The usage of Chinese herbal medicine mainly refers to the precautions for cooking common decoctions and the methods of taking various medications.
Cooking decoctions is the most commonly used form of preparation, and it requires specific water and heating conditions. The water used must be clean, and clear spring water, river water, and tap water are generally acceptable. Well water should be selected based on its quality. When cooking the medicine, first soak the appropriate amount of water in the container to evenly saturate the herbs. The amount of water should be enough to submerge the herbs or slightly higher. As for controlling the heating conditions, it mainly depends on the nature and texture of different herbs. Generally, dispersing herbs and other aromatic herbs should be cooked quickly using high heat for a few minutes and then switched to low heat to avoid long cooking, which may cause the loss of fragrance and medicinal properties. Nourishing and greasy herbs can be cooked for a longer time to fully dissolve the active ingredients and maximize their effectiveness. Other ingredients such as shells, crustaceans, fossils, and most mineral medicines are better suited for long cooking. If there are significant differences in the nature and texture of various herbs in a prescription, they should be cooked separately, with aromatic herbs being added after boiling the mineral, shell, and certain root herbs for about 10 minutes. Some powdered herbs and small plant seeds can be wrapped in gauze for cooking to prevent dispersion and facilitate consumption. If there are herbs in the prescription that are not suitable for cooking, they can be dissolved separately (such as manganese nitrate) and then mixed with the other decoction for consumption.
Liquid medicines in prescriptions (such as bamboo sap and ginger juice) are not cooked and are mixed with other medicinal liquids. More expensive herbs (such as ginseng, Sanqi, and Fritillaria) are usually made into powders and taken together with the decoction. Gelatinous medicines such as deer antler glue and tortoise shell glue should be melted separately and then mixed with other herbal juices for consumption. In terms of taking the medicine, decoctions should be taken warm; dispersing wind-cold herbs are best taken hot; for vomiting or drug poisoning, small and frequent doses are recommended; when using the method of warming with heat, there are also cases where hot medicines are taken cold or cold medicines are taken hot. Solid dosage forms such as pills and powders, unless otherwise specified, are generally swallowed with warm water. The timing for eye medications should also be determined based on the condition and nature of the disease. Generally speaking, tonic medicines are taken before meals; vermifuge and laxative medicines are mostly taken on an empty stomach; stomach-tonifying medicines and those with greater gastrointestinal stimulation are taken after meals; other medicines are generally taken after meals; and sleeping medications should be taken before bedtime. Regardless of taking medicine before or after meals, there should be a slight interval of about 1-2 hours to avoid affecting the therapeutic effect.
A typical Chinese herbal prescription is usually taken three times a day. If the condition is mild, it can be taken twice; for severe or urgent conditions, the medication can be taken every four hours continuously, day and night, to maintain the continuous effect of the medicine and overcome the disease quickly. When using sweating or purgative medicines, if the medicinal strength is strong, attention should be paid to individual differences in patients. It is generally recommended to stop sweating or purgation when it reaches a moderate level, without needing to consume the full dose, to avoid excessive sweating or damage to the body's vitality.
