What to do if Chinese medicine is too bitter to drink

When treating diseases clinically, in addition to some conventional Western medicine treatments, some people will use traditional Chinese medicine. As we all know, Chinese medicine tastes very bitter, so many people have a hard time taking it. Most people cannot drink Chinese medicine because it tastes too bitter. This is actually very common. So what should you do when Chinese medicine is too bitter to drink?

1. As the saying goes, good medicine tastes bitter. Generally, bitter and cold Chinese medicines are good at clearing heat and detoxifying. They are suitable for patients with damp-heat in the spleen and stomach, heavy liver fire, and damp-heat in the gastrointestinal tract. Of course, one problem with it is that it is very bitter and difficult to swallow. Sometimes you will vomit it out after drinking it. In this case, you can consider adding a little rock sugar or honey to the traditional Chinese medicine, which generally will not affect the medicinal properties. Especially rock sugar, except for patients with diabetes, other patients can add it, because rock sugar will not cause internal heat, and can be well integrated with heat-clearing and detoxifying medicines to enhance the efficacy of the medicine. Honey can moisten the intestines and promote bowel movements. It is a very good auxiliary Chinese medicine. It is better to add it to medicine and drink it.

2. Many patients will encounter the problem that Chinese medicine is too bitter to drink. Good medicine is bitter but good for the disease. The improvement can be made in these aspects. When the temperature of decoction is lower than 36℃, the taste nerves will not be very sensitive and the bitterness will be weakened, so you can let it cool down before drinking. The bitter taste buds on the tongue are mainly concentrated at the root of the tongue. When taking the medicine, you must try to avoid too much contact between the root of the tongue and the liquid medicine. After taking a full mouthful, swallow it quickly. Adding sugar and honey sometimes reduces the efficacy of the medicine, and it is not suitable for diabetics. If necessary, you can use licorice and jujube medicines to harmonize. However, it is not advisable to add licorice to prescriptions containing euphorbia, genkwa, gelsemium elegans, and seaweed. The above method can be used to reduce the bitterness of traditional Chinese medicine.

3. If you feel that the traditional Chinese medicine is very bitter, you can add some licorice or jujube to the tonic category under the guidance of a doctor to reduce the bitterness, and it can also enhance the tonic effect. However, licorice cannot be added to prescriptions such as seaweed and genkwa. After the medicine soup has cooled down a little, you can also add a small spoonful of honey to reduce the bitterness, but patients with diabetes and diarrhea cannot take honey. If vomiting and nausea occur after taking the decoction, you can chew a piece of ginger or drink a small amount of ginger juice before drinking the decoction, but you cannot eat sugar or other sweet foods before taking it.