Which pot is best for boiling Chinese medicine?

Traditional Chinese medicine is a very important treatment method in our country, but for traditional Chinese medicine to play a better role, it is also necessary to have the process of decocting the medicine. This requires the right method of decocting the medicine, the right time, the right heat, and finally the right tools. So what kind of pot is good to use?

Traditional Chinese medicine practitioners say that clay pots and earthenware jars are the first choice for boiling Chinese medicine, followed by enamelware and stainless steel pots. 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.

As for aluminum products, there is some controversy. Since aluminum products are safe for long-term use as tableware, there will not be any major problems if they are used for short-term or occasional use to decoct Chinese medicine. However, if there are some acidic or alkaline drugs in the Chinese medicine prescription, such as black plum, hawthorn, schisandra, papaya, borax, etc., it is best not to use aluminum utensils to decoct the medicine.

Copper and iron utensils are also not recommended for boiling Chinese medicine. The ancients have always advocated not using copper utensils to decoct medicine because copper can cause human poisoning. Although iron utensils are widely used in daily life, they are not suitable for decocting Chinese medicine. Iron can react with tannins in traditional Chinese medicine to produce aluminum tannate and iron tannate, producing a black-green precipitate that can cause nausea and vomiting after taking it. Aluminum and iron will also undergo replacement reactions with traditional Chinese medicines containing heavy metals such as cinnabar to produce toxic free mercury.

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.