What are the decoction methods of Chinese medicine?

When decoction of Chinese medicine, you should first pay attention to the decoction utensils, the amount of decoction water, the heat of the decoction and the method of decoction: Decoction utensils: It is best to use casseroles, pottery, and earthen pots for decoction of Chinese medicine, because they conduct heat evenly.

The heat is moderate, the heat preservation around the pot is strong, the water evaporates less, it is not prone to chemical changes and it is cheap.

Enamel utensils, aluminum pots, stainless steel pots, iron pots, copper pots, etc. can also be used to decoct medicines.

Water for decoction: The water for decoction should be clean. Tap water, well water, purified water, and distilled water are acceptable.

There are many ways to calculate the amount of water, but the most commonly used method is visual inspection. When decoction, just observe that the amount of water added exceeds the medicinal surface by 2-3 cm; the other method is to roughly estimate the water requirement by adding 10 ml of water per gram of medicinal materials as a standard.

The temperature of decoction: The temperature of decoction is divided into "wuhuo" and "gentle fire".

Wuhuo refers to a frying method in which the fire is rapid, the firepower is fierce, the temperature rises quickly, and the water evaporates more.

Slow fire refers to a frying method in which the fire is slow, the firepower is weak, the temperature does not change much, and the water evaporates slowly.

Generally, the decoction is first boiled over a strong fire, and then boiled over a slow fire for another 10-15 minutes.

However, some prescriptions, such as surface-removing agents, heat-clearing agents, and aromatic-based prescriptions, only use strong fire, and should not be decocted over slow fire for a long time.

However, thick-flavored and nourishing prescriptions should be decocted over slow fire for a long time to make the flavor of the medicine come out.

In addition, poisonous drugs such as aconite, wolfberry, and aconite should be decocted slowly and for a long time to reduce their toxicity.

Decoction method: The general decoction method is to first place the medicine in a container, add cold water and soak it for 20-30 minutes, then cover it and put it on the fire to heat and decoct.

First use strong fire to cook, then use slow fire to cook.

During the decoction process, attention should be paid to moderate stirring to avoid burning the pot, and at the same time, it can also increase the decoction rate of the active ingredients of the medicine.

However, it is not advisable to open the lid of the pot too frequently to minimize the loss of volatile components.

After simmering for 10-15 minutes, filter out the first liquid medicine; then heat an appropriate amount of water, cook according to the above method, and collect the second liquid medicine.

Mix the two medicinal solutions and take as directed by your doctor.

In addition, there are some medicines that require special methods to decoct. Here are the introductions: Decoction first: shellfish and mineral medicines, such as turtle shells, turtle shells, magnets, etc., are hard in texture and difficult to taste, so they should be decocted first.

Add other medicines 20 minutes after decoction to fully decoct the medicinal properties.

In addition, medicines with high sediment content, such as Zaoxintu, glutinous rice root, etc., or medicines with light texture and heavy body, such as Prunella vulgaris, Imperata cognac root, bamboo root, etc., should be decoctioned to obtain clear juice first, and then decocted with medicinal juice.

Boil the rest of the medicine.

Next: Medications that have a fragrant smell and take effect from their volatile oils, such as mint, Amomum villosum, white cardamom, etc., should be fried for 4-5 minutes after the general medicinals are cooked to prevent the loss of their active ingredients.

Wrapping and decoction: In order to prevent the liquid from being turbid after decoction and reduce the adverse irritation of the medicine to the digestive tract and throat, such as red stone resin, talc, inula, plantain, loquat leaves, etc., wrap the medicine with gauze, and then

Put it into a medical pot and cook.

Single decoction: Also known as separate stew or separate decoction, some valuable drugs such as ginseng, American ginseng, rhinoceros horn (generation), antelope horn (generation), etc., in order to preserve their active ingredients as much as possible and reduce the absorption of other drugs by decoction at the same time, they can be cooked separately.

fry.

Thickening: Glutinous and highly viscous and easily soluble drugs, such as donkey-hide gelatin, turtle gelatin, deer gelatin, honey, maltose, etc., should be heated and dissolved separately and mixed with the medicinal solution, or added to the decoction to dissolve

Take it later.

Because it is easy to stick to the pan and burn when fried at the same time, and it also adheres to other medicines, which affects the frying rate.

Ingestion: Powders, elixirs, water pills, natural concoctions, and some valuable medicines or aromatic medicines need to be ingested, such as musk, bezoar, Panax notoginseng, Liushen pills, Shengdihuang juice, etc.