak it in cold water for 4-5 hours, then simmer it over low heat for several hours, and then pour in the second decoction.

There are four major benefits to boiling Chinese medicine in this way: first, it can solve the problem of "boiling water for thousands of times"; second, it can remove residual fertilizers and a lot of residues; third, it can avoid the harm of excessive heavy metals such as lead. The authority has conducted experiments on tea with excessive lead and found that there is no lead in the brewed tea stains. If it is soaked for more than 1 hour, the lead will be leached, and the tea stains will contain more lead than drinking water, which is also effective for boiling Chinese medicine; fourth, it is not easy to damage the ingredients in the Chinese medicinal materials, and can play the role of maximizing strengths and avoiding weaknesses.

2. What are the procedures for decocting Chinese medicine?

2.1. Soaking medicine

First put the Chinese medicinal materials into the stone pot for boiling medicine, add cold water and soak for a certain period of time.

2.2. Boil the medicine

Place the stone pot that has been filled with medicine and soaked on the fire, but the fire should not be too fast (cold granules contain volatile oils, so it is better to use high heat. It should not be more than 15 minutes after the water boils, otherwise the volatile oil will evaporate too much and reduce the medicinal strength). After the water boils, simmer it over low heat. The general boiling time for medicine is 30 minutes (medicine for treating waist and joint pain belongs to this category), and nourishing and health-preserving Chinese medicinal materials should be simmered slowly. The lower the fire, the better, and the time should be increased to 40 minutes to 60 minutes as much as possible.

2.3. Take the medicine juice

Pour out all the boiled medicine, remove impurities and keep the medicine juice, add water to boil the residue again. When boiling for the second time, just add half of the water from the first time. After boiling, boil for 20 minutes, remove impurities and keep the medicine juice, and mix the two medicines. When boiling Chinese medicine for the second time, add boiling water or cold water

2.4. Take in 2 doses

The mixed medicine should be taken in 2 doses, about 200 mL each time is best, basically once in the morning, noon and evening, and the doctor's advice should be followed before and after meals.

3. What kind of water is generally used to boil Chinese medicine?

The water for soaking is not suitable to be used directly as drinking water. It is best to boil it first and then cool it down. This is because drinking water contains bleach, which contains a lot of chlorine. So the soaking and boiling will affect the medicinal properties of the Chinese medicine. If not, drinking water or mineral water that has been left for a while can be used as a substitute. Of course, it would be best if there is natural or good river water or spring water.

How much water is usually added when boiling Chinese medicine? Should I add boiling water or cold water when boiling Chinese medicine for the second time?

Due to the different materials of Chinese herbal medicines, their water absorption flow rates vary greatly. Generally, the water addition flow rate is controlled at 5-10 times. For medicines with the same net weight, loose materials will have a larger volume and naturally more water absorption capacity. The firmer the material, the smaller its volume and the less water absorption rate. Therefore, when boiling flowers, leaves, and whole herbs, more water needs to be added. When boiling minerals and shellfish, add less water.

For general Chinese medicinal materials, the amount of water added is generally when the water level is about one horizontal finger higher than the soaking time. Of course, the amount of water added is proportional to the boiling time. If the boiling time is long, add a little more, and if the boiling time is short, add a little less.

For tonic medicines used to treat weak symptoms, the water flow rate can be higher. The water for the first boil should fall into the medicine surface about 1 inch, the second and third boils should be determined according to the boiling time, generally it is enough to fall into the medicine surface. If the decocting time exceeds 25 minutes, the water flow can be appropriately increased.

When boiling antipyretics for colds or laxatives, the amount of water should not be too much. The first boil should be enough for the water to fall onto the surface of the medicine. The second boil only needs to add enough water to be level with the surface of the medicine.

Common problems in boiling Chinese medicine

1. The pot used for boiling medicine is not suitable for oil. Some people still use the clay pot used for cooking at home to boil medicine. It must be cleaned so that no oil stars appear on the surface after putting it in cold water. Because vegetable oils will affect the efficacy of Chinese medicinal materials.

2. Which pots are worth using to boil medicine?

Clay pots and earthenware are the best vessels for boiling medicine; glassware and porcelain (intact) are second; frying pans, copper hot pots, aluminum pots and tin pots cannot be used for boiling medicine. This is because the composition of Chinese medicinal materials is very complex. Due to the bright physical properties of metal materials such as copper, iron and aluminum, they are easy to produce chemical changes with the components of Chinese medicinal materials. When boiling Chinese medicine for the second time, add boiling water or cold water

3. Not suitable for adding more or less water

When decocting Chinese medicine, the amount of water is particularly important, as the amount of water directly affects the full play of the medicinal effect. If you add too little water, the ingredients will not be completely cooked. If you add too much water, the cooking time will be prolonged and some ingredients will be destroyed. In addition, too much water will not be conducive to consumption. Generally speaking, the amount of water required is determined based on the characteristics of the drug and the needs of the patient.