How long to cook Chinese medicine

Traditional Chinese medicine plays a very important role in the treatment of some chronic diseases. Some diseases occur when the human body is in an imbalance of yin and yang. At this time, the body's functions must be adjusted to their original state, and the disease will naturally disappear. Traditional Chinese medicine is relatively mild and will not cause great harm to the body's organs, but the conditioning process is a little longer, and the effect is slightly slower than Western medicine. It takes about one or two hours to cook Chinese medicine, but you need to understand the various precautions.

How long does it take to cook Chinese medicine?

The best time is one and a half hours. For many Chinese medicines, a little longer time will have a better effect. You should always pay attention to many precautions of Chinese medicine:

1. “Decoction first”: Boil for 10-15 minutes, then add other medicines and decoct together.

2. "Add medicine later": When the general medicine is about to be decocted to the predetermined amount, add it and decoct for 5 minutes.

3. "Dissolved medicine": other medicines should be decocted to the intended dosage, then the medicine juice should be boiled over low heat, stirring constantly to dissolve.

4. “Take medicine with water”: mix the medicine with decocted medicine juice or boiled water and take it with water. It is ideal to boil Chinese medicine in a casserole. First put the medicine in the casserole, add water according to the amount of medicine, and the water added must cover the Chinese medicine (never add less, otherwise the boiled Chinese medicine will easily become dry). Soak for about 20 minutes. It is best to stir it with a stirring stick from time to time during the soaking process so that it can be soaked more evenly. When the weather is hot, you can add cold water to soak. When the weather is cold, you need to extend the soaking time with cold water, or you can use warm water, which will have a better effect. If Chinese medicine dries up during the boiling process, do not add water and must pour it out, because the dried Chinese medicine is quite toxic. This is very important. When boiling Chinese medicine, you must remember the time and someone should be watching you.

Is it OK to cook Chinese medicine for too long?

It will have an impact, and should be prepared according to the characteristics of each Chinese medicine.

1. Due to the different textures of medicines, the methods, procedures and time of decocting medicines are also different. For example, some medicines need to be decocted first and then added, some medicines need to be decocted separately, and some medicines need to be decocted in a wrapped form.

2. The decoction time of some antipyretic drugs should be shorter. The decoction time of aromatic drugs such as Patchouli, Cymbopogon japonicus, mint, and some fresh drugs should also be shorter. Usually, they should be added when other drugs are almost finished, and the decoction should stop when the fragrance is smelled.

3. Some mineral, shell or animal medicines, such as raw gypsum, magnet, raw oyster, raw cassia seed, etc., have a relatively hard texture and need to be decocted for about 20 minutes before adding other medicines.

4. Nowadays, people are generally accustomed to taking a dose of Chinese medicine twice, one in the morning on an empty stomach before meals, and one in the evening after meals before going to bed. However, it should also be used flexibly. For example, medicines that irritate the gastrointestinal tract should be taken after meals; medicines for insomnia should be taken before bedtime; patients who have difficulty taking Chinese medicine can take it in small amounts and multiple times; for acute and serious illnesses, the medicine can be taken at any time.

5. Do not open the lid of the pot frequently when decocting the medicine, and do not pour out the medicine liquid quickly after decocting it, so as to avoid the loss of medicinal aroma and reduce the dissipation of volatile components.

How to cook Chinese medicine for best effect?

Different medicines have different requirements, and it is best to prepare them in the morning.

1. Generally speaking, around 9 am and 3 pm is the "golden time" for the body to absorb drugs, so it is best to take Chinese medicine at this time. However, different medicinal properties have their own specific time requirements for taking. Medicines for treating gastrointestinal diseases and deficiency syndromes should be taken half an hour or an hour before meals; while medicines for treating heart, lung or other diseases are usually taken half an hour after meals. During the medication process, in order to avoid irritation to the gastrointestinal tract caused by the drugs and to reduce the occurrence of side effects of the drugs, drugs that aid digestion or have irritating effects on the gastrointestinal tract should be taken after meals; tonic drugs or laxative drugs are suitable for taking before meals.

2. According to TCM theory, general Chinese herbal decoctions should be taken "warm", that is, the decoction should be filtered out immediately after decocting, and then drunk at room temperature when it reaches 30℃~37℃. Chinese patent medicines such as pills and powders should also be taken with warm boiled water. Chinese herbal medicines that are used to relieve exterior symptoms and dispel wind and cold should be taken "hot". You can drink some hot water after taking the medicine to help enhance the efficacy of the medicine. Drugs like antiemetics or detoxifiers should be taken "cold" to avoid irritation.

3. It is best to soak the medicine for 3-4 hours before decocting it. For the first decoction, add water to exceed the medicine by 2-5 cm. For the second decoction, add water until the liquid level covers the medicine.

4. For both the first and second decoctions, first boil the medicinal liquid over high heat, then adjust the heat to low/slow heat and simmer. The simmering time refers to the time over low heat, which does not include the simmering time over high heat.