Do you know the correct way to cook Chinese medicine?

Nowadays, many people need to take Chinese medicine regularly due to their physical constitution. However, those who take Chinese medicine for a long time need to pay attention to the method of decocting the medicine. If the method of decocting the medicine is incorrect, it will destroy the medicinal properties of the medicine and cause side effects because the efficacy cannot be achieved. Therefore, when decocting the medicine, you must pay attention to not only the heat, but also the cooking time, the order of putting the medicine in, and the method of adding water.

Decoction of Chinese medicine is a very sophisticated art. We cannot affect the efficacy of the medicine by arbitrarily decocting it due to our ignorance. Let’s take a look at its detailed introduction below.

The correct way to decoct Chinese medicine

1. Before cooking

Cleaning: Generally no cleaning is required before boiling. If there is mud or sand in the herbs, rinse them quickly with water. Avoid soaking them to prevent the loss of some water-soluble ingredients.

Generally no need to wash before cooking

Soaking: Soak the medicinal materials in cold water for about half an hour before decocting. This will allow the water-soluble components to be separated into the soup and also increase the concentration of the soup.

2. Cooking

Using water: It is best to soak the surface of the medicinal materials with water for 2-3 cm, or gently press the medicinal materials with your hands, and the water surface just covers the back of your hand. Usually some flower and herbal medicines absorb a lot of water. After soaking for half an hour, the water level will drop. You can add cold water to the standard water level and then start decocting.

Heat: Generally, Chinese medicine should be cooked over high heat first, then changed to low heat after boiling. However, some Chinese medicines for treating external infections can be simmered over high heat for about 15 minutes after boiling.

Time: For general Chinese medicine, the first decoction should be 20-25 minutes, and the second decoction should be 15-20 minutes; for Chinese medicine for diaphoresis, the first decoction should be 10-15 minutes, and the second decoction should be 10 minutes; for Chinese medicine for tonic, the first decoction should be 30-40 minutes, and the second decoction should be 25-30 minutes.

Re-decoction: After a dose of Chinese medicine is decocted twice, the effective ingredients contained in it have been greatly reduced, so it is best to decoct it twice. However, tonic Chinese medicine can be decocted three times. Some prescriptions with larger dosages can also be decocted three times.

3. After cooking

Filter immediately: After the medicinal soup is cooked, it should be filtered and poured out while hot. It should not be left in the pot for a long time. Otherwise, the drug solution containing too much colloid will gel as the temperature drops, making it difficult to filter, affecting the efficacy of the drug and also easily causing rancidity.

After the decoction is cooked, it should be filtered and poured out while hot

4. Decoction device

Clay pots and casseroles are best: The best frying utensils are traditional clay pots, casseroles, enamel, and stainless steel are also acceptable. Avoid using aluminum pots, iron pots, and copper pots to prevent metal utensils from reacting with the drugs, affecting the efficacy of the drugs or even causing harm to the human body.

Tips: Pay attention to "fry first, then cook"

The purpose of "frying first" is usually to increase the solubility of certain drugs or reduce their toxicity; while "adding later" is to reduce the loss of volatile oils and avoid the destruction of effective ingredients.

Usually mineral drugs, such as shellfish and hornworms, are hard in texture and must be decocted first to help extract their active ingredients. For example, raw gypsum, cassia bark, tortoise shell, turtle shell, etc. can be crushed and decocted for 30 minutes before adding other medicinal materials to cook together; while some toxic drugs, such as aconite, aconite root, and rhubarb, must be decocted for 1-2 hours before achieving the effect of reducing or removing toxicity. In addition, some herbal medicines, such as Rhizoma Dioscoreae, Hemp Seed, and Dendrobium, must be decocted for 10-30 minutes before they can take effect.