How long should Chinese medicine be boiled?

When we take Chinese medicine in our daily life, we usually need to boil it ourselves. In this case, the boiling time of different types of Chinese medicine is also different. We need to choose the boiling time according to the medicinal properties of the Chinese medicine. When we prescribe Chinese medicine, the doctor will generally remind us, but there are still many friends who don’t understand. Let us learn about how long it takes to boil Chinese medicine.

When boiling Chinese medicine, you must first soak it in water. The amount of water should just cover the medicine. The soaking time is about half an hour. If the medicine is relatively hard, you can soak it for a longer time. Boil the soaked medicine directly, first bring it to a boil over high heat, then simmer over low heat.

(1) Heat-clearing and dispersing drugs used to treat acute febrile diseases, wind-cold and wind-heat diseases in all seasons. After the first decoction starts boiling, simmer over medium to high heat for 15 to 20 minutes. After the second decoction starts boiling, simmer for another 10 to 15 minutes.

(2) Regulating drugs used to treat common chronic diseases, such as spleen and stomach diseases, organ dysfunction, hypertension, and cardiovascular diseases. The first decoction should be simmered on medium heat for 20 to 30 minutes after boiling, and the second decoction should be simmered for another 15 to 20 minutes after boiling.

(3) Tonic drugs used to treat wasting diseases, such as qi deficiency, blood deficiency, kidney deficiency and other types of wasting diseases. The first decoction should be simmered on low heat for about 30 to 40 minutes after boiling, and the second decoction should be simmered for another 20 to 30 minutes after boiling.

Through the above introduction, we know how long it takes to boil Chinese medicine. Chinese medicine generally needs to be boiled twice. Some Chinese medicines also have different boiling times. The most important thing is that we must ask the doctor clearly when prescribing Chinese medicine, and we must strictly follow the doctor's instructions when boiling it. If the time is not enough, the efficacy of the medicine will be greatly reduced.