How long does it take to boil Chinese medicine?

When we are undergoing traditional Chinese medicine treatment, most of the time we need to regulate our body with Chinese medicine. Many friends who have never taken Chinese medicine will have this problem when decocting the medicine, that is, they don’t know how long to decoct the medicine. In fact, this situation depends on the situation of the medicine taken by the patient, but generally speaking, they are all similar. Now let us learn about how long to boil the Chinese medicine through the following introduction. I hope it will be helpful to our friends.

Soaking before decoction: For the first decoction (first decoction), general medicines should be soaked for 30 minutes, and medicines mainly composed of seeds and fruits can be soaked for one hour; when decocting again (second decoction), no soaking is required. For the first decoction, add enough water to exceed the medicine by 2-5 cm. For the second decoction, add enough water to cover the medicine. Number of decoctions: Generally decoct twice. One long frying cannot replace two separate fryings. Decoction and cooking time: Generally, use high heat (strong heat) before boiling, and use low heat (gentle heat) to keep it in a slightly boiling state after boiling. For antipyretic and aromatic drugs, it is advisable to use high heat for rapid decocting to prevent the volatilization of the medicinal properties and reduction of the efficacy; for tonic medicines, it is better to use low heat for a long time to fully release the effective ingredients of the medicine.

Decoction time: For general medicines, the first decoction should be boiled and then simmered for 20-25 minutes, and the second decoction should be boiled and then simmered for 15-20 minutes; for antipyretic and aromatic medicines, the first decoction should be 10-15 minutes, and the second decoction should be 10 minutes; for tonic medicines, the first decoction should be 30-40 minutes, and the second decoction should be 25-30 minutes. The longer you boil the medicine, the better. Special decoction: decoct the small packet of medicine marked with "decoction first" for 30 minutes before adding the group of medicine. For the first time, add a little more water (add half a bowl of water to cover the medicine), soak for half an hour, and simmer for half the time on low heat after boiling. For the second time, cover the medicine with water (because the medicinal material already contains a certain amount of water), and the decocting method is the same as before.

Through the above introduction, we now know how long to boil Chinese medicine. When decocting medicine, we generally use ceramic utensils, and cannot use iron or other metal utensils. During the medication period, we must pay attention to our diet. The diet should be light, and we cannot eat raw, cold and spicy foods. During the medication period, we must pay attention to rest and avoid overwork.