The longer the Chinese medicine is fried, the better the effect?

　　Is it true that the longer the decoction time of traditional Chinese medicine is, the better it is, and the more decoction it is, the thicker it will be? This is not the case. If some traditional Chinese medicine is decoctioned for a long time, the active ingredients will volatilize or be destroyed by high temperature, and the efficacy of the medicine will become worse.

　　The longer you boil Chinese medicine, the stronger it will become.

　　In daily life, most people think that the more concentrated the decoction of traditional Chinese medicine, the better the effect, and the longer the decoction time, the more active ingredients, but this is not the case. Decoction of Chinese medicine is a process of continuously releasing and dissolving the active ingredients in the Chinese herbal medicine. After the concentration of the active ingredients in the Chinese medicine and the medicinal solution is balanced, this process stops. Continuous decoction will not only prevent the active ingredients in the medicine from continuing to dissolve, but will cause the active ingredients in the medicinal solution to continuously evaporate and decrease, and even cause the active ingredients to be destroyed in high temperatures for a long time, resulting in reduced efficacy. It can be seen that the longer the Chinese medicine is fried, the better. Different prescriptions have different time requirements after decoction, so you should follow the doctor's advice.

　　How to control the heat when decoction of Chinese medicine

　　Decoction of Chinese medicine is very particular about the heat, that is to say, pay attention to the firepower of the decoction and the length of the decoction. The control of heat should also be based on the properties of the drug. The surface-relieving drugs have a fragrant smell and contain mostly volatile oils as active ingredients. Long-term decoction can cause excessive volatilization and cause losses. Generally, it is advisable to use the rapid decoction method with strong fire. The decoction time should be short. The first decoction can be boiled for 15 minutes, and the second decoction can be boiled for 10 minutes.

　　Tonic drugs, because they are greasy and heavy, require a long time of decoction to produce juice. They are usually boiled with strong fire, and then changed to slow fire. After the first decoction is boiled, it is boiled with slow fire for 20 to 30 minutes. After the second decoction is boiled, it is boiled with slow fire for 30-40 minutes. Medications that take a long time to decoct need to be stirred 2 to 3 times during the decoction process to prevent the underlying medication from being scorched. Some people accidentally boil traditional Chinese medicine into paste, then add water to boil it again and give it to patients. This is inappropriate and may even be dangerous. Because the burnt medicine may undergo qualitative changes.

　　How to decoct Chinese medicine correctly

　　1. Fry first: that is, extend the frying time by 10-15 minutes. Including minerals and shellfish whose active ingredients are difficult to decoct, such as magnets, oysters, etc.; drugs that require long-term decoction to detoxify, such as aconite and aconite, which are toxic, should be decoctioned first; for special needs, such as long-term decoction of rhubarb to slow down the purgative force, and if you want to reduce its purgative force, you should decoct it first.

　　2. Lower down: shorten the cooking time. Including drugs whose active ingredients are easily evaporated or destroyed by decoction and cannot be decoctioned for a long time, such as mint and white cardamom, etc., add them after decoction, and then add them to the boil for a few minutes after the medicine is decoctioned; decoction of rhubarb and senna leaves for a long time will slow down the laxative force, so if you want to have laxatives, add them immediately or soak them in boiling water.

　　3. Decoction: Pollen, small seeds and fine powder drugs should be decoctioned, because they float easily on the water and are not suitable for decoction, such as cattail, tangerine seeds, talcum powder, etc.; drugs containing more starch and mucilage should be decoctioned, because they are easy to stick to the pan, gelatinize and burn, such as plantain, etc.; villi drugs should be decoctioned, because they are difficult to filter out, and mixing with the liquid will irritate the throat, such as inula, etc.

　　4. Decoction separately: A few expensive medicines must be decoctioned separately to prevent the active ingredients from being absorbed by the decoction pieces of other medicines, such as ginseng, American ginseng, etc.

　　5. To melt: to dissolve or melt. Glue-based medicines are easy to adhere to other medicine residues and the bottom of the pot, which wastes the medicinal materials and is easy to burn. Therefore, they should be thawed first and then mixed with other medicinal juices, such as donkey-hide gelatin, deer antler glue, etc.

　　6. Ingestion: Some medicines that melt in water or are originally juices should be taken with decoction or boiled water, such as Glauber's salt, honey, etc.; some medicines that are not only expensive but also have ingredients that are difficult to dissolve in water or are easily destroyed should be ground into powder and taken, such as bezoars, antelope horns, amber, etc.

　　7. Decoct soup instead of water: like the earth in the heart of the stove.

　　Whether Chinese medicine can be decoctioned properly directly affects the therapeutic effect. When decoction, you must pay attention to the decoction time and heat, as well as the special decoction methods of some drugs.