What Chinese medicine cannot be boiled?

When we feel unwell, there are many diseases that need to be treated with medicine. Among them, traditional Chinese medicine has a certain effect on the treatment of diseases, and has relatively few side effects on the body. However, we all know that when taking Chinese medicine, we need to decoct the medicine ourselves before taking it. However, there are certain requirements for decocting medicine, otherwise it will directly affect the efficacy of the medicine. Let's take a look at what Chinese medicine cannot be decocted.

What Chinese medicine cannot be boiled?

Do not use metal utensils such as iron, copper, and aluminum for decocting, because metals can easily react chemically with the ingredients of traditional Chinese medicine, reducing the efficacy or even producing toxins. It is best to choose a sand tank with uniform heat conduction and certain heat preservation function.

When decocting Chinese medicine, attention should be paid to its efficacy.

The efficacy of Chinese medicine varies depending on the method of decocting it. Traditional Chinese medicine is very particular about the decoction method of Chinese medicine. For the same prescription, the treatment indications and effects will be different due to different decoction methods and administration methods. Even if the diagnosis of a disease is accurate and the medication is appropriate, if the decoction and administration methods are inappropriate, it will not be possible to achieve the desired therapeutic effect.

Different methods of decocting medicines are very different, which is directly related to the treatment effect. For the diaphoretic and antipyretic drugs for treating exogenous diseases, most of them are flowers, leaves, whole herbs, etc. These drugs are light and dispersing in nature, aromatic in smell, and contain more volatile oils. Long-term decoction will easily cause their effective ingredients to evaporate. Therefore, the decocting time should be short, and it is advisable to use high heat (fast fire) to decoct the medicine. For nourishing and conditioning medicines, the cooking time needs to be extended and simmered slowly over low heat. The first decoction should be simmered for another 30-60 minutes after the soup boils, and the soup should be filtered out; the second decoction should be cooked for another 20-30 minutes after boiling. Slowly simmering over low heat can allow the medicinal ingredients to fully dissolve in the soup, thus achieving the best medicinal effect.

In fact, decocting Chinese medicine is a process in which the active ingredients in the medicine are continuously released and dissolved. When the concentration of the active ingredients in the Chinese medicine and the medicine solution is balanced, this process stops. Continuously decocting the medicine will not only fail to cause the active ingredients in the medicine to continue to precipitate and dissolve, but will instead cause the active ingredients in the medicine solution to decrease due to continuous evaporation, or even cause the active ingredients to be destroyed by prolonged high temperature, resulting in reduced efficacy. Secondly, overly concentrated medicine juice will increase the bitterness, making it difficult for patients to take the medicine, and will cause side effects such as nausea and vomiting after taking the medicine.

The above is an introduction to what should not be used to decoct Chinese medicine. After understanding it, we know that there are certain requirements for decocting Chinese medicine. It is best not to use iron pots, copper pots, aluminum pots, etc. when decocting medicine, as this will affect the efficacy of the medicine. It is best to use a clay pot to decoct the medicine, so that the medicine can be decocted better without affecting the efficacy.