Chinese herbal decoctions have a history of over 2000 years in traditional Chinese medicine. They are also the earliest and most widely used form of medication in TCM. There are certain principles to follow when decocting Chinese herbs, otherwise the medicinal effects can vary greatly even with the same herbs. Let's take a look at six professional terms to pay attention to when decocting Chinese herbs.
1. Wen Huo and Wu Huo
Slow fire decoction is called Wen Huo, while rapid fire decoction is called Wu Huo. In ancient times, it was believed that rapid decoction extracts the active components quickly, while prolonged decoction extracts the fully cooked components. Generally, the herbs are decocted with rapid fire first and then with slow fire after boiling. As stated in the "Compendium of Materia Medica", decocting with rapid fire first and then with slow fire is effective in most cases.
2. Separate Stewing
Some precious herbs, such as ginseng and antlers, can be cut into thin slices and stewed in a separate pot with water for 2 to 3 hours to preserve their active ingredients.
3. Wrapped Decoction
To prevent the decoction from becoming cloudy and reduce irritation to the throat, esophagus, and gastrointestinal tract, certain herbs like cinnabar, talc, magnolia flower, and realgar should be wrapped in a thin cloth before boiling.
4. Late Addition
Herbs with aromatic oils such as peppermint, cardamom, agarwood, and rhubarb are added towards the end of the decoction process, usually for 4 to 5 minutes, to prevent the volatile oils from dissipating and reducing the medicinal effects.
5. Pre-Decoction
For hard-shell or mineral-based herbs that are difficult to extract, such as turtle shell, tortoise shell, ochre, fresh oyster shell, halloysite, and dragon bone, they should be crushed and pre-decocted for about 10 to 20 minutes after boiling, before adding other herbs. For sandy herbs like loam and glutinous rice root, as well as lightweight and large-sized herbs like reed root, vetiver root, and bamboo shavings, they should also be pre-decocted to obtain a clear extract, which is then used to decoct other herbs instead of plain water.
6. Dissolving
For herbs with high viscosity and good solubility, such as donkey-hide gelatin, deer antler gelatin, honey, and chicken blood vine, they should be warmed and dissolved separately before adding to the decoction, stirring while hot to ensure full dissolution. This is to prevent sticking and scorching during the decoction process, as well as to prevent adhesion to other herbs, which can reduce the effectiveness of the medicine.
