【How to Cook Traditional Chinese Medicine】
1. Gelatinous Medicines
Gelatinous medicines like donkey-hide gelatin and turtle plastron gum are mostly high molecular substances. If they are cooked together with other medicines, they are prone to stick to the pot and burn. Therefore, it is best to melt them first and then dissolve them in the decoction.
2. Aromatic Medicines
Aromatic medicines like musk, borneol, camphor, saussurea, and benzoin are volatile at room temperature. Once boiled, their medicinal effects will be greatly reduced. Therefore, they should not be cooked for a long time.
3. Digestive Medicines
Digestive medicines like malt sprout, barley sprout, and agastache rugosa contain active substances such as amylase, invertase, and protease. These substances are not heat resistant and prolonged cooking will greatly reduce their activity and affect the therapeutic effect. Therefore, these medicines are best used in their raw form or lightly stir-fried and ground before consumption.
4. Anthelmintic Medicines
Lei Wan is an anthelmintic medicine, and its main component is Lei Wan Su. When heated to 70°C, Lei Wan Su loses its activity. Therefore, Lei Wan should be taken by dissolving in water.
5. Tonic Medicines
Tonic medicines like Sanqi, deer antler, purple coix seed, hachiman, and Cordyceps sinensis contain saponins, proteins, fats, hormones, and other active ingredients. Due to the complex chemical structure of saponins and the instability of proteins, the cooking process can cause complex chemical changes that affect the therapeutic effect. Therefore, these medicines should be taken by dissolving in water to preserve their active ingredients.
【Important Points to Know When Cooking Traditional Chinese Medicine】
In fact, the process of cooking traditional Chinese medicine is the continuous release and dissolution of active ingredients in the medicinal herbs. When the concentration of active ingredients in the medicinal herbs reaches equilibrium with the liquid, the process stops. Continuous boiling not only does not continuously release and dissolve the active ingredients, but also reduces the concentration of active ingredients in the liquid due to continuous evaporation, and even damages the active ingredients due to prolonged exposure to high temperature, resulting in a decrease in therapeutic effect. In addition, overcooking the decoction will intensify the bitterness, making it difficult for patients to take the medicine and causing side effects such as aversion and vomiting.
The cooking time should be determined according to the nature of the medicine and the disease, the ease of dissolution of active ingredients, and the condition of the patient. Generally, the initial boiling time should be 20-25 minutes, while the second boiling time should be 15-20 minutes. For herbs that release the exterior, the initial boiling time should be 10-15 minutes, and the second boiling time should be 10 minutes. For tonics, the initial boiling time should be 30-40 minutes, while the second boiling time should be 25-30 minutes. For herbs that require pre-boiling, the pre-boiling time should be 10-30 minutes, and the subsequent herbs should be added in the last 5-10 minutes.
Cooking traditional Chinese medicine is a practical discipline that requires a lot of experience and skills. It is absolutely necessary not to change the variables of cooking based on personal opinions. Because any slight change can significantly affect the effectiveness of the decoction, making it ineffective or even endangering lives!
