Nowadays, the service of herbal medicine decoction has become a basic service in hospitals and pharmacies, greatly facilitating patients. However, it has also brought another issue, which is how to preserve the decocted herbal medicine.
Currently, the most common packaging for decocted herbal medicine is vacuum-sealed packaging. It is best to store the vacuum-sealed herbal medicine in the refrigerator at a temperature range of 0-5℃, and it can be stored for about 7 days. If the herbal medicine has been stored for more than a week, it should be boiled in boiling water before consumption. Especially for prescriptions containing animal-based herbs like scorpion and centipede, or high-sugar herbs like prepared rehmannia root and astragalus root, it should not be stored for more than 7 days. If the medicine bag becomes bloated or the liquid changes in odor or has bubbles, it has deteriorated and should not be consumed.
If the decocted herbal medicine is stored in containers provided by the patients themselves, even if it is placed in the refrigerator, it should not exceed 3 days to avoid deterioration of the liquid and affect the therapeutic effect.
