The decoction method of Chinese medicine is very important. Li Shizhen, a doctor of the Ming Dynasty, said, “All medicines are not effective if the decoction is done recklessly, with poor water and fire, or if the fire is out of order, even if the medicine is not effective”; Xu Lingtai, a doctor of the Qing Dynasty, said, “The method of decoction is most appropriate to speak deeply, and the effectiveness of the medicine is all about this. “. It can be seen that the method cannot be ignored. Decoction utensils: It is best to use casserole and ceramic pot for decocting Chinese medicine, and no iron pot should be used. Decoction water: 1. Decoction water is based on the principle of cleanliness. Tap water, well water, pure water, distilled water V can be used. 2, the amount of water should be based on the amount of medicine, the degree of water absorption and the length of time needed to decoct. Generally, the first decoction with more water to submerge the herbs more than 2-3 cm, the second decoction with water can be reduced at your discretion. Decoction fire: decoction fire is divided into “wu huo” and “wen huo”. 1.Wu Huo refers to a decoction method with rapid fire, fierce fire, fast temperature rise and more water vaporization. 2, Wenhuo refers to a slow, weak fire, temperature change, slow evaporation of water decoction method. General Decoction Decoction method: First place the drug in a container, add cold water and soak for 20-30 minutes, then put the lid on the fire to heat the decoction. The medicine is first decocted in a martial fire, and then changed to a civil fire for another 10-15 minutes. During the decoction process, attention should be paid to moderate stirring to avoid paste in the pot and also to improve the decoction rate of the active ingredients of the medicine. However, the lid of the pot should not be opened too frequently to minimize the loss of volatile components. After decocting for 10-15 minutes on a gentle fire, strain the first decoction; then heat an appropriate amount of water and decoct according to the above method to take the second decoction. Mix the two liquids and take them according to medical advice. Human physiological activities and pathological changes all follow a certain time pattern. However, some formulas such as antiphlogistic agents, heat-clearing agents, and aromatic drugs are only used with martial fire, and should not be decocted for a long time with civil fire. However, some prescriptions, such as antiphlogistic agents, purgative agents, aromatic agents, should not be decocted for a long time with a civil fire. In addition, the poisonous drugs such as sapodilla, wolfsbane and aconite should be decocted for a long time with slow fire to reduce their toxicity. Time of taking medicine: It is necessary to master the regularity of the time of taking medicine and choose the best time of taking medicine in order to maximize the efficacy of the medicine. General drugs should be taken one hour after meals. Deworming medicine should be taken in the morning on an empty stomach; tranquilizing medicine should be taken before going to bed; intercepting malaria medicine should be taken 2 hours before the onset; tonic medicine should be taken on an empty stomach. Dosing method: 1 dose per day, divided into 2 doses in the morning and 2 doses in the evening; if the disease is critical, it can be taken in one dose; vomiting patients can take a small amount frequently. General soup is mostly taken in warm. It is advisable to take hot medicine and drink hot porridge to help sweat out. Cold medicine should be taken cold for hot evidence. Hot medicines for cold symptoms should be taken hot. However, when the disease is heavy and evil, refusing to take the medicine and vomiting, hot medicine should be taken coolly or cold medicine should be taken hot. General medicine vomiting patients, it is appropriate to add a little ginger juice, or fresh ginger tongue, or chew a little Chen Pi, and then take the soup medicine, or with cool, a small amount of frequent method of serving. If the patient is unconscious and has difficulty swallowing, it is appropriate to administer the medicine by nasal feeding. For the use of harsh or toxic drugs, should be cautiously engaged, should start from a small amount, gradually increase, effective that stop, careful not to overdose to avoid poisoning. Decoction of special drugs: 1. First decoction The purpose of first decoction is to prolong the decoction time of drugs. Generally speaking, the tablets that need to be decocted first should be boiled by martial fire and then decocted with other drugs soaked in water for 10-20 minutes. Some drugs can be decocted for a longer time due to clinical treatment, such as: (1) Minerals and animal bones and nails, because of their hard texture, the active ingredients are not easy to be decocted, so they should be broken and decocted for 20 minutes before decocting with other drugs. For example, raw clamshell, raw keel, raw dragon’s tooth, raw amethyst, raw cold water stone, raw cassia, raw mother of pearl, raw corrugated corrugated seed, turtle shell, tortoise shell, deer turtle cream, raw magnet, raw oyster, raw gypsum, raw ochre, natural copper, etc. (2) Some toxic tablets can be decocted for 1-2 hours to reduce toxicity or eliminate toxicity. For example, the decoction of raw Chuan Wu, raw Cao Wu or made sophora, which contain the toxic ingredient aconitine, can be decomposed into aconitine secondary base and then into aconitine protopine after 1-2 hours of decoction, which can greatly reduce the toxicity. Post-under The purpose of post-under is to reduce the dispersion of ingredients caused by prolonged decoction of the drug. Generally speaking, after the other group of drugs have been decocted for 15-20 minutes on a civilian fire, the tablets that need to be decocted afterwards should be decocted for another 5-10 minutes. (1) Fragrant, volatile ingredients should not be decocted for too long to avoid loss of active ingredients, but generally 5-10 minutes before the decoction of other herbs. Such as descending incense, incense, mint, sand, cardamom, fishy grass, etc. (2) contains long decoction of the active ingredients easily destroyed after the drink also need to be after the next, generally in other groups of drugs decoction l0-l5 minutes before the decoction can be. Such as hook vine, bitter almond, Xu Changqing, etc. Decoction in a bag The decoction in a bag is to put the tablets to be decocted in a gauze bag, tighten the bag and then decoct them together with the group of drugs. There are several types of drugs that need to be decocted: (1) The tablets containing more mucilage should be decocted to avoid sticking to the bottom of the pot during the decoction process. For example, psyllium and scape seeds. (2)The decoction should be wrapped to avoid irritating the throat after the lint is mixed into the decoction, e.g., spinach, loquat leaf, etc. (3) Pollen and other tiny tablets are also suitable for decoction because of their large total surface area and hydrophobic nature, so as not to affect the decoction of active ingredients due to their floating. For example, clam powder, pu huang, haijin sha, liuyi san, etc. Melting (dissolving) Some gum and honey paste Chinese medicine should not be decocted with the group of drugs, so as not to affect the decoction of other active ingredients and bottom burnt. These medicines can be heated and dissolved in the decoction and then taken together. It can also be placed in a container with the right amount of water, heated and dissolved or stewed in water, and then mixed and served in the decoction of the population, such as gum, turtle shell gum, deer horn gum, tortoise and deer two immortal gum, etc. Separate decoction Some precious Chinese medicines, in order to make the active ingredients fully decocted and reduce the loss of active ingredients caused by the adsorption of other dregs, need to be decocted separately in another vessel to get the juice, and then the dregs are combined with other groups of medicines, and then the different decoctions before and after the decoction are mixed and served. General tablets usually need to be decocted separately for 30 to 40 minutes. For example, ginseng, American ginseng, western saffron, etc. Precious medicines with hard texture, such as antelope horn and buffalo horn, should be decocted separately for 2 to 3 hours. For liquid Chinese medicine, decoction placed in other drugs often affects its composition, so it should be taken after other drugs are decocted to remove the slag and take the juice, such as yellow wine, bamboo leachate, fresh root juice, ginger juice, pear juice, honey, etc. Some of the dosage is small, expensive and fine herbal medicines should be first powdered and then taken with the decoction of the group of drugs to avoid the active ingredients being adsorbed by other residues and affecting the efficacy of the medicine. For example, Lei Wan, herb snake, antelope horn, panax ginseng, amber, deer antler, purple river carp, incense, money white flower snake, etc. Decoction of soup instead of water For drugs with loose texture, large dosage, or clay type not easy to filter the dregs, decoct for 15-25 minutes, remove the dregs and take the juice, then decoct with other drugs, such as gourd shell, zaoxin earth, etc.