In real life, most people are accustomed to treating illnesses with Western medicine. When taking medication, they only need to follow the doctor's instructions. However, when it comes to diseases that require both Western medicine treatment and traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) conditioning, we may encounter a problem: can we take Chinese and Western medicine at the same time? Below, we will help answer this question.
Can Chinese and Western Medicine be Taken Simultaneously?
According to clinical experience, Chinese and Western medicine should be taken at least 30 minutes apart. This is because most Western medicine takes about half an hour to be absorbed by the body, and its influence on TCM is minimal after metabolism.
Some Chinese medicine, such as medicine for treating colds and flu, has a fast onset of action. After about half an hour, other medicines can be taken. However, for nourishing Chinese medicine, the time between taking them should be extended.
When Chinese and Western medicine conflict, the threat is greater for patients with chronic conditions. For patients with conditions such as asthma, heart disease, and diabetes, who require long-term medication to control their symptoms, they may choose TCM treatment and conditioning in addition to regular Western medicine. When the two medicines collide, they may cancel out each other's effects or cause adverse side effects due to excessive potency.
What Should be Considered when Taking Chinese Medicine?
1. Avoid Eating Radishes
When taking Chinese medicine, it is not advisable to eat raw radishes. This is because radishes have digestive and gas-breaking effects. When taking tonic Chinese medicine such as ginseng and astragalus, the radishes will weaken their tonifying effects and lower their efficacy.
2. Avoid Adding Sugar
Prepared Chinese herbal decoctions often have a bitter taste, which makes it difficult to swallow, especially for children. Some people add sugar to reduce the bitterness. However, this method is not recommended because adding sugar to some medications can reduce their efficacy or even render them completely ineffective and harmful to the body.
This is because sugar contains certain ions, such as iron and calcium, as well as other substances. If taken with herbal decoctions, a chemical reaction may occur, altering the properties of certain active ingredients in the medication. This can lead to a reduction in the effectiveness of the medication.
Additionally, precipitation and turbidity may occur, and even some harmful substances may be generated. This is not conducive to disease recovery and may cause new harm to the body.
3. Avoid Eating Fruits
It is best not to eat anything, especially fruits and vegetables, within 30 minutes before or after taking medication. This is because some fruits and vegetables contain substances that can undergo chemical reactions with medications, altering their effects.
Avoid eating cooling fruits such as pears, hawthorns, water chestnuts, kumquats, lilies, bananas, sugarcane, and persimmons.
4. Avoid Strong Odors
Most Chinese medicine has a fragrant aroma, especially aromatic dampness-eliminating and aromatically regulating qi medicine, which contain a large amount of volatile oil that plays a therapeutic role. These aromatic substances are least compatible with foul odors. If strong odors are not avoided when taking Chinese medicine, it can often affect the efficacy.
5. Avoid Strong Tea
Generally, it is not recommended to drink strong tea when taking Chinese medicine. This is because tea contains tannic acid, and strong tea contains more tannic acid. When taken with Chinese medicine, it can affect the absorption of active ingredients in the medication by the body, reducing its efficacy.
Especially when taking gelatin or white fungus, it is best to avoid drinking tea at the same time. Concurrent consumption can cause the precipitation of tannic acid and alkaloids from the tea, affecting absorption by the body. If you usually have a habit of drinking tea, you can reduce the amount of green tea, and it is best to drink it 2-3 hours after taking medication.
