Can I still boil overnight Chinese medicine?

Chinese medicine is usually boiled on the same day it is taken, but this method is also very troublesome, so many people will boil a few days' worth of it at a time and then heat it up to drink the next day. But can overnight Chinese medicine still be boiled? Any unfinished Chinese medicine should be kept in the refrigerator. Generally speaking, it can be kept in the refrigerator for about five to seven days. Of course, it is best to finish it within three days. Therefore, it is best not to boil too much Chinese medicine.

Traditional Chinese medicine contains many ingredients such as protein, sugar, starch, vitamins, amino acids, various enzymes, trace elements, etc. Most of these ingredients are dissolved in the soup during decocting. The general method of taking it is to mix two doses of medicine (one dose of medicine is decocted twice as usual) evenly, and then take it in several times within one day to ensure consistency of efficacy.

If the medicine is taken overnight or stored for too long before being taken, the enzymes in the medicine will break down and become less effective due to the influence of factors such as air, temperature, time and bacterial contamination. Not only will the efficacy of the medicine be reduced, but bacteria will also breed. The effective ingredients such as vitamins, amino acids, sugars, starches, etc. will also be fermented by the enzymes secreted by the bacteria, causing hydrolysis, causing the medicine to become rancid and deteriorate. Taking this kind of spoiled medicine will not only have no therapeutic effect, but will also produce toxic side effects. Therefore, anyone who takes self-decocted Chinese herbal decoctions should boil them and take them on the same day. Do not leave them overnight or store them in the refrigerator for a long time.

What to do if you can't finish the Chinese medicine? Put it in the refrigerator

In order to make full use of the medicinal materials, people usually keep the residue after the first decoction until the evening or even the next day, and then re-decoction it before taking it. "When you boil the medicinal residue in summer, remember not to keep the residue but the medicinal liquid." Zhong Yanzhu said that a dose of medicine is usually decocted twice a day. When decocting the medicine in summer, you should immediately add warm water for the second decoction after the first decoction to prevent the residue from deteriorating.

Since the concentrations of the first decoction and the second decoction are different, in order to ensure the continued effectiveness of the medicine, the two should be mixed and then divided equally into two bowls. After cooling one bowl, pour it into a thermos bottle and store it at room temperature. It does not need to be heated when drinking. However, for emergencies such as colds and abdominal pain, in order to make the medicine take effect quickly, the method is to drink the first decoction first, then turn over the decoction residue, and then save the second decoction.

If there is a long interval between two doses of the medicine, you can put the liquid medicine into a small sealed container, store it in the refrigerator, and drink it in the evening. Storage containers can be made of glass, porcelain or stainless steel, and should not be made of plastic, iron or aluminum. "Drink the medicine on the same day you boil it, don't leave it overnight."

In addition, the liquid medicine taken out of the refrigerator must be thoroughly heated before taking it to avoid gastrointestinal discomfort. When heating, the medicine liquid should be placed in a steamer or rice cooker and steamed instead of heating it in a microwave oven. If the decoction taken from the hospital is stored at room temperature, you can put it in a bag of hot water at 70℃~80℃ to heat it before taking it. If conditions permit, it is best to steam it in a steamer.

The best time to take Chinese medicine

Generally speaking, around 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. is the "golden time" for the body to absorb drugs, so it is best to take Chinese medicine at this time.

However, Chinese medicines with different medicinal properties require different times for taking them. Generally speaking, for the treatment of deficiency syndrome and gastrointestinal diseases, the medicine should be taken 30 to 60 minutes before meals; for the treatment of cardiopulmonary diseases and other general diseases, it is usually best to take the medicine 30 minutes after meals to avoid gastrointestinal irritation and reduce the occurrence of side effects; Chinese medicines that aid digestion or irritate the gastrointestinal tract should also be taken after meals; and tonic medicines and laxatives should be taken on an empty stomach before meals. Among them, laxatives such as rhubarb and hemp seed should be taken in the early morning or during the day, and avoid taking them before going to bed or at night; anthelmintics should also be taken on an empty stomach in the morning, while sedatives should be taken before going to bed.

In addition, "drinking while hot" is the habit of most people when drinking decoctions. In fact, you don’t have to drink medicine while it’s hot. According to TCM theory, general Chinese herbal decoctions should be "taken warm", that is, the decoction should be filtered out immediately after decocting, and then allowed to cool to 30℃~37℃ at room temperature before drinking. Chinese patent medicines such as pills and powders should also be taken with warm boiled water. Only Chinese herbal medicines that are used to relieve exterior symptoms and dispel wind and cold should be "taken hot", and you can eat some porridge and hot water after taking the medicine to help the efficacy of the medicine. However, medicines for relieving vomiting, detoxification, and clearing heat should be taken cold to avoid irritation.