Does soaking Chinese medicine for a long time have any effect?

As people pay more and more attention to their health, many people have begun to use traditional Chinese medicine to regulate their bodies. People now go to the doctor promptly if they feel unwell, instead of waiting until they feel very uncomfortable before seeking treatment as they did in the past. Western medicine can cause great harm to the body, so people tend to use traditional Chinese medicine for conditioning. Generally, Chinese medicine pharmacies will provide you with decocted medicine, but some people like to make it themselves. So is there any effect if Chinese medicine is soaked for a long time?

Decoction is the most commonly used dosage form in clinical practice. Different methods of decocting medicines should be used according to the properties of the medicines and the condition of the disease. "On the Origin and Development of Medicine" says: "The method of decocting medicines should be discussed in depth, because the effectiveness of the medicines depends entirely on this." Generally speaking, soaking Chinese medicine for a long time may affect its efficacy. If it is soaked for too long in the summer, it may easily cause mold and cannot be taken. Taking it will affect your health, so you need to be careful.

1. Clay pots and casseroles are generally the best utensils for decocting medicines. Enamel utensils or aluminum utensils are also acceptable. Avoid using iron or copper utensils because some medicines will undergo chemical changes or reduce their solubility when heated with copper or iron. The capacity of the decoction vessel should also be larger to facilitate the turning of the medicine and avoid spillage and loss of medicine liquid. At the same time, the container should be covered to prevent the moisture from evaporating too quickly and causing incomplete release of the active ingredients of the drug.

2. Use clean cold water, such as tap water, well water, or distilled water, for decocting medicine. The amount of water used depends on the dosage, texture of the medicine and decocting time. Generally, it is appropriate to cover the medicine surface by 3-5CM. Each dose of medicine is decocted twice or more, and some are decocted three times. The first decoction can be slightly more, and the second and third decoctions can be slightly less. Just decoct 100-150 ml each time.

3. When decocting medicine, usually start with high heat and then use low heat after boiling. For antipyretic and purgative drugs, the boiling time should be short, the fire should be quick, and the amount of water should be small; for tonic drugs, the boiling time should be long, the fire should be slow, and the amount of water should be large.

(This medicine is the latter decoction method)

If the medicine is burnt during boiling, it should be discarded to prevent any adverse reactions.

4. Decoction method: Before decocting the medicine, soak it for 20-30 minutes before decocting it, so that the effective ingredients can be easily decocted out. The decoction time is 20-30 minutes after the medicine boils, and a few require more than 50 minutes~! (This dose does not belong to this category).

5. Time to take medicine. "Shennong's Herbal Classic" records: "For patients with diseases above the chest and diaphragm, eat first and then take medicine; for patients with diseases below the heart and abdomen, take medicine first and then eat; for patients with diseases in the limbs and blood vessels, it is better to take medicine on an empty stomach in the morning; for patients with diseases in the bone marrow, it is better to take medicine at night after a full stomach."