How do you boil Chinese herbs?

I. 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 better to use casserole, because the material of casserole is stable and will not have chemical reaction with the ingredients of drugs, 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 enameled pots, stainless steel pots and glass fryer. But can not use iron pots, copper pots, mainly because of the chemical properties of iron pots or copper pots are not stable, easy to oxidize. In the decoction of medicine can react with the chemical components contained in traditional Chinese medicine, such as tannins and tannin ingredients can generate iron tannate, so that the color of the medicine deepened. With flavonoids, it can form intolerable polymers. With organic acid components can form salts. These will affect the quality of the soup, directly related to the clinical efficacy of Chinese medicine soup.

II. The amount of water added to the decoction The amount of water added to the decoction is also very important, the amount of water added directly affects the quality of the soup. The amount of water added directly affects the quality of the soup. If you add less water, it will cause the drug to boil imperfectly, and the active ingredients will be leached out incompletely. Add more water, the decoction out of the liquid, the patient to take the medicine is very inconvenient. Chinese herbs due to its different texture, its water absorption is also a big difference, generally add water control in 5-10 times. The same weight of the drug, the texture of the loose volume is large, water absorption is naturally more. The solid texture of its volume is small, less water absorption. Therefore, if you are decocting flowers, leaves or herbs, you should add more water. For the decoction of minerals and shellfish, the amount of water added is less. According to the traditional method of adding water, is to put the drug into the pot, the first decoction of the amount of water added to water over the surface of the drug 3-5 centimeters, the second decoction of the amount of water added to more than 3 centimeters above the surface of the drug shall prevail. This method of adding water is simple and easy to grasp.

Three. Decoctions in the attention of the problem

1. Decoctions before the soaking: drugs in the decoction must be soaked, this is because of the origin of plant-based Chinese medicine is mostly dry products, through the addition of water soaking can make the herbs soft, tissue cell expansion to restore its natural state, decoctions are easy to leaching of the active ingredient. Generally the flowers, leaves and stems are the main drugs, the soaking time is 1-1.5 hours. Roots, seeds, rhizomes, fruit-based drugs soak time for 2-3 hours.

2. The number of times of decoction: the effect of a long time of decoction is better than that of a long time of decoction. It has been proved in practice that two decoctions of soup can extract about 80% of the ingredients, so the number of decoctions should be two or three times.

3. The temperature of the decoction: the temperature of the decoction of the high and low, Chinese medicine called "fire" is generally customarily referred to as "Wen Huo" or "Wu Huo". The so-called WenHuo, is a weak fire, the temperature rises slowly, water evaporation slower. 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, keep in the state of micro-boiling, can slow down the evaporation of water, which is conducive to the effective components of the decoction.

4. Decoction time: mainly according to the nature of the drug and disease, as well as the situation of the drug. Generally speaking, the first decoction takes 20-30 minutes to boil, and the second decoction takes 30-40 minutes. For cold and flu medicines, the first decoction takes 10-15 minutes and the second decoction takes 15-20 minutes. For tonic medicines, the first decoction takes 30-40 minutes and the second 40-50 minutes.

5. The amount of medicinal liquid retained: generally refers to the amount of medicinal liquid after a dose of medicine has been combined in two decoctions. Adults take 400-600 milliliters, divided into two daily doses. Children take 200-300 milliliters, two to three times a day.

6. The method of taking the medicine: Generally, a dose of medicine is boiled twice and then combined and taken in two doses. Children can be divided into 2-3 times. Treatment of colds, fever, enteritis, diarrhea medicine, can also be used to take the method of frequency, that is, every 4 hours to take once, each time to take 30-40 ml, the disease is healed, and then changed to 2-3 times a day, children to a small amount of time is good.

7. Decoction of special medicines: doctors will prescribe medicines with footnotes according to the patient's condition and the nature of the medicine.

(1) the first decoction: generally some minerals, shells, horns and armor class 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 the decoction. Commonly, there are gypsum, bone marrow, mother-of-pearl, ochre and so on. Other toxic drugs can be decocted first, and the purpose of reducing or removing toxicity can be achieved by decocting for a long time. Such as aconite drugs for a long time can make aconitine decomposition of aconitine, its toxicity is only 1/2000 of the original. such as epiphyllum for a long time can not only reduce the toxicity can 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 is ready to be decocted. Commonly, there are Huoxiang, hook vine, rhubarb and so on. For example, garcinia cambogia contains Garcinia Cambogia, its antihypertensive components are easily destroyed if the decoction time is longer than 20 minutes. Rhubarb, with diarrhea and clearing heat, is a component of rhubarb glycosides, but it is unstable to heat, and will decompose when heated for a long time. 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, packed in gauze bags into the group medicine **** decoction. Commonly, there are psyllium, cyclamen and so on. If the psyllium is easy to stick to the pot, paste, caramelization. Therefore, it needs to be packaged and decocted. The flowers can avoid the velvet from falling off and mixing into the soup to irritate the throat.

(4) dissolving service: hot liquid medicine will be dissolved after taking the drug. Common drugs include xuanming powder, manganite.

(5) melting service; mainly some of the gelatinous drugs, with hot liquid medicine melting after taking. If the mixed decoction will make the liquid viscous, affecting the leaching of other ingredients, gum drugs also have a certain loss, so the use of melting to take the method. Commonly, there are raw Colla Corii Asini, antler colla Corii Asini, turtle board colla Corii Asini.

(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) Dissolve, some valuable drugs fine powder can not be decocted with the group of drugs, more use of the method of taking, the powder will be dissolved in the liquid medicines to be served. 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.

1. Standard cooking method: The herbs are general tonic herbs (e.g., including Angelica sinensis, Astragalus, Radix Rehmanniae Praeparata)

Step 1: First, put the herbs into a pot (do not use an iron pot or a copper pot), add an appropriate amount of water (more than the surface of the medicine about 2 centimeters, about 4 bowls of water), and soak it for half an hour.

Step 2: Boil over a high flame, then cook over a low flame until a bowl of water (about 250ml) is left, pour the liquid into a bowl, and then repeat the process with three bowls of water for 8 minutes, mixing the two times before and after taking the medicine.

2. fast cooking method: the herbs contain volatile Chinese medicine (such as silver flowers, chrysanthemum and other treatment of colds in the Chinese medicine)

Step 1: first put the herbs into the pot, add the right amount of water (just over the surface of the medicine, about three bowls of water), soak for half an hour.

Step 2: Boil it over a high flame, then cook it over a low flame for 10 minutes without opening the lid, and then take it once without repeating the process.

3. after the next method: the herbs contain not resistant to cooking in the Chinese medicine (such as Tianma, hook vine, ephedra, etc.)

Step 1: first four bowls of water to soak the herbs for about half an hour.

Step 2: Boil the water with the fire (big fire), and then boil it with the fire (small fire) until there is one bowl of water left (about 250 ml.), and then put the non-cooking Chinese medicine (usually in a separate package) into the boil for another 5 minutes, and then pour the medicine out of the bowl to be taken.

4. first under the method: some of the herbs need to be boiled for a long time in the minerals (for example: talc, gypsum).

Step 1: Add the mineral herbs (another packet) to six bowls of water and decoct for 30 minutes before adding the other herbs.

Step 2: Boil over a high flame, then cook over a low flame until a bowl of water (about 250ml) is left, then pour the liquid into a bowl and take it.

5. Another decoction method: the herbs contain some valuable herbs (such as ginseng)

Step 1: first of all, the general herbs with four bowls of water into the pot, soaked for half an hour, boiled on high heat, small fire boil to the remaining bowl of water, and then cooled.

Step 2: Add a bowl of water to the expensive herbs and steam them in a rice cooker for 30 minutes, then mix them with the above liquid and take them.

"Good medicine is bitter", Chinese medicine is not very tasty, not to mention the water decoction of Chinese medicine? However, if you really need to take the condition of the decoction of Chinese medicine, then, at least to "cook" correctly, the efficacy of the water medicine will come out completely, so if you have the opportunity to take the decoction of Chinese medicine, don't forget to ask your physician, how to decoction of Chinese medicine, not just "four bowls of boiled into a bowl! "The first time I've seen this, I've seen it in a few years.

The traditional method is to soak the herbs in cold water for a period of time and then slowly decoct them over a gentle flame. After pouring out the first decoction, then soak in cold water for 4 to 5 hours, and then use the fire to simmer for a period of time, pouring out the second decoction.

But there are three problems related to hygiene when decocting Chinese medicines: First, Chinese medicines are easily mixed with impurities during the collection and production process.

The second is that some Chinese medicines may contain lead, mercury, sulfur and so on. The relevant departments have conducted tests on the lead in the tea, found that the brewing of the tea juice without lead, such as steeping for more than 1 hour, the lead is leached out, the tea will contain more than drinking water standards of lead, which also has a reference to decoction of traditional Chinese medicine. Third, the "thousand rolls of water" to grasp the problem.

I suggest some improvements to the traditional method of decocting Chinese medicine: first, the decoction of Chinese medicine using pure water, because ordinary tap water contains residual chlorine, in the boiling water, Chinese medicine will react with organic substances in the water to produce carcinogenic trichloromethane, the longer the time of boiling Chinese medicine, the more generated. Into the pot before, first with pure water will be astragalus, Salvia miltiorrhiza several times, which can remove a lot of surface impurities, and then boil water, a few moments later, the surface will float a layer of foamy substances, this time you should quickly use a spoon to remove this layer of dirt, and then switch to a small fire to simmer for a little longer, pour the first decoction, and then soak for a while, and then boil water to simmer for a little longer, pour two decoction, and keep warm and spare, and pour the second decoction, and the second decoction. Keep it warm and discard the dregs.

There are several advantages of using this method of decoction of Chinese medicine: First, it solves the problem of "a thousand rolling water", secondly, it can remove a lot of impurities, thirdly, it avoids the harm of heavy metals such as lead, fourthly, it will not make the loss of active ingredients in Chinese medicine, and play a role in avoiding harm.

Professor Zhang Guoxi, Xiyuan Hospital, China Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine, commented: 1. Decoction of Chinese medicine does not have to use pure water, but must use clean water, such as tap water, well water, spring water, etc. can be. As long as the tap water meets the national drinking standards can be, if you take into account the problem of residual chlorine, the tap water in the container for a few hours, you can significantly reduce the chlorine content. 2. clean Chinese medicine tablets do not have to use pure water, with clean water can be, just need to be washed 2 to 3 times to remove impurities. 3. decoction of traditional Chinese medicine, the tablets should be soaked, but do not have to be immersed for too long. Generally, 40 to 50 minutes in winter and more than half an hour in summer. After the first decoction without cold water, add water directly to the decoction can be.