Chinese medicines may be expired.
Chinese medicines are usually categorized into proprietary Chinese medicines (pCms) and Chinese herbal medicines (CHMs). If it is a proprietary Chinese medicine, there will be a clear date of manufacture and expiry date written on the package. When using proprietary Chinese medicines, it is necessary to take them within the expiry date, and if you take medicines that have expired, it may bring about effects to your body.
If it is a traditional Chinese medicine drink, for the herbs containing oil, sugar, volatile herbs can not be left for a long time. These herbs are not stable, and the ingredients can be volatilized and lost over time, such as saffron in the flower and leaf category; peach kernel in the seed kernel category. When left for a long period of time, they may appear to volatilize or lose their oil, which can affect the quality of the herbs themselves.
During the period of taking Chinese medicine, it needs to be within the stipulated shelf life, and also needs to be taken according to the course of treatment in order to achieve a better therapeutic effect.