What are the taboos when taking Chinese medicine?

There are quite a lot of taboos in taking Chinese medicine. For example, some pregnant women should be cautious when taking Chinese medicine. This is mainly because not only can Western medicine cause fetal malformations, but some Chinese medicines also have certain toxicity. If pregnant women take Chinese medicine indiscriminately, it can also affect the fetus. Especially some Chinese medicines for clearing heat or removing dampness, pregnant women must be extremely cautious when taking them.

The chemical components contained in tea can reduce the therapeutic effect of drugs and also produce some side effects. Therefore, experts recommend that it is best not to drink tea while taking Chinese medicine. In addition, under normal circumstances and when taking Chinese medicine, you cannot take it with tea, because tea has the effect of what we often call an antidote. This is because tea contains a large amount of tannic acid, which can easily form insoluble precipitation with biological alkali. Many important active ingredients are alkaloids. For example, common Chinese medicines such as Coptis chinensis, Phellodendron chinense, Corydalis yanhusuo, Ephedra sinica, etc. contain various bioalkaloids.

People should not eat half an hour before and one hour after taking Chinese medicine, especially eat less vegetables and fruits. This is because some vegetables and fruits contain substances that can react chemically with traditional Chinese medicine, thus changing the efficacy of some traditional Chinese medicines. Especially some cold fruits, such as pear, hawthorn, banana and persimmon, etc.

Before taking Chinese medicine, we often need to decoct the medicine. When decocting medicine, you must also choose the right utensils. It is generally believed that it is ideal to use a casserole or clay pot to decoct Chinese medicine. It is best not to use metal utensils to boil Chinese medicine. This is mainly because metal pots can easily react with the ingredients in traditional Chinese medicine, which will affect the effectiveness of the medicine.