The correct method of decocting Chinese medicine three times

Traditional Chinese medicine has very little side effects on the human body, so many people prefer to see a Chinese medicine doctor when they are ill, and get some traditional Chinese medicine to make soup at home. You must be very careful when boiling Chinese medicine. If the medicine is burnt, you cannot drink it anymore because it is poisonous. Therefore, before decocting Chinese medicine, you must understand the correct method of decocting Chinese medicine. Below I will introduce to you the correct method of decocting Chinese medicine three times.

(1) Decoction of the medicine first

Generally, they are some minerals, shells, and horn-shell drugs. Due to their hard texture, the effective ingredients are not easy to decoct out. Generally, they need to be decocted for 30-40 minutes, and then mixed with other drugs and decocted. Common ones include raw gypsum, raw dragon bone, mother of pearl, raw ochre, etc.

In addition, toxic drugs should be decocted first, and long-term decocting can achieve the purpose of reducing or removing toxicity. For example, long-term boiling of aconite drugs can decompose aconitine into aconitine, whose toxicity is only 1/2000 of the original. For example, long-term decoction of aconite can not only reduce its toxicity but also increase its cardiotonic effect.

(2) Post-drug administration

Generally, medicines with a fragrant smell and containing volatile oils or those that are not easy to be decocted for a long time should be put into the pot 10-15 minutes before the medicine is decocted. Common ones include Pogostemon cablin, Uncaria rhynchophylla, and Rhubarb. For example, the antihypertensive components of Uncaria rhynchophylla contained in Uncaria rhynchophylla will be easily destroyed if the cooking time exceeds 20 minutes.

Rhubarb has a laxative and heat-clearing component, which is rhubarb glycoside, but it is unstable to heat and will decompose if heated for a long time. The laxative effect of rhubarb glycoside is stronger than that of aglycone, so it is not easy to decoct for a long time and is often added later.

(3) Decoction

Generally, seeds and individual pollen medicines are packed in gauze bags and put into the group of medicines for decoction. Common ones include Plantago seed, Inula flower, etc. For example, psyllium seeds tend to stick to the pan and become gelatinized and burnt. So it needs to be wrapped and fried. Decoction of Inula japonica can prevent the villi from falling off and mixing into the soup, which can irritate the throat.

(4) Dissolving

Dissolve the medicine in hot liquid and then take it. Common medicines include Xuanming powder and Glauber's salt.

(5) Melting

They are mainly some gel-based drugs, which are dissolved in hot liquid before being taken. If the medicine is mixed and decocted, the viscosity of the medicine will increase, which will affect the extraction of other ingredients and there will be certain losses of gelatinous drugs. Therefore, the method of melting the medicine for oral administration is adopted. Common ones include raw donkey-hide gelatin, deer antler glue, and tortoise shell glue.

(6) If you want to decoct some precious medicines, you need to boil them separately and then add the liquid medicine to the decoction. Common ones include ginseng, American ginseng, deer antler, etc.

(7) Take with water