How many times can a set of Chinese medicine be boiled?

The medicinal components in Chinese medicine can be effectively analyzed when it is boiled, so Chinese medicine generally needs to be boiled twice to effectively exert its medicinal effects. When boiling Chinese medicine, you must soak it first, so that the medicinal effect of the medicine can be better evaporated. However, it is not suitable to boil the same Chinese medicine for many times, because it will lose the original efficacy of the Chinese medicine. So how many times can a Chinese medicine be boiled?

1. How many times should Chinese medicine be boiled?

Soak the herbs for about an hour before decocting them. There is no specific amount of water to use. Cold water can be used the first time. It is usually best to use enough water to just barely cover the medicinal materials. Decoction the medicine for about 40 minutes for the first time and pour out 100 ml. Add boiling water for the second time (some Chinese medicines contain tannins, which will solidify when encountering cold water, affecting the precipitation of effective ingredients), simmer for about 30 minutes, and pour out 100 ml. The third time is the same as the second time, and 100 ml is poured out.

Mix the three doses of medicine together, which should be about a small bowl. More will make you feel sick, so drink it in three doses. Generally, tonic medicines are taken before meals, while medicines that are irritating to the stomach (such as medicines for treating rheumatism) are taken after meals. It doesn’t matter if you produce too much after three decoctions, you can heat the medicine soup and concentrate it. Of course, for some medicines that require to be added later, do not boil them for a long time, because they are mainly for their volatile oil components, which will lose their effectiveness over time, so they should be added later. For toxic drugs, you must follow the doctor's instructions. For example, aconite and monkshood must be decocted for an hour to remove the toxicity. Don't be careless. The number of times Chinese medicine is decocted must be moderate, because some Chinese medicines have lost their medicinal effects after being decocted several times.

2. What kind of pot should be used to boil Chinese medicine?

The best ceramic vessels for boiling Chinese medicine are casseroles and sand pots because they have stable chemical properties, are not easy to react with the medicinal ingredients, and have uniform heat conduction and good warmth retention. Secondly, you can use white enamelware or stainless steel pots. Avoid using metal utensils such as iron, copper, and aluminum when decocting medicine. Because metal elements can easily react chemically with the Chinese medicinal ingredients in the medicine, the efficacy may be reduced or even toxic side effects may occur.

3. How long should I soak the Chinese medicine?

The medicine must be soaked before decocting to make it easier for the active ingredients to be extracted. Generally, for medicines composed mainly of flowers, leaves and stems, the soaking time is usually 15 minutes. The soaking time for medicines mainly composed of roots, seeds, rhizomes and fruits is generally half an hour.

How to boil the right medicine

1. Usually, you should cover the pot tightly when you start decocting the medicine. When the water boils, you can use two chopsticks to prop up the lid, leaving some gaps for the steam to escape. Some Chinese medicines contain volatile ingredients, such as mint, patchouli and other antipyretic drugs, and precious medicinal materials such as American ginseng. Their active ingredients are easily released into the air during the decoction process, so they must be boiled with the lid covered.

2. Soak: Before decocting Chinese medicine, you should first soak it in cold water.

3. Use tap water to decoct the medicine. The amount of water should be 1-3 cm above the surface of the medicinal materials. If there are too many medicinal materials or they are easy to absorb water, the amount can be increased appropriately.

4. When decocting, first boil the medicinal liquid with high heat (i.e., high fire), then use low heat (i.e., low fire) to simmer.

5. When decocting the medicine, pay attention to stirring the ingredients to ensure that the medicine liquid is fully decocted. Each dose of Chinese medicine is generally decocted twice, and the second time can be slightly shorter. Some medicines need to be treated differently, such as decocting first, taking it later, or taking it with water, etc. The Chinese medicine pharmacist will explain this when dispensing the medicine.

Precautions for boiling Chinese medicine

1. Many side effects of traditional Chinese medicine are due to the failure to differentiate the disease according to its syndrome or the incorrect differentiation of syndromes. For example, for high blood pressure, some people use Chinese medicine with antihypertensive effects without distinguishing the syndrome, not knowing that this completely violates the principle of TCM diagnosis and treatment.

2. Whether it is Chinese medicine or Western medicine, its safety lies in the dosage. Large or huge amounts will cause toxicity, side effects and adverse reactions.

3. When prescribing, Chinese medicine practitioners pay attention to the compatibility of monarch, minister, adjuvant and guiding drugs, and also consider the interactions between drugs, such as mutual dependence, mutual use, mutual fear, mutual killing, mutual aversion and opposition.

4. Some Chinese medicines have not been found to be toxic, have side effects or adverse reactions when taken in the short term. But long-term use is prone to occur. "When there is a huge accumulation and gathering, it is possible to attack it, but it will stop when it is mostly reduced."

5. Because each person has different innate endowments, physical strengths, and organ functions, their tolerance to drugs is also different.

6. You need to understand the main ingredients of Western medicine and Chinese medicine. Some medicines cannot be mixed together. For example, taking hawthorn, schisandra, and black plum at the same time with sulfa drugs can cause hematuria.

7. Improper decoction includes the decoction utensils used and the decoction time, whether to decoct in a wrapped container, decocted separately, decocted first or added later, etc.