Chinese medicine concoctions: softening treatment before cutting tablets (2)

After the water treatment, it is necessary to check whether the degree of softening of the herbs meets the requirements of the cut, often using some traditional empirical methods, known as "look at the head" or "look at the water". The methods are:

1. Bending method: used to check the long strip of drugs, such as white peony, Chinese yam, Mouton, Muxiang, etc.. Requirements for softening to hold in the hand, the thumb outward push pressure, the rest of the fingers inward curved pressure, the drug should be slightly curved and not easy to break to the degree.

2. Finger pinch method: used to check the lumpy drugs, such as Atractylodes macrocephala, Angelica dahurica, smallpox pollen, zedoary. Requirements for softening to the extent that the fingernail can be pinched into the surface of the drug.

3. Puncture method: used to check the coarse lumpy drugs, such as rhubarb, tiger's stick. Requirements for softening to the extent that the brazier can be pierced without a sense of hardness.

4. Hand pinching method: used to check the irregularity of the root and rhizome drugs such as angelica, live alone, etc., the requirements of softening to the hand pinch pressure drug thick end, feel softer; or used to check the granular tuberous roots, fruits, fungi, such as yanhuisuo, Hovenia, Lei pills, etc., the requirements of softening to the degree that the drug is not holding the sense of hardness and squeaking sound of the water.

You can also check the effect of softening with a test cut.

You can also check the effect of softening by test cutting.