Do I need to wash the Chinese medicine before decocting it?

Traditional Chinese medicine is a medicine that many people choose when treating diseases. Compared with Western medicine, traditional Chinese medicine is more stable and has no excessive side effects. Although it takes a long time to take effect, it can mainly strengthen the body and play a certain nourishing role. However, many people don’t know whether they should wash the traditional Chinese medicine before taking it!

1. Washing with water can cause the loss of water-soluble components of medicinal materials. Since many medicinal materials contain sugars and glycosides that can be dissolved in water, some of their effective ingredients will be lost after washing, resulting in reduced efficacy.

2. Washing with water may cause the powdered medicinal materials to be lost. Many Chinese medicines are in powder form, and some need to be crushed when preparing the medicine, such as peach kernel, dragon bone, talcum powder, etc. If washed with water, these medicines will be lost.

3. Washing with water may cause the loss of some medicinal materials and auxiliary materials. Because some medicinal materials are added with auxiliary materials such as honey, wine, and bile during the preparation process, and these auxiliary materials are easily soluble in water, some of them may be lost if they are washed with water. Such as the commonly used medicinal materials such as Arisaema consanguineum and wine-processed rhubarb. Therefore, before decocting Chinese medicine, it is not advisable to rinse the medicinal materials with water to avoid the loss of medicinal ingredients and affect the efficacy of the medicine.

4. Strictly speaking, Chinese medicine should not be washed before decocting, because it must be carefully prepared before being put into the medicine cabinet. If it is washed with water, the efficacy will be compromised.

5. After the medicine is decocted, wait until the water stops floating and then filter it with gauze or a high-mesh net. As to whether the sediment in the bowl can be taken orally, there has been debate in the medical community. Some say it should be taken, perhaps because the medicinal effect is stronger, while others say it should not be taken, but no one has given a clear reason.

Generally speaking, if you are asked to decoct Chinese medicinal materials brought back from a pharmacy or hospital, they have already been filtered to a certain extent, and the quality and hygiene are guaranteed to a certain extent. If you still find that the Chinese medicinal materials are of poor quality or contain some impurities at this time, do not wash them, just go to the hospital to change the medicine.