【Precautions for boiling Chinese medicine】
1. Utensils
To do a good job, one must first sharpen one's tools. It is best to use ceramic pots, clay pots, or stainless steel utensils for boiling Chinese medicine. Avoid using iron, aluminum, and other easily corrosive utensils.
2. Soaking
Just like soaking soybeans before making soy milk, Chinese herbs should be soaked in cold water for 1-2 hours before boiling (except for herbs soaked in vinegar or alcohol), at least 20 minutes.
3. Water
Tap water is sufficient for boiling herbs, and the water level should cover the surface of the herbs by 1-3 centimeters. Increase the water level slightly for herbs that absorb more water.
4. Heat
Boil the herbal mixture on high heat first, and then simmer on low heat.
5. Lid
Usually, the lid should be tightly closed when boiling herbs. Once the water is boiling, the lid can be propped open with two chopsticks to allow steam to escape. Some Chinese herbs contain volatile components, such as mint, pachyma, and expensive herbs like ginseng. The effective ingredients of these herbs can easily evaporate into the air, so the lid should be kept closed during boiling.
6. Operation
Stir the herbs during boiling to ensure thorough extraction of the medicinal properties. Each dose of Chinese medicine is usually boiled twice, with the second boiling time slightly shorter. Some herbs require different treatment methods, such as pre-boiling, adding later, or brewing, which will be explained by the herbalist when prescribing.
7. Time
The boiling time directly affects the efficacy of the medicine. The boiling time starts counting from when the liquid boils. Generally, Chinese medicine for treating colds and other external diseases only needs to be boiled for 10-15 minutes, while tonic herbs need to be boiled for 40-60 minutes. Other Chinese herbs usually require 20-25 minutes of boiling.
【Heating Chinese medicine does not require boiling】
To save time, many people prepare several days' worth of medicine at once. When reheating the medicine, it generally does not need to be brought to a boil. It just needs to reach the temperature of warm water for drinking. Usually, simmering heat is used, and the medicine is removed from heat just as it starts to boil, and allowed to cool before consumption.
It is also worth mentioning that using a microwave is not recommended for heating Chinese medicine. Chinese herbs have complex compositions, and the heating process in a microwave may destroy the herbs at the molecular level, causing a loss of efficacy. If using sealed plastic bags containing soup from a hospital, it is best to transfer the soup to a container before heating it with hot water.
【If Chinese medicine becomes paste or burnt, discard it all】
If the Chinese medicine becomes pasty or burnt, do not pick out the bad parts and re-boil with water. It should be discarded entirely, even if it is only slightly burnt. The dissolution of various components in the herbs varies in speed, and the concentration of the brewed medicine also changes with the length of boiling time. Overcooked Chinese medicine not only has its components destroyed, but also reduces its therapeutic effect.
Furthermore, some herbs can produce different effects when overcooked. For example, puhuang is used for promoting blood circulation, but puhuang charcoal, which is produced by burning puhuang, is used to stop bleeding. The effects are completely opposite.
