Can I add water while decocting Chinese medicine?

Traditional Chinese medicine and Chinese herbal medicine are the crystallization of the wisdom of our ancestors. They are the wisdom accumulated by ancient people in their struggle against diseases for thousands of years. They play a very important role in ensuring people's health. Decocting Chinese medicine is a technical job, and there is a lot to learn, such as how much water to put in, how long to decoct, what utensils to use, etc. Let's take a look at one of the precautions when decocting Chinese medicine.

How much water to boil Chinese medicine

Chinese medicine emphasizes syndrome differentiation and treatment, and then uses different Chinese medicines according to different diseases and different symptoms. This requires mastering the correct decoction methods, which are directly related to the efficacy of the medicine. Today, I will talk to you about how much water is most appropriate to put when boiling Chinese medicine. Let’s take a look!

Before boiling Chinese medicine, it is best to wash the medicine with clean water and then soak it. The amount of water added should be enough to submerge the medicine, and it is best to be about three centimeters higher.

Practice has shown that before decocting Chinese medicine, the water temperature for soaking the herbs should be between 40 degrees Celsius and 50 degrees Celsius. This will allow the water to slowly penetrate into the tissue of the herbs. The structure of the herbs will become loose and expanded, allowing them to dissolve better, and the effective ingredients in the herbs can also be decocted better.

1. Time

The soaking time for medicinal materials is not fixed, and it is best to determine it according to the different medicinal materials. If the medicinal materials are of loose texture, such as flowers, leaves and grass, then soaking for half an hour will be enough; if the medicinal materials are rhizomes and barks of plants that take a long time to grow, then it is best to soak them for an hour.

2. Utensils

When decocting medicinal materials, it is best to choose a casserole, and never choose an iron pot or an aluminum pot. This is because during the process of decocting the medicine, some ingredients in the medicine are prone to produce certain chemical reactions with metals, which may change the properties of the medicine or reduce its efficacy, which is not conducive to achieving the purpose of curing the disease.

3. Water volume

When boiling Chinese medicine, be sure to add an appropriate amount of water. Generally, the amount of water added during the first boiling should be between 300ml and 500ml; the amount of water added during the second boiling should be between 250ml and 300ml. If it is a tonic medicine, then you should add an appropriate amount of water. The first time should be between 700ml~1000ml, and the second time should be between 400ml~600ml. But in general, no matter what kind of medicine you are decocting, you should boil the water to about 150ml each time.

It is best to determine how much water to put in boiling Chinese medicine based on its efficacy, so that the Chinese medicine can exert its greatest value. In addition, during the process of decocting medicine, the water quality also has certain requirements. You should choose some clear water without impurities, such as spring water. Well water and tap water are both good choices. The length of time during the decoction process. The amount of water in the decoction will affect the efficacy of the medicine, so special attention must be paid.

4. Heat

When decocting medicine, controlling the heat is very important and critical. You should use a warm fire at the beginning, and then turn it to a low heat after the water boils. Another thing that needs special attention is that the lid should not be opened frequently during the decocting process, which can effectively prevent the smell from being lost and reduce the efficacy of the medicine.

Generally speaking, it is sufficient to continue decocting the medicine for about 15 minutes after it is boiled; while tonic medicines need to be decocted for about half an hour after boiling, which can effectively promote the extraction of effective ingredients and greatly improve the efficacy of the medicine.

Precautions for cooking Chinese medicine

1. Requirements for decoction vessels. If you want to obtain a good effect of traditional Chinese medicine, then the decoction utensils also have certain requirements. The effect and quality of Chinese medicine are closely related to the decocting utensils. It is best to choose casseroles, earthenware jars and enamelware. Never use iron, copper or aluminum products.

2. If you need to use wrapped frying, it is best to choose some pure cotton gauze;

3. The method of decocting medicine is generally to boil it over high heat, then simmer it over low heat for about half an hour, filter out the liquid medicine and then decoct it for the second time;

4. Generally, Chinese medicine needs to be taken warm. If you feel nauseous and want to vomit after taking the medicine, you can take some orange peel or ginger in moderation to effectively prevent vomiting.

5. Take the medicine after meals, which will be more conducive to the body's absorption;

6. Compared with Western medicine, Chinese medicine treatment takes a longer time and is more troublesome to take. However, Chinese medicine can regulate the functions of various organs in the human body, thereby fundamentally maintaining health and treating diseases. We must be careful to persist in taking Chinese medicine, so that our bodies can recover to health. It is very wrong to give up halfway.

How much water to put in boiling Chinese medicine? I believe that after reading this article, everyone will have a certain understanding. Traditional Chinese medicine is a splendid cultural treasure of our country. With the continuous progress of society, more and more people like to use traditional Chinese medicine to treat diseases. Therefore, in daily life, we must understand some common sense of decocting traditional Chinese medicine, so that we can better protect our health.