How to properly decoct Chinese medicine?
For many young people, decocting Chinese medicine is relatively unfamiliar. However, today I have compiled three tips for decocting Chinese medicine, which can help you prepare Chinese medicine better and ensure the effectiveness of the medicine.
How to decoct Chinese medicine correctly How to prepare Chinese medicine
Three tips for decocting Chinese medicine
1. Clean the medicine pot
When decocting Chinese medicine, the medicinal juice will concentrate due to the evaporation of water, and a layer of medicinal residue often accumulates at the bottom and around the pot. If the medicinal residue is not wiped off in time when changing the medicine, it will dissolve when new medicine is added, interfering with and reducing the effectiveness of the medicine, and even delaying the treatment. This is especially true for medicines with strong toxicity or external medicines that cannot be taken orally, which may cause poisoning.
In addition, if the pot is not cleaned immediately after each decoction, the medicinal residue at the bottom of the pot will accumulate and become thicker, making it easy to burn and lose the effectiveness of the medicine.
2. Cover or not depends on the medicine
In general, it is best to cover the pot when decocting Chinese medicine in order to fully decoct the medicine. Especially for Chinese medicines containing volatile components, such as mint, patchouli, and perilla leaves, they should be decocted quickly to prevent the effective components from evaporating. Some valuable medicines, such as ginseng, deer antler, and wolfberry, should be fully released.
Some Chinese herbs are light in weight and large in volume, such as money grass, summer grass, white mulberry, loofah vine, and corn silk. It is not suitable to cover the pot when decocting these herbs, otherwise they may overflow. The pot should be left uncovered and stirred frequently.
3. "Fully decocted" and "squeezed dry"
"Fully decocted" means that the effective components of the medicine are fully released. This is the basic requirement for decocting medicine. Medicines with tough texture that are difficult to release the effective components at once need to be decocted again, pre-decocted, or decocted for a long time to make the medicinal juice thick and fully exert its effectiveness. For loose and light herbs with a mild and fragrant taste, they do not need to be decocted for a long time. However, for light and large herbs, frequent stirring is necessary to fully decoct the medicine.
"Squeezed dry" means that after the medicinal juice is drained, the medicinal residue is pressed to squeeze out as much of the medicinal juice as possible. Because some medicinal materials have a loose texture and strong water absorption, if they are not "squeezed dry", a lot of medicinal juice will be discarded with the medicinal residue, affecting the effectiveness of the medicine.
Note: Do not use induction cooker for decocting Chinese medicine
Nowadays, many people use induction cookers and other modern electrical appliances to decoct Chinese medicine. However, experts point out that when decocting Chinese medicine at home, it is best to choose open flames ignited by firewood, charcoal, or gas stoves, or professional decoction utensils. Using an induction cooker to decoct Chinese medicine will affect the effectiveness of the medicine. Why does using an induction cooker to decoct Chinese medicine affect the effectiveness of the medicine?
Traditional Chinese medicine emphasizes the "cooking with water and fire" method. Although modern household appliances such as induction cookers and microwaves can fully achieve the heat of open flames mentioned above, they have different degrees of damage to the active ingredients of Chinese herbal medicines.
Most modern families use iron pots, non-stick pans, and stainless steel pots, but it is best not to choose these utensils for decocting Chinese medicine. It is also not suitable to use sand pots produced in heavily polluted areas for decocting Chinese medicine because heavy metals in these utensils will be replaced by alkaloids or other chemical components in the medicine during the decoction process and be ingested by patients, affecting their health.
Chinese medicine emphasizes not only the time for decoction but also the utensils used for decoction. When decocting Chinese medicine at home, it is recommended to choose authentic clay pots or sand pots produced in uncontaminated areas. To ensure the effectiveness of the medicine, it is forbidden to use an induction cooker to decoct Chinese medicine, as well as iron pots and stainless steel pots.
