How to preserve boiled Chinese medicine?

Many friends like to use Chinese medicine to regulate their daily life when they have some minor ailments, but Chinese medicine is relatively troublesome and needs to be decocted by yourself. Decocting Chinese medicine is a technical job and the control of heat and time is very particular, otherwise it will easily affect the efficacy of the medicine. However, many hospitals and pharmacies now have projects responsible for decocting Chinese medicine on behalf of others. So how do you preserve the decocted Chinese medicine?

How to store decocted Chinese medicine

Chinese medicine has a certain time limit, so it must be taken within the prescribed time. Otherwise, not only will it fail to cure the disease, it may even cause side effects and endanger your health. There are currently two methods for preserving traditional Chinese medicine on the market. One is the vacuum sealing method; the other is to store it in your own container, as follows:

First: Vacuum sealed packaging method

This storage method is the most common one, and the shelf life and storage method are usually indicated on the packaging. However, the country currently has no relevant laws and regulations to unify regulations, so the same medicine prepared in different hospitals or pharmacies may have different shelf lives.

The most important thing when preserving decocted Chinese medicine is temperature. Someone once did an experiment and found that different Chinese medicines were stored at different temperatures. The higher the temperature, the faster they would deteriorate. If it is at room temperature, that is, above 25 degrees, then the storage time will not exceed two days; if it is refrigerated, that is, between zero and 5 degrees, then it can generally be stored for about a week. If the time exceeds a week, the Chinese medicine must be re-boiled before taking it. Especially some Chinese medicines that contain animals such as centipedes, or Rehmannia glutinosa, etc., cannot be stored for more than a week. Different Chinese medicines have different storage times under the same conditions. If you find that the sealed vacuum packaging bag of the Chinese medicine is bulging, or the Chinese medicine has changed its taste, it means that it has gone bad and you should never drink it.

How to preserve decocted Chinese medicine? Experts suggest that if it is sealed and vacuum-packed, it is best to store it in the refrigerator. The storage time should not exceed one week. If it exceeds one week, it is best to check whether it has deteriorated. It is best to re-boil it with boiling water before taking it.

Second: How to store your own containers

If the patient is using the container provided by the patient to hold the Chinese medicine, it is best not to drink the medicine overnight. Even if it is placed in the refrigerator, it should not be kept for more than three days. Otherwise, the medicine will easily deteriorate, affecting the efficacy and even causing side effects.

Most doctors will prescribe medicine for about 4 to 7 days at a time. If the patient is suffering from a chronic disease, they may even prescribe Chinese medicine for more than two weeks. Most patients will choose to have the medicine decoctioned in the hospital or pharmacy. At this time, you must understand how to preserve the decocted Chinese medicine.

Traditional Chinese medicine has relatively few side effects, so more and more people are now accustomed to using it to treat diseases. When using traditional Chinese medicine to treat diseases, taking it is essential, so it is very necessary to understand how to preserve the decocted traditional Chinese medicine.

Differences in the storage methods of decocted Chinese medicine

There are two methods to preserve Chinese medicine, which we have introduced in detail above. In fact, no matter which method is used, it doesn't matter. The only difference is the issue of storage time. If you use sealed vacuum packaging bags to store Chinese medicine, and then store it in the refrigerator, the storage time will be much longer, up to more than a week; if you use your own containers to store it, even if you put it in the refrigerator, the storage time cannot exceed three days, otherwise it will easily deteriorate.

The length of the storage time is not only related to the storage method used, but also to the content of the Chinese medicine liquid. Commonly, if animals such as scorpions and centipedes are added, or Chinese medicines with a relatively high sugar content, the storage time will be shortened accordingly. Therefore, before storing the decocted Chinese medicine, you must first understand the content of starch, protein, and sugar in the medicine, and estimate the approximate time of deterioration.

If the storage time is relatively long, you must check whether it has deteriorated before taking it, for example, whether the sealed vacuum packaging bag is bulging, whether the medicine liquid has changed its taste, whether bubbles appear, or whether there are other abnormal conditions. If any abnormal situation occurs, it is best not to take it. Otherwise, not only will it have no effect on the disease, it may even endanger our health.

The above is an introduction on how to preserve boiled Chinese medicine. However, it is best to take it while it is hot. This way, it will have the greatest effect and will not deteriorate. However, if you need to drink a lot of Chinese medicine, you can go to a pharmacy or hospital and ask them to boil it first, and then preserve it according to the method described above.