Three Points to Note in Cooking Chinese Herbal Medicine
Taking Chinese herbal medicine is not as simple as taking Western medicine before or after meals. The most important process of Chinese herbal medicine is cooking. So how to cook Chinese herbal medicine? What should be noted when cooking Chinese herbal medicine?
How to Cook Chinese Herbal Medicine and What to Note When Cooking Chinese Herbal Medicine
When people need to take Chinese herbal medicine, they often let Chinese medicine practitioners or themselves cook it at home. However, we often cannot cook it well, which often prevents the medicine's effectiveness from being fully exerted. So what aspects should be mastered in the cooking of Chinese herbal medicine in traditional Chinese medicine in order to benefit the effectiveness of the medicine?
1. Mastering the Heat is the Key
Traditional Chinese medicine has the concept of "wu huo" (high heat) and "wen huo" (low heat), which is scientifically sound. Generally, boil the medicine with high heat first, then switch to low heat to prevent the herbal juice from overflowing or boiling too quickly. For light-textured herbs that have the functions of promoting dispersal and evaporation, such as flowers, stems, and leaves, use high heat to boil them, then switch to low heat and simmer for 10 minutes. For heavy-textured herbs that have the functions of settling and nourishing, such as roots, rhizomes, mineral substances, use high heat to boil them first, then simmer with low heat for about 50 minutes to fully dissolve the active ingredients in the herbal liquid.
Some Chinese herbs can only reduce or eliminate their toxicity through slow simmering, such as Aconitum and other highly toxic herbs. On the other hand, for herbs used for releasing the exterior, clearing heat, and having aromatic properties, high heat should be used for quick cooking; otherwise, it will cause excessive loss of active ingredients or change their properties. In addition, specific prescriptions may include instructions such as "pre-decoct," "add later," "wrap and decoct," "liquefy," "decoct separately," "soak and take," "dissolve and take," etc., which have already been explained earlier.
2. Choosing the Right Container is Important
It is recommended to use sand pots, clay pots, or enamel pots, and avoid using metal pots such as iron or copper. Soak the herbs in cold water first to soften them, so that the active ingredients are easy to penetrate into the water. Add water to exceed the herbs by two fingers width. The soaking time is about 20 minutes for herbs mainly composed of flowers, leaves, and stems; about 30 minutes for herbs mainly composed of roots, seeds, and fruits; and up to 60 minutes for herbs mainly composed of animal ingredients. For herbs used for expelling external pathogens, shorter soaking time is suitable, while for herbs used for nourishing the internal organs, longer soaking time is suitable.
How to Cook Chinese Herbal Medicine and What to Note When Cooking Chinese Herbal Medicine
3. Pay Attention to Filtering the Herbal Juice
Firstly, the cooked herbal pot should be filtered for the herbal juice after 3 minutes of removing from heat, instead of waiting for the liquid to cool down, as some herbs' active ingredients can turn into large particles and easily precipitate when cooled. The herbs should be filtered using a cheesecloth, which can remove impurities from the herbal juice. This is especially beneficial for herbs with hairy substances, as they can irritate the throat of patients and cause coughing or nausea. Filtering the herbs with cheesecloth is very helpful in these cases.
Understanding the proper heat, container, and procedures for cooking herbal medicine is an important guarantee for maximizing its effectiveness.
Friendly Reminder: Pay Attention to Pre-decoction and Addition Later
The purpose of "pre-decoction" is usually to increase the solubility of certain drugs or reduce their toxicity, while "addition later" is to reduce the loss of volatile oils and prevent the destruction of active ingredients.
Mineral drugs, such as shell and horn drugs, due to their hard texture, must be pre-decocted to extract their active ingredients. For example, gypsum, cassia seeds, turtle shell, and turtle plastron should be crushed and decocted for 30 minutes before adding other herbs to cook together. Some toxic herbs, such as Aconitum, Batschia, and Rhizoma Arisaematis, must be pre-decocted for 1-2 hours to achieve detoxification. In addition, some plant-based herbs, such as Gardenia, Hemp Seed, and Dendrobium, need to be pre-decocted for 10-30 minutes to exert their effects.
Herbs that should be added later include those with fragrant aroma and high content of volatile oils, such as peppermint, patchouli, cardamom, and sandalwood, as well as herbs that should not be simmered for a long time, such as Uncaria and apricot kernel, which should be added to the pot 5-10 minutes before the decoction is finished.
