The efficacy of Chinese medicine is closely related to the correct decoction of Chinese medicine, and the correct decoction of Chinese medicine is beneficial for Chinese medicine treatment to obtain the expected efficacy. Oral administration is the main method of administration in TCM clinics, and the effect of oral administration is affected by the time and number of times of administration and the method of administration such as hot and cold. Do you know how to decoct Chinese medicine correctly?
1. What utensils should be used for decoction?
It is better to use ceramic casserole or sand pot. Because ceramic is chemically stable, it will not easily react with herbal ingredients. Another advantage is that it conducts heat evenly and retains heat well. Next, you can use white enamelware or stainless steel pots and pans. Do not use metal utensils such as iron, copper, aluminum, etc., because metal elements can easily react chemically with the herbal components of the solution, which may reduce the efficacy and even produce toxic side effects.
2. It is best to soak before decoction
Soaking in water before decoction is beneficial to the full dissolution of the active ingredients, because when herbal medicine is dried, water is evaporated, cell walls and ducts are crumpled, cellular fluid is dried up, and the substances therein exist in the cells as crystals or amorphous precipitates. Soaking before decoction can make the cells swell up again, and when the water is further infiltrated, the cells can swell and rupture, so that a large amount of active ingredients can be released. In addition, soaking before decoction can shorten the decoction time, avoiding the long decoction time of drugs, which leads to the depletion and destruction of some active ingredients. Most drugs should be soaked in cold water for 20-30 minutes for general drugs, and 1 hour for seeds and fruit-based drugs. High temperatures in summer, soaking time should not be too long to avoid corruption and deterioration; winter can be longer. The water used for soaking should be room temperature or warm water (25℃~50℃), but not boiling water.
3. Do Chinese herbs need to be washed?
Most of the herbs are raw, and are generally processed and prepared before sale. If you feel that the herbs are dirty, you can rinse them with water quickly before soaking, but do not soak and rinse them to prevent the loss of a large amount of active ingredients that are easily soluble in water, thus affecting the efficacy of the herbs.
4.What are the instructions for decoction water?
The water used must be odorless, clean and clear, with few minerals and impurities, and free of pollution. Generally speaking, any water that people use for drinking can be used to cook Chinese medicine.
5. How much water should be added to the decoction?
Generally speaking, the amount of water should be about 2cm after the tablet is properly pressurized and the liquid surface is submerged. For drugs that are hard, sticky or require a long decoction, the amount of water can be slightly more than that for general drugs; for drugs that are lax in texture, or whose active ingredients evaporate easily and have a short decoction time, the liquid surface can be submerged in the drug. Scientific water addition: First decoction water addition = total amount of each drug in the formula (grams) + 150 ml + dosage (the dosage for adults is 150~300 ml). The second decoction of water: the amount taken + 200 ml.
6.What kind of fire should be used for decoction? How long should Chinese medicine be decocted?
Decoction of Chinese medicine should also pay attention to the appropriate fire and decoction time. Decoction of general medicine is first martial fire and then civil fire, that is, use high fire when it is not boiling, and use low fire to keep it slightly boiling after boiling, so as not to overflow the juice or boil it dry too quickly. For antiphlogistic drugs and other aromatic drugs, they are generally boiled quickly with high fire and maintained with low fire for about 10-15 minutes. The active ingredients are not easily decocted out of minerals, bones and horns, shellfish and tonic drugs, generally with a low fire for a long time, so that the active ingredients fully dissolved.
7, after cooking the medicine to filter the juice and dregs while hot to get juice
After the medicine is cooked, the juice should be filtered while it is still hot. Because the temperature of the liquid decreases after a long time, some of the active ingredients will be precipitated because of the reduced solubility, and the adsorption of the slag is partially lost, thus affecting the efficacy. After the last decoction and the liquid is filtered out, the dregs should be wrapped in a double layer of gauze, and after it cools a little, the liquid adsorbed by the dregs is strangled under pressure, and finally the dregs are thrown away. The experiments show that a large amount of active ingredients can be obtained from the stranded liquid, equivalent to about 1/3 of the original dose, especially for some drugs whose efficacy is reduced by high heat, loss or unsuitable for long decoction, the proportion of active ingredients contained in the dregs is higher. In this way, it can increase the dissolution rate of Chinese medicine and improve the therapeutic effect.
8. How many times should a dose of Chinese medicine be decocted?
Generally speaking, a dose of medicine can be decocted three times and should be decocted at least twice. This is because the active ingredients of the medicine will first be dissolved in the water solution of the tissues entering the herbs, and then diffused to the water solution outside the herbs. If the concentration inside and outside the herb is balanced, the active ingredients will not be dissolved. Therefore, the remaining active ingredients will continue to dissolve only after the decoction is refilled with water after the herb is filtered out. This can make full use of the herbs and avoid waste.
9. What are the instructions on how to add herbs to the decoction?
Generally, drugs can be decocted at the same time, but certain drugs have different decoction times because of their special properties, performance and clinical use. Therefore, when decocting herbal medicines, we also need to pay attention to the method of entering the medicine.
(1) First decoction
That is, they should be added to the decoction for about 30 minutes before incorporating other drugs into the same decoction. These drugs that need to be decocted first are mostly those whose ingredients are not easily decocted, those that need to be decocted for a long time to remove toxins, and those that are specially needed for treatment.
Minerals, shells, horns and nails must be decocted first because they are hard and the active ingredients are not easy to be decocted. Such as raw gypsum, cold water stone, red stone fat, ling magnet, ochre, sea floating stone, pores, natural copper, oyster, stone cassia, mother of pearl, sea clam shell, corrugated seed, turtle plate, turtle shell, piercing nail, dragon bone, dragon tooth, turtle shell, buffalo horn, etc., can be broken first decoction 30 minutes.
For those that need to be decocted for a long time to remove toxicity, such as Radix et Rhizoma, Chuanwu, Shangluo, etc., they should be decocted for 1 to 2 hours first, and the first decoction and long decoction can achieve the purpose of reducing or removing toxicity.
For special needs, such as rhubarb, long decoction of laxative force is slow, and long decoction is needed to reduce its laxative force. Certain botanicals: such as geranium, fire hemp, dendrobium, can only be effective if decocted first.
(2) After decoction
That is, shorten the decoction time. Some drugs that are not resistant to decoction because their active ingredients are easily volatile or destroyed during decoction should be decocted afterwards, in order to reduce the loss of volatile oil and prevent the active ingredients from decomposition and destruction.
Drugs with aromatic smell and volatile oil, such as mint, patchouli, wood, cardamom, sandalwood, sandalwood, incense, incense, artemisia, etc., should be decocted afterwards, usually 5-10 minutes before the decoction of the Chinese medicine.
Drugs that should not be decocted for a long time, such as hooked vine, almond, rhubarb, senna, etc. should be taken afterwards or in boiling water.
(3) Wrap decoction
A certain medicine is wrapped in gauze and then decocted together with other medicines.
There are three main types of drugs that need to be decocted.
One is pollen, small seeds and fine powders, which float easily on the water surface and are not conducive to decoction, such as pu huang, scapularia, talcum powder, Qing Dai, Hai Jin Sha, etc.
Secondly, some drugs containing starch and mucus quality are particularly sticky when decocted, and if they are not packaged for decoction, they will easily stick to the pot and become paste and coke, such as psyllium.
Third, some drugs with fluff, such as spinach, loquat leaf, cinchona, etc., such as not packaged decoction, decoction is not easy to filter out, after serving will irritate the throat, causing cough, vomiting and other side effects.
(4) Separate decoction
Some valuable Chinese medicines should be decocted separately to avoid the active ingredients being adsorbed by other herbs. For example, ginseng, American ginseng, wormwood, antler, etc. should be decocted separately or finely ground, otherwise it is easy to cause waste.
(5) Melting
That is, to dissolve or melt.
Colloidal drugs such as antler gum, gum, etc. should not be decocted with other general drugs, and need to be put into another container and stewed in water, or boiled in a small amount of water, and then blended into other drugs taken together.
(6) Take it by punching
If the drug is dissolved in water or the original juice of the drug, should be decocted with other liquid or boiled water. For example, mangosteen, xuanming powder, bamboo leachate, honey, etc.
Decoction of soup instead of water
Generally, drugs with large volume and large water absorption such as loofah, zaoxintu, money grass, glutinous rice root, etc. should be decocted with water first, and the resulting juice should be drenched before decocting other drugs.
Raw juice into
Such as fresh raw earth juice, raw root, pear juice, leek juice, ginger juice, white thatch root juice, bamboo leach, etc., should not be added to the decoction can be added to the boiled soup to take.
Containing medicine to take
Certain valuable drugs whose active ingredients are not dissolved in water or whose active ingredients are easily decomposed after heating, such as ginseng powder, niuhuang powder, antelope powder, panax ginseng powder, musk powder, whole scorpion powder, cinnamon powder, gansui powder, etc., can be taken after stirring the powder in the decoction.
10.What is the number of times to take the medicine?
Generally, it is 1 dose per day, and each dose is divided into 2 or 3 doses.
If the disease is acute, it can be taken once every 4 hours, day and night, so that the medicine can be continued.
In mild cases, it can be taken every other day.
Some need to take more long-term service, then you can decocted soup for tea, no time to take.
For those who vomit, it is appropriate to take a small amount frequently, so as not to vomit due to the large amount
11.When taking medicine is hot or cold?
In general, the soup medicine is mostly served warm. If the treatment of cold evidence with hot medicine, it is appropriate to serve hot; especially with pungent warm published medicine for wind-cold table solid evidence, not only to serve hot, but also warm over sweat. As for the cold medicine for fever, if the heat is in the intestines and stomach, those who want to drink cold can take it cold. If the heat is in other organs, those who do not want to drink cold should still take warm. In addition, when using from the treatment method, there are also hot drugs taken cold and cold drugs taken hot. For Chinese medicine preparations such as pills and pans, they are generally swallowed with warm boiled water.