When it comes to decocting herbal medicine, many people have experienced it themselves. However, not many of them know how to decoct herbs correctly. In our daily life, we often hear people say “the longer the decoction time, the stronger the Chinese medicine”; we often see people pouring a packet of Chinese medicine into a pot without considering the difference between “first decoction” and “second decoction” to save time. The difference between “first decoction” and “second decoction”; there are also people who directly decoct the medicine with boiling water in order to save decoction time …… In fact, the above practices are incorrect. Cold water must be dipped for half an hour before decoction Usually, the amount of water used for decoction is related to the texture of the tablets, their water absorption and the length of decoction time. Generally speaking, it is appropriate to press the tablet after adding water, so that the liquid surface exceeds the tablet by about 2 cm. Since most of the Chinese medicine tablets are roots, stems, leaves, flowers and seeds of plants, direct decoction with boiling water will easily cause coagulation of proteins and starch in plant cells, and the cell walls of plant cells will not be easily broken, which will prevent the decoction of the active ingredients of the medicine. Therefore, before decoction, the drug should be soaked in cold water at room temperature for about half an hour, and then decocted on fire. For decoction of Chinese medicine, it is better to use high fire first and then civil fire, i.e. use high fire before opening the pot, and use low fire after opening the pot to keep it in a slightly boiling state. For antiphlogistic drugs or other aromatic drugs, you can boil them on high heat first, and then decoct them for 10-15 minutes on low heat. For tonic drugs, a long decoction with a gentle fire is recommended to facilitate the dissolution of the active ingredients. A dose of medicine should be decocted at least twice. It is advisable to use sand pots and sand jars for decoction. Because they are chemically stable, they are not easy to react with the chemical components in Chinese medicine, and they are evenly heated and well insulated. Next, white enamelware or stainless steel pots can be chosen. Decoction is most contraindicated with metal utensils such as aluminum, iron and copper, because metal elements are prone to chemical reactions with the chemical components in herbal medicines, making them less effective and even producing toxic side effects. Generally speaking, in order to make full use of herbs and reduce waste, a dose of medicine should be decocted at least twice, and the liquid should be blended together and taken in 2~3 times. After decoction, it is advisable to extract the juice from the slag so that the adsorbed liquid in the slag can be fully filtered out.