When is the best time to take Chinese medicine?

When we are ill, we often seek treatment after diagnosis by a doctor, and the method we choose is mostly based on medication. If it is not an acute disease, people are advised to choose Chinese medicine to improve the condition. Chinese medicine is relatively mild and has relatively few side effects, so it is an ideal choice for people. But when is the best time to take Chinese medicine? Generally speaking, people absorb medicine faster around nine in the morning or three in the afternoon, and the effect of drinking Chinese medicine at this time is more obvious.

Generally speaking, the best time for the human body to absorb medicine is around 9 am and 3 pm, so it is best to take Chinese medicine at these two time points. However, different drugs have different properties and the time of taking them is also different. Medicines for treating gastrointestinal diseases and deficiency syndromes should be taken 30 minutes or 60 minutes before meals; medicines for treating other diseases can be taken 30 minutes after meals; laxatives such as rhubarb and hemp seed are suitable for taking in the early morning or during the day, and try not to take them before bed; anthelmintic Chinese medicines can be taken on an empty stomach in the morning.

According to the theory of traditional Chinese medicine, Chinese medicine should be taken "warm", which means that the medicinal soup should be filtered out immediately after boiling, and placed at room temperature until the temperature drops to 36-37℃ before taking it. Powders and pills of Chinese patent medicines should be taken with warm water; Chinese medicines for dispelling exterior pathogens and dispelling wind and cold need to be taken "hot", and patients can drink some hot water after taking the medicine to enhance the efficacy of the medicine; antiemetic and detoxifying drugs need to be taken "cold" to avoid irritation to the body.

How to properly preserve boiled Chinese medicine?

1. Preserve in vacuum sealed packaging

Among the storage methods, vacuum sealed packaging is the most common, and the corresponding shelf life and storage method are usually indicated on the packaging. The country has not yet issued unified regulatory requirements in this regard, so the shelf life of Chinese medicine prepared in different hospitals is different. The best way to store vacuum-sealed medicines is to refrigerate them, but the refrigeration time cannot exceed 7 days. If it exceeds 7 days, you must first check whether the medicine has deteriorated. It should be noted that after refrigeration, the medicine needs to be boiled again with boiling water before it can be taken.

2. Store in a container

If Chinese medicine is stored in a container and refrigerated, it must be taken within 3 days, otherwise it will easily deteriorate. This will not only affect the efficacy of the medicine, but may also cause side effects that harm the body. It is best to prepare and drink medicines preserved in this way on the same day.

The shelf life of traditional Chinese medicine is not only related to the storage method, but also to the content of the medicine solution. If the medicine contains animals such as centipedes and scorpions or has a high sugar content, the shelf life will be shortened accordingly. If the liquid medicine is stored for a long time, it is necessary to check whether it has deteriorated before taking it. For medicines stored in vacuum seals, check for bulging; for medicines stored in containers, check whether the medicine liquid has any abnormal conditions such as change of taste or presence of bubbles.