I. Selection of decoction apparatus
Nowadays, it is still better to use casserole because the material of casserole is stable and does not chemically react with drug ingredients, and its heat transfer is even and gentle, which is one of the reasons why it has been used since ancient times. In addition, you can also use enamel pots, stainless steel pots and glass fryers. But you can’t use iron and copper pots, mainly because of iron, copper and aluminum pots.
Second, the amount of water added to the decoction
For decoction of flowers, leaves, and herbs, the amount of water should be more. If you decoct mineral and shell drugs, add less water. According to the traditional method of adding water, the drug is put into the pot, and the amount of water added to the first decoction is 3-5 cm above the surface of the drug, and the amount of water added to the second decoction is 3 cm above the surface of the drug. This method of adding water is simple and easy to use and can be easily mastered.
Third, the decoction in the attention of the problem
1. Soaking before decoction: The soaking time is 0.5~1 hour for flowers, leaves and stems. Soaking time is 1~2 hours for drugs with roots, seeds, rhizomes and fruits.
2, the number of decoction: to decoct several times than a long time decoction effect. It has been proved that the decoction of soup twice can decoct about 80% of the ingredients, so it is appropriate to decoct twice or three times.
3, the temperature of decoction: the temperature of decoction is called “fire” in Chinese medicine. It is customary to call it “Wenhuo” or “Wuhuo”. The so-called Wenhuo is a weak fire, the temperature rises slowly, the water evaporates more slowly. The so-called martial fire is a strong fire, the temperature rises quickly, and the water evaporates quickly. Generally, before boiling, use wu huo, and then change to wen huo after boiling to keep it in a slightly boiling state, which can slow down the evaporation of water, which is conducive to the decoction of active ingredients.
4, decoction time: mainly according to the nature of drugs and diseases, as well as the situation of drugs. Generally, it takes 20-30 minutes for the first decoction to boil and 30-40 minutes for the second decoction. For cold medicine, the first decoction takes 10-15 minutes, and the second decoction takes 15-20 minutes. For tonic drugs, the first decoction takes 30-40 minutes, and the second decoction takes 40-50 minutes.
5. The amount of liquid retained: generally refers to the amount of liquid after a dose of medicine is combined by two decoctions. Adults take 200-300ml, divided into two doses per day. For children, take 100-200 ml and divide it into two to three doses daily.
6, the method of taking medicine: generally a dose of medicine decocted twice and combined liquid, divided into two doses. Children can be divided into 2-3 doses. Treatment of colds, fever, enteritis, diarrhea medicine, you can also use the method of frequent service, that is, once every 4 hours, each time to take 30-40 ml, the disease is cured that stop, and then changed to 2-3 times a day, children to a small number of times better.
7. Decoction of special medicine: The doctor will prescribe the medicine with footnotes in the prescription according to the patient’s condition and the nature of the medicine.
(1) Decoction first: Generally, some minerals, shells and horny nails are not easy to be decocted because of their hard texture and active ingredients, so they should be decocted for 30-40 minutes first, then mixed with other drugs and decocted. The common ones are raw gypsum, raw keel, mother of pearl, raw ochre, etc.
Another toxic drug first decoction, long decoction can achieve the purpose of reducing or removing toxicity. For example, aconite can be decomposed into aconitine, and its toxicity is only 1/2000 of the original, such as aconite can not only reduce toxicity but also increase the cardiac effect.
(2) after the drug: generally aromatic smell containing volatile oil or not easy to long decoction of drugs, to be put into the pot 10-15 minutes before the drug decoction. Common ones are Huo Xiang, Hooked Vine, Rhubarb, etc. Such as the vine alkaloids contained in hook vine, decoction time more than 20 minutes its antihypertensive components are easily destroyed. Rhubarb, the component with laxative effect to clear heat, is rhubarb glucoside, but it is unstable to heat and will decompose when heated for a long time. The laxative effect of rhubarb glucoside is stronger than that of glucoside, so it is not easy to decoct for a long time, and the method is mostly used afterwards.
(3) packet decoction: generally seeds and pollen drugs, gauze bags into the group of drugs decoction. The common ones are psyllium, spineflower and so on. Such as psyllium easy to stick pot paste, coking. So it needs to be wrapped and decocted. Spineflower package decoction can avoid the lint off mixed into the soup liquid to irritate the throat.
(4) Dissolve serving: take the drug after dissolving it with hot liquid. Common drugs are Xuanming powder, mannitol.
(5) Melting service: mainly some gums are melted with hot liquid and then taken. If mixed decoction will make the liquid viscous, affecting the leaching of other ingredients, gum drugs also have a certain loss, so the melting method of taking. The common ones are raw gum, deer horn gum, turtle board gum.
(6) Separate decoction into: some valuable drugs should be decocted separately, and then the liquid into the medicine to take together, common ginseng, American ginseng, deer antler, etc..
(7) Punching: some precious drugs can not be decocted with the group of drugs, more use the method of punching, that is, the powder dissolved in the liquid to take. This is not only conducive to play the role of drugs but also can save herbs. The common ones are Panax ginseng noodles, antelope horn noodles and niuhuang noodles.
Decocting Chinese medicine requires patience and care, and you should concentrate on decocting a pair of Chinese medicine so that you can make a good decoction.