What do I need to pay attention to before decocting Chinese medicine? It is not a good idea to put something in and simmer it, for example, you can’t use hot water to soak the herbs, there are many precautions: 1. Don’t soak the herbs in hot water Before decocting Chinese medicine, there is a procedure to soak the herbs for 20-30 minutes, so that the drug can fully absorb water and make the decoction more effective. It is important to remind people that the best water for soaking herbs is cold water, and hot water above 60°C will cause the proteins in the cells of the herbs to solidify and the starch to melt, which is not conducive to the dissolution of drug ingredients. Some people always wash the herbs with water before decocting them, thinking that it is hygienic to do so. Many herbs contain water-soluble sugars and glycosides, so washing will make these active ingredients partially dissolve in water and lose them, resulting in reduced efficacy. Some Chinese herbal formulas have a lot of herbs in powder form, and some of them have to be crushed when dispensing, so if they are washed with water first, it will definitely cause the loss of these drugs. In addition, some herbs are added with honey, vinegar, wine, bile and other excipients in the concoction process, which are easily soluble in water. Third, the best choice of decoction casserole The quality of herbal tonics is closely related to the choice of decoction apparatus. Nowadays, it is still better to use casserole because the material of casserole is stable without chemical reaction 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. However, iron and copper pots cannot be used, mainly because they are chemically unstable and easily oxidized. When decocting the medicine can react with the chemical components contained in the Chinese medicine, such as with tannin components can generate iron ellagic acid, making the color of the liquid deepen. With flavonoids, it can produce a refractory polymer. With organic acid components, salts can be formed. All these will affect the quality of the soup, directly related to the clinical efficacy of Chinese medicine soup. The amount of water added to the decoction is also very important, and the amount of water added directly affects the quality of the soup. If less water is added, the decoction will be impermeable and the active ingredients will not be completely leached out. If more water is added, the decoction will produce more liquid, which is inconvenient for the patient to take the medicine. Chinese herbs have different textures, and their water absorption varies greatly, so the amount of water added is generally controlled at 5-10 times. The same weight of the drug, loose texture of its volume is large, water absorption is naturally more. If the texture is solid, the volume is smaller and the water absorption is less. Therefore, for decocting flowers, leaves, and whole herbs, the amount of water added should be more. If you decoct mineral and shell drugs, add less water. The traditional method of adding water is to put the drug into the pot and add water to exceed the surface of the drug by 3-5 cm for the first decoction and by 3 cm for the second decoction. This method of adding water is easy to follow and easy to master. V. Decoction time and temperature of Chinese medicine Decoction time should be determined according to the nature of the medicine, generally 30 minutes for medicine. The decoction time should not be long, but 15-20 minutes after boiling. Tonic medicine should be boiled in martial fire and then slow decocted in civil fire for 40-60 minutes. Decoction should be stirred 2-3 times. Each dose of Chinese medicine is usually decocted twice, and the second decoction time can be slightly shorter. The temperature of the decoction is called “fire” in Chinese medicine, which is customarily called “wenhuo” or “wuhuo”. Wenhuo is a weak fire, where the temperature rises slowly and the water evaporates more slowly. The so-called martial fire is a strong fire, the temperature rises quickly, and the water evaporates quickly. If the decoction is too strong, the water evaporates quickly, which affects the leaching of the active ingredients and makes it easy to paste the pot. Conversely, a weak fire will make the decoction less effective. Generally, the fire is used before boiling, and then after boiling, the fire is changed to a mild boiling state to slow down the evaporation of water, which is conducive to the decoction of active ingredients. The decoction should be stirred to allow the liquid to be fully decocted. Each dose of Chinese medicine is usually decocted twice, and the second time can be slightly shorter. Some drugs need to be treated differently, such as decoction first, after decoction, and flushing, etc. The Chinese herbalist will explain this when taking the medicine. These are some precautions to take before decocting herbs, so that you can “win” the battle of decoction.