Some people like to brew Chinese herbal medicine at home. In order to extract the medicinal properties of the herbs, sometimes the brewing time is extended. However, if not careful, the medicine can be overcooked and turn into a paste. Some people hesitate to throw away the medicine and add some water to continue boiling and consuming it, while others prefer to discard the liquid and brew it again. However, experts suggest that these practices are actually a waste of time and it is important to avoid turning "brewing Chinese herbal medicine" into "cooking Chinese herbal medicine".
Overcooked medicine has reduced efficacy, do not add water midway
During the process of brewing Chinese herbal medicine, sometimes the cooking time is forgotten and the herbal solution becomes too dry or even burnt. Some people may add more water during the second brewing, thinking that it can extract the remaining medicinal properties and enhance the efficacy. However, experts point out that overcooked medicine has its active ingredients damaged, resulting in reduced therapeutic efficacy, and therefore, the significance of the second brewing is minimal. Therefore, it is not recommended to drink the solution from the first brewing.
"When brewing Chinese herbal medicine, it is recommended to use clean and fresh tap water, well water, distilled water, etc. As for the amount of water, traditionally, the herbal ingredients should be soaked with water 2-5 centimeters above them. For flowers, herbs, or when the cooking time is longer, the amount of water can be adjusted accordingly. The water should be added all at once and should not be added midway, nor should it be boiled dry and then reboiled with water," experts say.
Mastering the cooking time to achieve optimal efficacy
So, how can we avoid overcooking the medicine? Experts suggest that cooking Chinese herbal medicine requires different heat intensities, referred to as "violent heat" and "gentle heat". The control of heat depends on the nature and texture of different herbs. For herbal medicine that treats external pathogenic diseases and promotes sweating, it is best to use violent heat for rapid boiling. For nourishing and regulating herbal medicine, a longer cooking time with gentle heat is needed to achieve optimal efficacy. For toxic herbs such as Aconitum carmichaelii, a slow and long cooking time is recommended to reduce its toxicity and ensure safe usage.
In addition to controlling the heat, the cooking time is also crucial to avoid overcooking. "To ensure the complete dissolution of the effective ingredients of the medicine, the herbal ingredients should be soaked for about 30 minutes before cooking. The cooking time is generally 20-30 minutes after boiling, and the appropriate amount of the resulting solution is around 200-300 milliliters. For formulas mainly consisting of herbs that relieve the surface, clear heat, and have aromatic qualities, it is best to use violent heat to rapidly boil, and then switch to gentle heat for 15-20 minutes to prevent the loss of aroma and therapeutic properties. For nourishing herbal medicine, the cooking time should be 40-60 minutes," experts say.
Herbs prone to overcooking should be processed before cooking
However, some people find it difficult to avoid overcooking the medicine even when they strictly control the heat and cooking time. Experts explain that this is related to the nature of the herbs themselves. Some herbs are indeed more prone to overcooking and need to be processed or cooked differently.
"Some herbs have hairs that may irritate the throat. Some small and light herbs, such as Pollen Typhae, may float on the water surface and are not convenient to cook directly. Some herbs with high starch or mucilage content will easily stick to the pot and cause overcooking if cooked directly in water. For example, when using Plantago asiatica, it should be wrapped in gauze before cooking, a method known as 'packaging and cooking'. Gelatinous herbs like Donkey-hide gelatin, when cooked together with other herbs, tend to stick to the pot or adhere to other herbal residues, resulting in waste and affecting the dissolution of effective ingredients of other herbs. Therefore, they should be separately dissolved by heating in water or the already brewed herbal solution before consumption," experts say.
Expert reminders
When cooking Chinese herbal medicine, it is generally recommended to use sand pots, clay pots, or stainless steel utensils, and avoid using iron, aluminum, and other metal utensils to prevent chemical reactions that may reduce the efficacy of the medicine. The size of the container should be suitable, and the pot should be covered during cooking to prevent the evaporation of active ingredients and the reduction of the liquid volume. For some light herbs that float on the water surface, it is better to stir them slightly after boiling to ensure the full extraction of their properties.
In addition, special methods should be applied to some specific herbs in order to maximize their efficacy and avoid overcooking. For example:
1. "Pre-cooking": herbs that are not easily extracted should be pre-cooked for a certain period of time before being cooked with other herbs.
2. "Delayed addition": herbs that contain volatile active ingredients, are prone to evaporation during long cooking, or are easily damaged by prolonged cooking, should be added later and cooked briefly, without the need for initial cooking (such as Rheum palmatum and Cassia angustifolia, which are used as laxatives).
3. "Separate cooking": when using precious herbs together with other herbs, it is advisable to cook them separately and mix the resulting solution with the other herbal liquid to avoid the absorption of effective ingredients by the residues of other herbs, which would result in the waste of precious herbs.
4. "Direct consumption": medicines that dissolve instantly in water (such as potassium nitrate), liquid medicines (such as honey and malt sugar), or medicines made from macerated substances (such as musk and agarwood) should not be cooked, but should be consumed by dissolving them directly in boiling water or in the prepared herbal solution.
