【Adding water frequently during herbal decoction is not beneficial for drug decomposition】
When decocting herbs, it is not advisable to add water frequently, as this is not beneficial for the breakdown of the drugs. If the drugs absorb water and expand, and the water is absorbed completely, you can add some boiling water as needed. For herbs that require a large amount of water for decoction, it is best to prepare and add more water in advance.
【How to control the amount of water when decocting herbs】
Many people who buy Chinese herbs from hospital pharmacies or drugstores do not know how much water to add when decocting the herbs, and the amount of water is either too much or too little. Adding too much water prolongs the decoction time of the drugs, causing some drugs that should not be decocted for a long time to lose their inherent therapeutic effects. Moreover, if there is too much liquid, the patient cannot drink it all. On the other hand, if there is too little water, the effective ingredients of the drugs are not easily decocted and it is easy to burn the herbs. So, how should we control the amount of water?
Generally speaking, the amount of water should be such that it is one finger width higher than the level of the herbs when the liquid boils, and the amount of water should be determined based on the type of herbs. According to pharmacists, for herbs that belong to the category of regulation and nourishment, the first decoction should use 700-1000 milliliters of water, and the second decoction should use 400-500 milliliters of water; for herbs that relieve surface symptoms, the first decoction should use 400-600 milliliters of water, and the second decoction should use 250-300 milliliters of water; for general herbs, the first decoction should use 500-700 milliliters of water, and the second decoction should use 300-350 milliliters of water.
In addition, the amount of water should also be determined according to the dosage of the prescription given by the doctor. Sometimes doctors prescribe multiple doses and large amounts of medicine based on the patient's condition, with more than 20 different herbs in one dose. For herbs such as summer cypress, gold coin grass, fishy-smelling herb, bamboo shoots, common rush, and heart-shaped herb, which have strong water absorption characteristics, the following water addition methods can be considered:
1. Decoct the herbs with a large dosage separately, discard the residue, and use the herbal extract to decoct other herbs.
2. Decoct the herbs with a large water requirement and the herbs with a small water requirement separately, filter their juice, and then mix and decoct them to concentrate.
3. Decoct all the herbs together, decocting them 2-3 times, taking about 300 milliliters of the herbal extract each time, filtering out impurities, mixing them together, and continuing to decoct until it is reduced to about 300 milliliters for consumption. The first two methods are suitable for cases where there are only a few herbs with a large dosage in a prescription, while the third method is suitable for prescriptions where all the herbs have a large dosage.
