I. Choosing the right apparatus when boiling Chinese medicine The apparatus for boiling Chinese medicine is generally best in tile jars and casseroles, but you can also use enamel or stainless steel apparatus, but you must not use aluminum, copper or iron, because metal is easy to react with drugs at high temperatures, which not only affects the efficacy of the drug, but even the substances produced in the middle may be harmful to humans. Now on the market are generally sold with a cover of clay pots, you can rest assured that the use. Second, the steps and methods 1, soak the drug into the pot spread out, and then add cold water to soak the drug, soak for half an hour or an hour. Winter with twenty to thirty degrees of warm water soaking to shorten the boiling time, but not with boiling water, soaking time should not be too long, especially in the summer, so as not to cause drug enzymatic decomposition. 2. Washing the medicine Some people have the habit of washing the Chinese medicine when they buy it back. But washing with water first can cause the loss of water-soluble ingredients in the herbs, and also the loss of powdered herbs, such as keel, oyster, talcum powder, peach kernel, etc.; or can cause the loss of local herbal excipients. Some herbs in the process of concoction added honey, vinegar, wine, bile and other excipients, and these excipients are easily soluble in water, if first wash with water, can also lead to local loss of excipients. If the earth is large, decoction is good to pour out the medicinal soup, clarify for a while, impurities are accumulated. Therefore, there is no need to wash again before boiling. 3, first decoction refers to some drugs into the soup need to be decocted first when not into other drugs. For example, some ores and shells, because of their hard texture, the active ingredients are not easy to decoction, easy to break first decoction, that is, decoction 10 – 15 minutes, and then pour other drugs into the same decoction. Such as raw gypsum, raw oyster, etc. For some toxic drugs, in order to reduce toxicity, should also be first decoction or long decoction. For example, the sapodilla, aconite, black ugly, etc. 4, after decocting some drugs for a long time to lose efficacy, so after other drugs decoction, 5-10 minutes before the ceasefire and then include it, decoction 5-10 minutes can be. For example, aromatic drugs such as mint, wood, patchouli, sand, hooked vine, cardamom, almond, etc., contain volatile oil, decoction too long, the active ingredient volatilization and failure. Another example is rhubarb after the next, can make its laxative effect stronger. 5.Bag decoction The decoction is made by putting the drug in a dilute cotton cloth bag in its original color. Specifically: pollen, small seeds and fine powder drugs should be decocted, because it is easy to float on the surface of the water, unfavorable decoction, such as Pu Huang, Scape Drabble, talcum powder, etc.; containing starch, mucus more drugs should be decocted, because it is easy to stick pot paste, caramelization, such as psyllium, etc.; fluffy drugs should be decocted, because it is difficult to filter, mixed with the liquid will stimulate the throat, such as spinach. 6.Melting Put the gelatinous drugs into water or decocted liquid to dissolve, then pour into the decocted liquid and take evenly inside. Melting can not make the gum drugs adhere to other drugs or jars to avoid burning. Such as gum, turtle board gum, etc. 7, punching refers to certain drugs should not be decocted, need to be powdered punching, as well as some rare and valuable drugs should also be studied and not punching or some liquid drugs should be punching. The drug is usually boiled with a large fire before boiling, and after boiling, it should be changed to a small fire. However, some Chinese medicines for the treatment of exogenous diseases can also be boiled without changing the size of the fire, and continue to boil for about five minutes with a high fire. 9. Boiling time should be determined according to the nature of the drug and the disease. Generally speaking, it takes thirty minutes to boil at the beginning, 20-30 minutes for the first decoction and 15-25 minutes for the second decoction for general drugs; 40-60 minutes for the first decoction and 30 minutes for the second decoction for tonic and solid drugs; 6-15 minutes for the first decoction and 5-10 minutes for the second decoction for drugs that relieve symptoms, regulate qi and have an easy and fragrant texture. Some medicines need to be boiled for half an hour first, and later medicines should be put into the pot in the last ten minutes. When it is almost done, it can be boiled for about twenty minutes on low heat. The amount of decoction should be decided according to the patient’s condition and age. The amount for adults is about 200-300ml, and the amount for children is about 1/4-1/2 of that for adults, i.e. 50-150ml. 11. The number of decoctions of Chinese medicine is usually 2-3 times. A dose of medicine should be decocted 3 times, at least 2 times. Because when decocting, the active ingredients of the medicine will first be dissolved in the water solution entering the herbal tissue, and then diffused to the water solution outside the herbs. When the concentration of the solution inside and outside the herb reaches equilibrium, the active ingredient will no longer be dissolved because of the osmotic pressure balance. At this point, the only way to continue to dissolve the active ingredients is to filter out the herbal solution and add water to the decoction again. It is generally considered appropriate to decoct twice. It is better to decoct several times than to decoct once for a long time. Decoction is the process of dissolving the ingredients in the drug, because after the raw drug is immersed in aqueous solution, the drug itself absorbs part of the water, and many ingredients such as bioalkaline salts, glycosides, organic acids and organic acid salts, sugars, tannins, proteins, pigments, enzymes, etc. contained in the drug are almost dissolved in water, and although resin and fatty oil are not dissolved in water, they can be partially dissolved together with other ingredients, thus causing the difference in concentration inside and outside the herb When the concentration inside and outside the herb is equal, i.e. in equilibrium, the dissolution stops. Because the dissolution is a dynamic equilibrium, if the ratio of the active ingredient inside the herb and its infusion is equal to the ratio of the active ingredient outside the herb and the external infusion, then the drug components can not be fully dissolved, the liquid must be filtered and then add new solvent water to re-establish the concentration difference, only in this way, it is conducive to the components of the herb continue to dissolve. The famous doctor Zhang Xichen attached great importance to the second decoction of drugs, he said: ” rich families take medicine without the second decoction, but I do not know that the second decoction can not be invalidated”. Experimentally, it is proved that the decoction of soup twice can decoct 80%-90% of the ingredients, so it needs to be decocted twice or three times. This can make the active ingredients of the drug fully dissolved and enhance the therapeutic effect. Usually, the two decoctions are mixed together and the total amount is about 300-500 ml. For patients who have difficulty in taking herbal medicine, it can be divided into small amounts or given in concentrated doses. Generally, a dose of medicine should be decocted at least 2 times, while thick or moist tonic medicine can be decocted 3 times or more; however, some drugs for relieving symptoms cannot be concentrated and should be decocted as much as possible. The medicine decocted by the pharmacy can be kept in a cool and dry place for a long time because it is sealed, and it is okay to decoct the medicine for seven days at a time. If you decoct it yourself, don’t take more than one day’s worth of medicine at a time, and there is no effect on the efficacy of the medicine if you decoct it in the morning or at night. Decoct one dose at a time, pour the broth into a clean and dry covered pot while it is still hot, and put it in a cool and dry place so that it will not go bad for 24 hours. If you are still worried about spoilage, use a small drink bottle (wash and dry the bottle) to fill it separately, one dose at a time, tighten the cap and put it in the refrigerator. Dosing time: Take one dose daily, one in the morning and one in the evening. Take the first decoction in the morning and the second decoction in the afternoon, so that the concentration and action of the two decoctions can be even and reliable in the body. You can also mix the two decoctions and take them twice, in the morning and in the afternoon, about 6 hours apart. It is better to finish the decoction on the same day and not to keep it. Tonic drugs should be taken half an hour before meals; heat-clearing drugs and drugs that stimulate the stomach and intestines should be taken half an hour after meals; other drugs should be taken according to medical advice. In general, sweating medicines and tonic medicines should be taken warmly; cold medicines, medicines for joint pain and ulcers should be taken hot, and heat-clearing and detoxifying medicines should be taken cold.