Chinese herbal decoctions have good effects but are bitter. Some people add sugar to the decoctions to mask the unpleasant taste and make them easier to swallow. However, experts warn against this practice as it prioritizes taste over efficacy and may even lead to side effects.
In each herbal formula, the medicinal ingredients have different tastes such as sour, bitter, sweet, spicy, and salty. They also have different properties such as cold, hot, warm, and cool. Sugars also have certain medicinal properties and therapeutic effects. Sugar can moisturize the lungs, regulate the middle burner, nourish the spleen, and relieve liver stagnation. It can be used to treat symptoms such as dry cough, dry mouth and tongue, weak digestion, and stomach pain. Therefore, sugars are also considered as a type of Chinese medicine and should not be used casually. In addition, there are also contraindications for its clinical use.
Firstly, excessive sugar consumption can generate heat in the body. If a patient has symptoms such as abdominal distension, fullness, and thick greasy tongue coating, which indicate damp-heat accumulation, adding sugar is generally forbidden to avoid adverse reactions. It is also not suitable for those with phlegm-related conditions.
Secondly, white sugar has cooling properties while brown sugar has warming properties. If white sugar is added to warm decoctions or brown sugar is added to cool decoctions, it will weaken the medicinal properties and hinder the full absorption of the medicinal effects, thus affecting the efficacy.
Furthermore, Chinese herbs have complex chemical compositions. Sugars, especially brown sugar, contain a high amount of iron, calcium, and other elements. The proteins and tannins in Chinese herbs can combine with these elements, leading to chemical reactions that cause the coagulation and denaturation of certain active ingredients in the decoction. This results in turbidity and sedimentation in the liquid, not only affecting the efficacy but also posing a health risk.
