Soup is the earliest and most widely used dosage form in Chinese medicine. Because it adapts to the principle of traditional Chinese medicine to identify and treat, with the symptoms of the principle of addition and subtraction, and has the preparation of simple, rapid absorption of the effect, etc., doubly popular with the doctors and patients of the green squint. However, in the face of a package of Chinese medicine, often people do not know what to do, to introduce you to some of the knowledge of decoction of Chinese medicine. First, the selection of decoction apparatus The quality of Chinese medicine soup and the selection of decoction apparatus has a close relationship. Nowadays, it is still good to use casserole, because the material of casserole is stable and will not have chemical reaction with drug ingredients, and its heat transfer is even and gentle, which is also 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 fryer. But you can’t use iron pots, copper pots, mainly because iron or copper pots are chemically unstable and easy to oxidize. In the decoction of medicine can react with the chemical components contained in traditional Chinese medicine, such as tannin and tannin ingredients can generate iron tannate, so that the color of the liquid deepened. With flavonoids can generate intolerable polymers. With organic acid components can generate salts. These will affect the quality of the soup, directly related to the clinical efficacy of Chinese medicine soup. Second, the amount of water added to the decoction 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. Add less water, will cause the drug decoction impermeable, active ingredients leaching incomplete. If you add more water, the decoction will be more liquid and it will be inconvenient for the patient to take the medicine. Chinese herbs due to their different textures, its water absorption is also a big difference, the general amount of water control in 5-10 times. The same weight of the drug, the texture of the volume of loose is large, water absorption is naturally more. The solid texture of its volume is small, less water absorption. Therefore, the decoction of flowers, leaves, whole herbs, the amount of water should be more. Decoction of minerals, shellfish drugs, add less water. According to the traditional method of adding water, the drug is put into the pot, the first decoction of the amount of water added to the water over the surface of the drug 3-5 centimeters, the second decoction of the amount of water added to the surface of the drug more than 3 centimeters shall prevail. This method of adding water is simple and easy to master. Third, the decoction in the attention of the problem 1, soaking before decoction: drugs in the decoction must be soaked before, this is because the origin of plant-based traditional Chinese medicine is mostly dry products, through the addition of water to soak the herbs can be softened, the tissue cell expansion to restore its natural state, decoction is easy to leach out the active ingredient. Generally flowers, leaves, stems of the main drugs, soaking time for 1-1, 5 hours. Roots, seeds, rhizomes, fruit-based drugs soaking time for 2-3 hours. 2, the number of decoctions: the effect of multiple decoctions is better than a long decoction. Practice has proved that two decoctions of soup can decoct about 80% of the contained ingredients, so the number of decoctions should be two or three times. 3, the temperature of the decoction: the temperature of the decoction, Chinese medicine called “fire” is generally customarily referred to as “fire” or “fire”. The so-called fire, is a weak fire, the temperature rises slowly, water evaporation is slow. The so-called martial arts fire, is a strong fire, the temperature rises quickly, water evaporation is also fast. If the decoction fire is too strong, the water evaporates quickly, which will affect the leaching of active ingredients, and it is also easy to paste the pot. On the contrary, if the fire is weak, the effect of the decoction will be poor. Generally in the non-boiling before the use of fire, to boil and then switch to the fire, to maintain the state of micro-boiling, can slow down the evaporation of water, which is conducive to the active ingredients of the decoction. 4, decoction time: mainly according to the nature of the drug and disease, as well as the drug. Generally, it takes 20-30 minutes for the first decoction to start boiling, and 30-40 minutes for the second decoction. For cold and flu medicines, 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 medicine retained: generally refers to the amount of medicine after a dose of medicine combined by two decoctions. Adults take 400-600 ml, divided into two doses per day. Children take 200-300 ml, divided into two to three times a day. 6, the method of taking medicine: generally a dose of medicine after two decoctions combined liquid, divided into two doses. Children can take it in 2-3 times. Treatment of colds, fever, enteritis, diarrhea of the medicine, can also be used to serve the method of frequency, that is, every four hours to serve, each time to take 30-40 ml, the disease is cured, and then changed to serve 2-3 times a day, children to a small amount of time is good. 7, the decoction of special drugs: the doctor will be based on the patient’s condition and the nature of the drug, in the prescription with a footnote to the drug. (1) the first decoction: generally some minerals, shells, horns and armor drugs, because of its hard texture is not easy to decoct the active ingredient, generally to be the first decoction for 30-40 minutes, and then mixed with other drugs after decoction. Commonly, there are raw gypsum, raw bones, mother-of-pearl, raw ochre and so on. Another toxic drugs first decoction, decoction for a long time can achieve the purpose of toxicity reduction or de-toxicity. Such as aconite drugs for a long time can make aconitine decomposition for aconitine, its toxicity is only 1/2000 of the original. such as epiphyllum for a long time can not only reduce the toxicity but also increase the cardiotonic effect. (2) after the next drug: generally aromatic odor containing volatile oils or drugs that are not easy to decoct for a long time, to be put into the pot 10-15 minutes before the drug decoction. Commonly, there are Huoxiang, hook vine, rhubarb and so on. Such as hooker contains vine alkaloids, decoction time of more than 20 minutes its antihypertensive components are easily destroyed. Rhubarb, with diarrhea and clearing heat, is a component of rhubarb glycosides, but its heat is not stable, long time heating will decompose. And rhubarb glycosides laxative effect is stronger than glycosides, so it is not easy to decoct for a long time, more after the method. (3) package decoction: generally seeds and other pollen drugs, with gauze bags into the group of drugs within the total decoction. Commonly, there are psyllium, cyclamen, etc.. Such as psyllium is easy to stick to the pot paste, caramelization. So it needs to be packaged for decoction, and the packaged decoction of the flowers can avoid the velvet shedding and mixing into the soup to stimulate the throat. (4) Dissolving service: take the drug after dissolving it with hot medicinal liquid. Common medicines are xuanming powder and mannite. (5) melting service; mainly some gelatinous drugs, with hot liquid medicine melted after taking. If the mixed decoction will make the liquid viscous, affecting the other components of the leaching, gelatinous drugs also have a certain loss, so the use of melting to take the method. Commonly, there are raw gum, antler gum, turtle board gum. (6) another decoction into, some of the valuable drugs to be decocted separately, and then the liquid into the medicine to be taken together. Commonly, there are ginseng, American ginseng, antler and so on. (7) take, some valuable drugs fine powder can not be decocted with the group of drugs, more use of the method of taking, that is, the powder is dissolved in the liquid medication to take. This is conducive to the role of drugs can also save herbs. Commonly, there are panax ginseng noodles, antelope horn noodles, oxalis noodles and so on.