1.Soaking before decoction Generally add cold water to diffuse over the surface of the medicine, soak through and then decoct, the active ingredients are easy to decoct. Generally soak for about 30 minutes, but also according to the texture of the herbs themselves and the season, temperature differences are treated. Flowers, herbs and leaves can be soaked for 20 minutes; roots, seeds, fruits and ores, crustaceans should be soaked for 30 to 60 minutes. In short, the herbs should be soaked through. 2, the choice of decoction utensils decoction container and the quality of the liquid is very close, historical records that “silver is the top, the magnetic second”, do not advocate the use of tin, iron and other pots decoction. Because some drugs will precipitate when they meet tin, iron and other metals, reducing solubility and even causing chemical changes, resulting in side effects. At present, we advocate the use of ceramic and tile pots instead of iron and copper pots, and preferably not aluminum pots and stainless steel and enamel containers for decoction to ensure the efficacy of Chinese medicine. Water is the most commonly used solvent for decocting herbal tonics, and it is generally advisable to use clean cold water, such as tap water, well water, distilled water and so on. The amount of water used should be determined by the weight, volume, water absorption capacity, decoction time, fire and the amount of medicine required, and it is generally appropriate for the water to diffuse through the medicine by about half an inch. The amount of water used for decoction should be added once, not several times in the middle, not to add water to dry the drug and then add water to re-decoction, and the dry drug should be discarded. 4, the decoction of the fire decoction of Chinese medicine has a “martial fire, fire”, urgent decoction of the “martial fire”, slow decoction of the “fire”. Generally, the martial fire is used first, and then the civil fire is used after the decoction is boiled. Different prescriptions require different decoction times. The decoction time should be short for sweating and relieving symptoms of external symptoms, and long for tonic medicine for deficiency. 5. The decoction should be taken one hour before meals, after meals for gastrointestinal stimulants, on an empty stomach for tonic drugs, at bedtime for tranquilizers, and at regular intervals for chronic diseases. Generally, a dose is divided into 2 to 3 doses, one dose a day. In case of special circumstances, two doses can be taken in a row to enhance the therapeutic effect. Usually Chinese medicine soup should be served warm, but for specific cases can also be served cold. 6, there are taboos in taking medicine Chinese medicine has always been “eighteen anti”, “nineteen fear”, so you must not blindly use folk remedies, secret prescriptions, do not be a “doctor” brew The “bitter wine”. You should always take your medicine under the guidance of a doctor. In pregnancy, for example, certain drugs have the side effect of damaging the fetus or even aborting the fetus, so they should be regarded as contraindications to pregnancy, such as Croton, Petunia, Euphorbia, Zanthoxylum, Musk, Trigon, Curcuma, Leech, etc. During pregnancy, we should be cautious with peach kernel, safflower, rhubarb, heliotrope, sapodilla, ginger, cinnamon, etc. 7, when taking medication “taboo” problem During the medication all raw, cold, fishy and other indigestible or irritating food should be avoided as needed. In addition, in addition to the regular avoidance of onion, garlic and radish for Dihuang and He Shou Wu, crab meat for mint, vinegar for Poria, and raw onion for honey, etc., it should be carried out according to the specific condition as prescribed by the doctor. Some people often do not cover the pot when decocting Chinese medicine for the convenience of operation. For this reason, herbalists remind patients not to forget to cover the lid when decocting herbs. It has been researched that most of the plant-based herbal medicines, such as Magnoliaceae, Rutaceae and Asteraceae, contain volatile oil. In medicine, volatile oil has the functions of wind repellent, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory and analgesic. However, the solubility of volatile oils in water is very small, and most of them are lighter than water, so they can easily evaporate with the water vapor. If the Chinese medicine is decocted without a lid, the active ingredients in the Chinese medicine will easily “run” out with the water vapor, reducing the efficacy of the medicine. 9, how to control the fire of decoction of Chinese medicine Decoction of Chinese medicine is very much about the fire, that is to say, pay attention to the fire of decoction and the length of time of decoction. The mastery of fire should also be based on the nature of the drug. The aromatic odor of antiphlogistic drugs and the active ingredients containing volatile oil are the majority. Long decoction can cause excessive volatilization and loss, it is generally appropriate to use the method of rapid decoction of martial fire, the decoction time should be short, the first decoction can be boiled for 15 minutes, the second decoction can be boiled for 10 minutes. For tonic drugs, because of their heavy nourishing quality, they need to be decocted for a long time in order to produce juice, so they are generally decocted with wu huo, and then changed to wen huo decoction, after the first decoction, then 20-30 minutes with wen huo, and after the second decoction, 30-40 minutes with wen huo. For drugs with long decoction time, it is necessary to stir 2 to 3 times during the decoction process to prevent the bottom layer of drugs from scorching. Some people accidentally make the herbal decoction mushy, so they add water and decoct it again and give it to the patient, which is inappropriate and even dangerous. This is because the scorched drug may undergo a qualitative change. 10. Decoction of Chinese medicine is not the longer the stronger the effect. In daily life, most people think that the stronger the effect of decoction of Chinese medicine, the longer the decoction time, the more active ingredients, but in fact it is not. Decoction of Chinese herbal medicine is a process of releasing and dissolving the active ingredients in the herbal medicine. When the concentration of the active ingredients in the herbal medicine and the liquid is balanced, the process stops. It can be seen that the longer the decoction, the better. The time required after decoction is different for different prescriptions and should be followed. 11. Don’t wash before decocting Chinese medicine Don’t wash before decocting Chinese medicine. This is because: (1) water washing can make the water-soluble components of the herbs lost: as many herbs contain sugar and glycosides, which can be dissolved in water, after washing, part of the active ingredients will be lost, resulting in reduced efficacy. (2) water washing can make the loss of powdered herbs: many herbs in traditional Chinese medicine are powdered, and some need to be crushed when dispensing, such as peach kernel, dragon bone, talcum powder, etc. If washed with water, it will cause the loss of these drugs. (3) water washing can lead to the loss of some herbs excipients: as some herbs in the process of preparation added honey, wine, bile and other excipients, and these excipients are easily dissolved in water, if water washing, can lead to the loss of some excipients. For example, the commonly used herbs such as bile south star and wine rhubarb. Therefore, it is not advisable to rinse the herbs with water before decocting them to avoid losing the ingredients and affecting the efficacy of the medicine. 12. Please discard the decocted Chinese medicine The reason why Chinese medicine can treat diseases lies in the fact that it contains alkaloids, saponins, tannins and other active ingredients. The purpose of decocting Chinese medicine is to decoct the active ingredients in the medicine to facilitate the treatment of diseases. Whether the method of decoction is appropriate or not has a lot to do with its curative effect. If the decoction time is short, the active ingredients of the drug will not be decocted, which will affect the curative effect; if the decoction time is too long, the active ingredients (such as volatile ingredients) will be damaged or lost, and the drug will be decocted. Once the herbs are decocted, their properties will be changed. For example, if a tonic herb is burnt, its taste will change from sweet to bitter, and it will no longer be possible to play a tonic role; if a blood-stasis drug is burnt, it will become a drug with hemostatic effect. Most of the active ingredients of herbal medicines will be destroyed after decoction, and even the effect will be reversed, so that what should clear heat cannot clear heat, and what should nourish cannot nourish. Therefore, Chinese medicines should be discarded after decoction.