Do you need to soak Chinese herbs before cooking?
How should Chinese herbs be cooked? Should you just put them in a pot with water and start cooking? Are there any precautions? How to cook Chinese herbs correctly? When it comes to these questions, I'm sure many of you must have a lot of confusion. Let's take a look at the cooking methods of Chinese herbs together with the editor.
How to cook Chinese herbs for the best medicinal effect
I. How to cook Chinese herbs
1. Do not wash Chinese herbs
Some patients feel that the Chinese herbs they buy are a bit dirty and like to rinse them before cooking. Chinese herbal medicines are widely sourced, mainly plant medicines, including roots, stems, leaves, flowers, fruits, and seeds. In addition, there are mineral medicines, shell medicines, and animal medicines. These medicinal materials have undergone processing procedures, so as long as the pharmacist has prepared them according to the prescription, patients can directly cook them at home without rinsing. In addition, some patients may open the package and find some possible dirt, and pick them out. This may also remove the active ingredients.
2. Choice of container
The best containers for cooking Chinese herbs are ceramic and clay pots, followed by stainless steel pots, enamel pots, and heat-resistant glass containers, because these containers have stable chemical properties and are not easily react with the components of the Chinese herbs being cooked. Avoid using iron pots, copper pots, and aluminum pots, as these elements can react with certain components of the Chinese herbs, which is not conducive to the treatment of diseases.
3. Preparing before cooking
Step 1: Check if there are any Chinese herbs that require special treatment, and if so, separate them and treat them separately.
Step 2: "Soaking"
Soak the Chinese herbs purchased from the pharmacy in an appropriate amount of water for 20-30 minutes. Cold water should be used for soaking, and then they can be directly cooked. However, it is recommended to use warm water or hot water for the second decoction.
Lightweight Chinese herbs and high temperature require shorter soaking time, while heavyweight Chinese herbs and low temperature require longer soaking time, in order to moisten and soften the Chinese herbs and facilitate the extraction of active ingredients.
Chinese herbs are not like Western medicine, which only requires timing and dosage. They have special requirements in terms of cooking methods, dosage, administration time, and administration temperature.
II. Precautions when taking Chinese herbs
1. Temperature requirements for taking Chinese herbs
Traditional Chinese medicine classifies diseases caused by external cold and cold pathogens invading the stomach, such as gastric ulcers and duodenal ulcers, as cold syndromes. In order to expel wind and cold and invigorate the spleen and warm the middle, the medicine should be taken hot. For treating heat-related diseases such as pneumonia, bronchitis, and common cold, which can cause symptoms such as dry mouth, red tongue, and constipation, it is advisable to take the medicine cool or cold. For general decoctions, such as tonic Chinese herbs, taking them warm is sufficient.
2. Administration time should be determined based on the condition and nature of the medicine
In general, tonics should be taken before meals, vermifuges and laxatives should be taken on an empty stomach, medications that are irritating to the gastrointestinal tract and other general medications should be taken after meals, and sedatives and sleeping aids should be taken before bedtime.
3. Pay attention to post-medication care
For example, after taking diaphoretic medicine, you should lie down, cover yourself with a blanket when taking pungent and warm medicine, and avoid covering yourself with a blanket when taking pungent and cool medicine. For those who take diaphoretic medicine, they should only sweat slightly all over the body, and should not sweat profusely to prevent excessive sweating and collapse (especially in the elderly). If you find that you are not sweating after taking the medicine, you can drink some hot water or hot thin porridge to help the medicine take effect. After taking diaphoretic medicine, do not eat sour foods or cold drinks immediately.
