What to do if the medicine is bitter

Many people always find it difficult to swallow medicine when they feel it is too bitter, or they are very resistant to it. Some people choose to add some sugar to it to alleviate the bitterness of the medicine, which can improve the bitterness. This is a very incorrect behavior, because the bitterness of the medicine is emitted by the efficacy of the medicine itself. If other substances are added, especially white sugar, it will destroy the medicinal properties.

What to do if the medicine is too bitter

(1) Contraindications for the use of Chinese medicine: Certain drugs may produce opposite or antagonistic effects after formulation, which may reduce the efficacy of each other or cause toxic and side effects. Therefore, they should not be used together.

(2) Contraindications for use of drugs by pregnant women: Mainly to avoid fetal movement and abortion. Most pregnant women have poor tolerance to extremely cold or hot drugs, strong laxatives, blood-breaking and blood-stasis-removing drugs, and highly toxic drugs. Therefore, the relevant drugs must be avoided.

(3) Dietary taboos during medication: commonly known as dietary taboos, they are mainly to avoid interference factors when taking medicine in order to improve the efficacy of the medicine. They can be divided into two categories: dietary taboos corresponding to a certain medicine and dietary taboos when taking medicine under different disease conditions. For example, dietary taboos during medication include ginseng and radish, turtle shell and amaranth, licorice and silver carp, shanshan and onion, and poria and vinegar. The latter means that when taking medicine for chronic diseases, one should avoid eating raw or cold food; during the treatment of febrile diseases, one should avoid eating spicy and greasy food; for carbuncles, ulcers, and skin diseases, one should avoid eating fish, shrimp, goose meat, and spicy food.

(4) Chinese herbal medicine decoctions should not be taken overnight: because Chinese herbal medicine contains starch, sugar, protein, vitamins, volatile oils, amino acids, various enzymes, trace elements and other ingredients. Most of these ingredients are dissolved in the decoction during boiling. The general method of administration is to take half of the medicine while it is still warm, and then take the other half 4 to 6 hours later. If taken overnight or stored for too long, not only will the efficacy of the medicine be reduced, but the effects of air, temperature, time, bacterial contamination and other factors will cause the enzyme decomposition in the medicine to become less effective, bacteria to multiply and breed, and starch, sugar nutrients and other components to ferment and hydrolyze, causing the medicine to become rancid and deteriorate, which is harmful to human health after taking it.

(5) Chinese medicine should not be taken with sugar

Some people add sugar to Chinese medicine when taking it because the decoction is bitter and difficult to swallow. In this regard, relevant experts point out that some Chinese medicines are not suitable for taking after adding sugar. Adding sugar reduces the bitterness of the medicine while also reducing its efficacy.

Traditional Chinese medicine has four properties: cold, hot, warm, and cool, and five flavors: pungent, sweet, sour, bitter, and salty. Among them, pungent can disperse, sweet can slow down, sour can contract, bitter can astringe, and salty can soften. Chinese medicines with different tastes have different medicinal effects. Adding sugar to some Chinese medicines will change the medicinal properties of the bitter decoctions and affect their efficacy.

Some bitter medicines can stimulate the peripheral nerves and reflexively secrete digestive juices such as saliva and gastric juice to help digestion and promote appetite. If you put a lot of sugar in the medicine, it will completely cover up the bitter taste and lose its stomachic effect.