"Good medicine tastes bitter but is beneficial for the illness." If a bowl of Chinese herbal medicine smells bitter and is difficult to swallow, people have come up with a solution: adding sugar to the medicine. However, taking Chinese herbal medicine requires careful consideration of factors such as timing and temperature. So, does adding sugar to Chinese herbal medicine affect its efficacy? Let me explain below.
Can Chinese Herbal Medicine be Consumed with Sugar?
Generally speaking, Chinese herbal medicine, especially decoctions, are bitter in taste, so patients often add sugar to make it more palatable. However, there are certain Chinese herbs that should not be consumed with sugar.
1. Sugar as a Chinese Herb
Sugar has a sweet taste and has the function of nourishing the body. If the disease being treated is caused by an excess of pathogenic factors, adding sugar will not only fail to expel the pathogen but may also worsen the condition.
2. Complex Composition
Proteins, tannins, and other components in Chinese herbal medicine can react chemically with sugar (especially with red sugar that contains more inorganic elements such as iron and calcium), causing certain components in the medicine to solidify and denature, leading to turbidity and precipitation in the liquid. This not only affects the efficacy of the medicine but may also harm the body.
3. Impaired Absorption
Sugar can inhibit the effectiveness of certain antipyretic drugs and interfere with the absorption of mineral elements and vitamins in the liquid medicine. Sugar can also degrade certain drugs (such as the active ingredients in croton), reducing the efficacy of the decoction.
4. Reduced Efficacy
Some Chinese herbs for promoting digestion rely on their bitterness or other unique flavors to stimulate the secretion of digestive glands and exert their therapeutic effects. Adding sugar will inevitably reduce their efficacy.
Does Adding Sugar to Chinese Herbal Medicine Affect its Efficacy?
The practice of adding sugar to Chinese herbal medicine is not ideal. Chinese herbs have different tastes, such as sour, bitter, sweet, spicy, and salty, and also have different properties, such as cold, hot, warm, and cool. Adding honey, brown sugar, or white sugar to the decoction also has different effects.
1. Diarrhea and Stomach Distention Avoid Honey
Honey has a neutral property and its main components are fructose and glucose, which are easily absorbed by the child's gastrointestinal tract and are rich in nutrients.
However, it is worth noting that honey can moisturize the intestines, so it should be avoided by those with diarrhea, stomach distention, or phlegm dampness. Furthermore, the various trace elements in honey may alter the efficacy of the medicine, so it should be taken under medical advice.
2. Cold Sensitivity Avoid White Sugar
White sugar belongs to sucrose and has a cool property. If a patient is sensitive to cold and feels cold, they need to take warm Chinese herbs. Adding white sugar in this case would have the opposite effect. It is important to note that neither white sugar nor brown sugar should be consumed by those with phlegm dampness.
3. High Fever Avoid Brown Sugar
Brown sugar is a mixture of sucrose and sugar syrup and has a warm property. It has the effects of nourishing blood, promoting blood circulation, warming the liver, and dispelling cold. It can be used to treat postpartum lochiorrhea.
For example, after gynecological surgery or when regulating menstruation with Chinese herbs, the decoction is typically bitter and is suitable for adding brown sugar. Brown sugar is suitable for children with anemia, but if a child is experiencing a high fever due to an external pathogen, adding brown sugar to the decoction would have a counterproductive effect.
How to Make Chinese Herbal Medicine Less Bitter?
1. Control the Temperature
When drinking Chinese herbal medicine, it is generally recommended to take it warm after a meal. Our taste buds are more sensitive to temperatures above 37°C, so if the Chinese herbal medicine is consumed immediately after preparation, it will taste even more bitter. It is best to consume the decoction at a temperature between 35°C and 37°C.
2. Swallowing Method
Our taste buds are mainly concentrated in the front half of the tongue, from the tip to the middle left and right sides. When drinking Chinese herbal medicine, try to let it reach the back of the tongue and avoid keeping it at the tip of the tongue.
Take a large sip of the decoction, quickly raise and lower the jaw, and naturally swallow it, or use a spoon to directly send the decoction to the back of the tongue and swallow it smoothly.
3. Drinking Speed
It is well known that the longer the Chinese herbal medicine stays in the mouth, the more bitter it feels. Therefore, when drinking Chinese herbal medicine, do not linger and drink it quickly. This way, the bitterness will only be temporary.
4. Drinking Water After Taking the Medicine
After drinking the Chinese herbal medicine, there may be residue in the mouth. At this time, drinking a glass of warm water not only helps the medicine to enter the stomach for absorption but also helps alleviate the bitter taste in the mouth.
