According to traditional Chinese medicine, when boiling Chinese herbs, it is best to use a clay pot to allow the herbs to fully exert their effectiveness and to avoid chemical reactions between the herbs and the vessel.
【Clay pot is the preferred vessel for boiling Chinese herbs】
When boiling Chinese herbs, the choice of vessel is crucial. The preferred options are clay pots and earthen jars, followed by enamelware and stainless steel pots. It is strongly advised against using iron or copper pots. Clay pots and earthen jars have stable chemical properties, heat evenly, and have slow heat transfer, which prevents excessive evaporation of water during the boiling process.
Stainless steel pots have fast heat transfer, so constant stirring is required during herb boiling to prevent the herbs from sticking to the pot walls. It is important to note that iron and copper pots should never be used for herb boiling. Iron and copper are reactive elements that can easily react with the various chemical components in Chinese herbs, leading to toxic side effects.
When boiling Chinese herbs, the choice of vessel is crucial. The preferred options are clay pots and earthen jars, followed by enamelware and stainless steel pots. It is strongly advised against using iron or copper pots. Clay pots and earthen jars have stable chemical properties, heat evenly, and have slow heat transfer, which prevents excessive evaporation of water during the boiling process.
Stainless steel pots have fast heat transfer, so constant stirring is required during herb boiling to prevent the herbs from sticking to the pot walls. It is important to note that iron and copper pots should never be used for herb boiling. Iron and copper are reactive elements that can easily react with the various chemical components in Chinese herbs, leading to toxic side effects.
【Three tips for boiling Chinese herbs】
1. Clean the herb pot thoroughly
When boiling Chinese herbs, the herbal juice becomes concentrated due to evaporation, resulting in the accumulation of herb residues at the bottom and around the pot. If the herbs used for boiling are frequently changed without timely cleaning of the accumulated residues, the residues will dissolve and interfere with the effectiveness of the new herbs, potentially affecting the treatment outcome. This is especially important when previously boiling highly toxic herbs or externally used herbs that should not be ingested, as it could lead to poisoning.
In addition, if the pot is not cleaned immediately after each herb boiling, the residue at the bottom of the pot will continue to accumulate and become thicker, which can easily lead to burnt herbs and loss of effectiveness in subsequent herb boiling.
2. To cover or not to cover depends on the herbs
Generally, it is recommended to cover the pot when boiling Chinese herbs to ensure thorough boiling. This is especially important for herbs that contain volatile components, such as mint, patchouli, and perilla leaves, which need to be boiled quickly to prevent the loss of active ingredients. For certain precious herbs like ginseng, deer antler, and goji berries, covering the pot helps to fully release the active ingredients.
However, for some light herbs with large volume, such as moneywort, oldenlandia, white phellodendron bark, loofah vine, and corn silk, it is not recommended to cover the pot as they tend to overflow. In such cases, the pot should be left uncovered with constant stirring.
3. Boil thoroughly and drain completely
"Boil thoroughly" means fully extracting the active ingredients from the herbs, which is the basic requirement for herb boiling. For herbs with tough texture that are difficult to release their active ingredients, multiple rounds of boiling, pre-boiling, or long boiling are necessary to achieve a concentrated decoction for optimal therapeutic effect. For herbs with loose texture and light aromatic taste, they do not require long boiling time; however, for light and bulky herbs, frequent stirring is needed to ensure thorough boiling.
