Can a stainless steel pot be used to decoct Chinese medicine?

When decocting Chinese medicine, it is not only related to the heat, but also to the time, so there are also requirements for the decocting utensils. You cannot use a pot to decoct medicine casually. The pot for decocting medicine must be selected carefully. Not only will the medicine be ineffective, but it will also affect your health. Everyone should be cautious. The following editor will tell you whether you can decoct Chinese medicine in a stainless steel pot.

Which utensil is best for decocting Chinese medicine?

Ceramic casserole: Because of its stable properties, it is not easy to react chemically with drugs. In addition, it transfers heat slowly and evenly, is not easy to get stuck, and is cheap. Therefore, ceramic casseroles and earthenware pots are the most convenient and practical.

Stainless steel pot: It transfers heat too quickly. The medicine needs to be stirred frequently when decocting it, otherwise the herbs will stick to the wall of the pot and burn easily if you are not careful. However, apart from this disadvantage, stainless steel pots are still a good alternative.

Aluminum pots and iron pots: There are many problems with decocting medicine, because aluminum and iron are active elements, which can easily react with the various chemical components in traditional Chinese medicine, reduce the efficacy, and may even produce toxic side effects. If there are some acidic or alkaline drugs in the Chinese medicine prescription, such as black plum, hawthorn, schisandra chinensis, papaya, borax, etc., it is best not to use aluminum utensils to decoct the medicine. Because aluminum and iron can react with tannins in traditional Chinese medicine to produce aluminum tannate and iron tannate, producing black-green precipitates, which can cause nausea and vomiting after taking them.

Aluminum and iron may also form insoluble complexes with flavonoids contained in Scutellaria baicalensis, Pueraria lobata, and Psoralea corylifolia, or with anthraquinone compounds in Rhubarb and Polygonum multiflorum. After being absorbed by the human body, some of these complexes accumulate in tissues such as the liver, kidney, and brain, and produce toxic side effects of varying degrees. Aluminum and iron will also undergo replacement reactions with traditional Chinese medicines containing heavy metals such as cinnabar to produce toxic free mercury. Each Chinese medicine contains dozens or even hundreds of compounds, and countless chemical reactions may occur when boiling the medicine in aluminum or iron pots. Copper utensils are also not acceptable. The ancients have always advocated not using them to decoct medicine because copper can cause human poisoning. The main component of the casserole is silicate, which has stable chemical properties, heats evenly, transfers heat slowly, and the water is not easy to evaporate when decocting medicine, making it the first choice for decocting medicine.

Cracks may form on a casserole if it is suddenly heated or cooled. Therefore, do not wash the casserole that has just been used to boil medicine with cold water immediately. Let it cool on dry wood chips or racks and then clean the medicine stains. Do not soak the grease on the casserole with detergent to prevent sewage from seeping into the pores. It can be wiped with leftover tea leaves or soaked in rice water to heat it, and then scrubbed with a brush.

How to choose a good quality casserole

Look at the color: High-quality clay pots are mostly white, because white pottery is rich in iron oxide and contains less artificial pigments, so there are relatively fewer impurities. This type of heating will not produce any substances harmful to the human body and is more suitable for cooking food.

It depends on the pottery: The surface of a high-quality clay pot is bright and even, without protruding sand grains, and it feels smooth and delicate, not rough. Because it is stirred evenly during the production process, it is not easy to crack. If the surface of the casserole is not smooth and feels rough to the touch, it means that the clay is not mixed evenly. Or it may feel smooth but small holes can be seen in it, which means that there are many bubbles in the clay during the firing process. Both of these casseroles are prone to cracking during use, so you must be careful when purchasing them.

Look at the shape: A high-quality casserole has a reasonable structure and a symmetrical body. It is very stable when placed on a flat surface and will not shake. Then look at the lid, we can turn it a few more times. If the lid fits smoothly and tightly against the mouth of the pot when you turn it, it means there is no problem with the structure of the casserole.

When buying a pot, you should also be able to listen to the sound, which is also very important. When buying it, hold up the casserole and knock on the side of the casserole with the lid. If the sound is loud, it means the density of the casserole is high, which means the quality is good. If the sound is dull, it means the quality is not good. Be sure to pay attention when choosing.