Do I need to soak Chinese medicine before decocting it?

Everyone knows that many Chinese medicine practitioners will prescribe Chinese medicine to patients when treating diseases. In fact, most patients do not like to drink Chinese medicine, because Chinese medicine not only tastes bitter, but the preparation process of Chinese medicine is also relatively cumbersome. There are even many Chinese medicines with peculiar medicinal guides. When people boil Chinese medicine, most of them will soak it for a period of time before boiling it. So do the Chinese medicines that are decocted first need to be soaked in water?

Soak in cold water before decocting

Soaking Chinese medicine in cold water for a period of time before decocting it is an important part of the Chinese medicine decoction method. However, in daily life, many patients mistakenly believe that the soaking is not good, and they decoct the Chinese medicine immediately, or even directly add hot water to decoct it to save time. This is not conducive to the extraction of effective ingredients and will affect the efficacy.

The vast majority of Chinese herbal medicines are dry products with a fine and hard texture. The active ingredients have crystallized or precipitated in the cells, making it difficult for water to penetrate. If they are soaked in cold water for a period of time before decoction, the herbs will become soft, the cells will swell, and the active ingredients will be easily decocted out. Some medicinal materials contain more starch and protein. If they are decocted over fire without being soaked, the starch on the surface of the medicinal materials will gelatinize and the protein will coagulate, blocking the capillary pores on the surface of the medicinal materials. Water will not be able to enter, and the effective ingredients will not be easily decocted out, affecting the efficacy of the medicine.

The soaking time depends on the medicine. For medicines with loose texture such as flowers, leaves, and thin stems, soaking for half an hour is sufficient; for medicines with hard texture such as tubers, rhizomes, seeds, and fruits, soaking time should be 1 hour; and for mineral, animal, and shell medicines, the soaking time needs to be longer. But be careful not to soak for too long, especially in summer, to avoid the medicine deterioration.

The water used to soak the medicine should be used directly for decocting the medicine and cannot be poured away.

Why do we need to soak Chinese medicine in cold water before decocting it? How long is the best time to soak Chinese medicine?

How long is the best time to soak Chinese medicine?

Casserole, enamelware or stainless steel are suitable containers for decocting medicine. Ironware is strictly prohibited. Chinese medicine should be soaked in cold water for about 20 minutes before decocting. The amount of water used for decocting medicine is generally enough to soak the medicine surface 1-3 cm. For large doses of medicines or medicines that are loose and easily absorb water, the amount of water can be increased appropriately.

Before decocting the medicine, soak it in cold water for a while. If it is leaves or flowers, soak it for about an hour. If it is a root or fruit, it generally needs to be soaked for more than two hours. At the same time, seasonal factors should be considered. For example, the soaking time should be shorter in summer and slightly longer in winter. The general principle is that the higher the room temperature, the shorter the soaking time.

Why do we need to soak Chinese medicine in cold water before decocting it? How long is the best time to soak Chinese medicine?

How long does it take to boil Chinese medicine?

The boiling time of Chinese medicine should be determined according to its medicinal properties. Different medicines have different boiling times, and the general boiling time is 30 minutes. Antipyretic drugs, heat-clearing drugs, and aromatic drugs should not be decocted for a long time. They should be decocted for 15-20 minutes after boiling. The tonic medicine should be boiled over high heat first, then simmered over low heat for 40-60 minutes. Stir the medicine 2-3 times when decocting it. Each dose of Chinese medicine is generally decocted twice, and the second decocting time can be slightly shorter.