"Good medicine tastes bitter" is a concise and accurate description of the characteristics of traditional Chinese medicine. Many people who have tried Chinese medicine know that it can be sour and astringent, with a pungent smell. Therefore, many people have the habit of adding sugar to their Chinese medicine, even directly into the decoction. Does adding sugar to Chinese medicine affect its efficacy?
【Does Adding Sugar to Chinese Medicine Affect its Efficacy?】
Doctors have said that there are certain taboos when consuming cane sugar. People with a thick and greasy tongue coating, or those with bloating, dampness and internal heat obstruction, should not eat cane sugar. If sugar is added to Chinese medicine that is used to treat dampness and regulate Qi, it will actually worsen the condition. Some cold-natured Chinese medicines are also not suitable for adding sugar, as sugar is warm in nature and can reduce the effectiveness of the medicine. In fact, there is another way to reduce the bitterness of Chinese medicine. By controlling the temperature of the decoction when taken orally, the bitterness can be easily alleviated. Generally, if the temperature of the decoction is around 36 degrees Celsius, the bitterness will be reduced. Therefore, when taking the decoction, it is best to let it sit for a few minutes until the temperature becomes warm and not hot, as this is when the bitterness is the lightest and easiest to swallow.
【Be Cautious When Adding Sugar】
Especially when parents feed medicine to their children, they often add sugar to make it more palatable. In fact, each prescription consists of different herbs with varying tastes of sour, bitter, sweet, spicy, and salty, and they also have different properties of cold, hot, warm, and cool. Sugars also have certain medicinal properties and therapeutic effects. For example, sugar can moisten the lungs, regulate the middle, and nourish the spleen, which can be used to treat dry cough, dry mouth and tongue, and stomach pain. Therefore, traditional Chinese medicine also considers sugar as a medicinal herb.
Occasionally adding a small amount of sugar is not a problem, but it should be noted for children who are overweight or have a phlegm-damp constitution. Long-term use of sugar can affect digestion and lead to bloating, indigestion, and other diseases.
