Do I have to drink Chinese medicine hot?

Many people believe that Chinese medicine needs to be taken while hot, because this seems to make the medicinal effect more effective. In fact, many people have never considered whether Chinese medicine would be better after being cooled. Is it really correct to drink Chinese medicine while it is hot? Today we will introduce to you and see whether our daily habits are correct or not. Perhaps, it is this habit that affects the recovery time.

Most people believe that it is best to drink Chinese medicine while it is hot after boiling it. So, is this really the case? Do you have to drink Chinese medicine while it’s hot? Are there any taboos when taking Chinese medicine?

"The medicine is ready, drink it while it's hot!" This is the experience of many people taking Chinese medicine. We have a deep understanding of this both in comics and in life. But Chinese medicine experts say: Although many Chinese medicines require to be taken warm, this is not always the case. Many decoctions need to be cooled before drinking.

Traditional Chinese medicine theory is very particular about the temperature of oral decoctions. There are more than ten ways of taking the medicine, and there are three specific temperatures for the medicine: warm, hot, and cold. Generally, Chinese herbal decoctions should be taken “warm”, that is, the decoction should be filtered out immediately after being boiled. Allow to cool to room temperature to 30℃~37℃ before drinking; Chinese patent medicines in the form of pills and powders should be taken with warm water. This is also a kind of warm medicine. Traditional Chinese medicine that dispels wind and cold should be taken hot, and you can eat some hot porridge or hot water after taking it to help the medicine work. However, detoxifying and heat-clearing medicines, especially traditional Chinese medicines for relieving summer heat, are more effective when taken cold.

In the south, people often take some "cold tea" in summer, which is actually a kind of Chinese medicine. As the name suggests, many herbal teas are best drunk after they have cooled down, as they are more effective in cooling down and relieving heat.

Regarding taking Chinese medicine, generally speaking, medicine for treating fever can be taken cold, while medicine for treating cold should be taken hot. Patients can control the temperature of taking medicine according to their own situation. Patients with "yang disease" often show symptoms of heat, including fever all over the body, thirst, dry stool, short and yellow urine, mouth and tongue ulcers, red tongue, yellow tongue coating, and rapid pulse; while "yin disease" often shows symptoms of cold, including chills and fever, no sweating, cold and painful abdomen, cold limbs and lethargy, diarrhea, edema, pale tongue, and thin white coating.