How to make Chinese medicine for best effect

When many friends need to use Chinese medicine for conditioning, they grab some Chinese medicinal materials and boil them at home. So, what is the most appropriate way to decoct the Chinese medicine? For various Chinese medicinal materials, some friends just put them in a clay pot and boil them. In fact, although doing so saves time and effort, it does not allow the medicine to play a greater role and is not worth advocating.

How to make Chinese medicine most effective?

equipment

Stone pots, porcelain containers, and stainless steel plates are suitable for decocting Chinese medicine. Copper utensils are prohibited.

Preparation

Chinese medicinal materials should be soaked in cold water for about 20 minutes before decocting. How to decoct Chinese medicine so that it can fully exert its maximum effect? The amount of water needed to decoct Chinese medicine is generally enough to cover 1 to 3 centimeters of the medicine surface. The water requirement can be appropriately increased for medicines that are used in large quantities or are loose and hygroscopic.

Decoction time

Antipyretic medicine: initial decoction time: 10 to 20 minutes. Second frying time: 10 to 15 minutes.

Tonic medicine: First decoction time: 30 to 35 minutes. Second frying time: 20 to 25 minutes.

General medicine: initial decoction time: 20 to 25 minutes. Second frying time: 15 to 20 minutes.

Amount of Chinese medicine for decoction

How to decoct Chinese medicine so that it can fully exert its maximum effect? For children and adolescents, take 50 to 100 ml of water per dose. Adults: 150 to 200 ml per dose.

3 ways to add water when decocting Chinese medicine

Traditional water adding method: Place the Chinese medicinal materials in a stone pot, flatten the medicine with force, and then add water 3 to 4 cm (little finger height) above the surface of the medicine. This method is simpler and more convenient, with the largest number of applications, but the accuracy is slightly lower.

Net weight water addition method: that is, according to the total weight of the medicine, the water addition flow rate is determined. How to decoct Chinese medicine so that it can fully exert its maximum effect? After distributing the Chinese medicinal materials, take 1 patch (dose) of medicine and weigh its net weight. Then, based on the standard of adding 10 ml of water to 1 gram of Chinese medicinal materials, add 65% of the calculated total water flow to the first decoction, and the remaining 35% for the second decoction. For example, for the nourishing and health-preserving medicine Ginseng Yangrong Soup, the total weight of the medicine is 150g, and the water flow rate should be 1500ml. The first decoction needs to add 65% of the water, which is 975ml, and the second decoction needs to add 35% of the water, which is 525ml. This method is accurate in releasing water, and is especially suitable for Chinese herbal medicine prescriptions with many types of medicines and large dosages.

The method of adding water using a measuring vessel: use a beaker or measuring cylinder to add water, and add different amounts of water according to different therapeutic drugs and the first and second decoctions. Some pharmaceutical companies require the following water addition rate for decocting various medicines: for conditioning and tonic medicines, the first decoction is 700-900ml, and the second decoction is 400-450ml; for general medicines (all Chinese medicinal materials mainly used to treat various diseases), the first decoction is 500-700ml, and the second decoction is 300-350ml; for tonic granules for treating colds, the first decoction is 400-600ml, and the second decoction is 280-300ml. How to decoct Chinese medicine so that it can fully exert its maximum effect? This method is more accurate than the traditional water release method. However, if the amount of medicine is large, the water flow rate will be less.