Is it better to decoct Chinese medicine yourself or have someone else decoct it for you?

This is the 4824th article of Da Yi Xiao Hu

In the outpatient clinic, many patients, especially new patients, who do not often take Chinese medicine, will ask me whether it is better to decoct the Chinese medicine by myself or by someone else. Today, I want to talk to you about the topic of how to choose the decoction method.

Let's first learn about how the ancients boiled medicine. Ancient doctors attached great importance to boiling medicine. Xu Dachun, a famous doctor in the Qing Dynasty, pointed out: "The method of boiling medicine should be studied in depth. The effectiveness of the medicine depends on this." The ancients were particularly particular about boiling medicine. They paid attention to what kind of water to boil, what material of pot to use, how long to boil the first medicine in advance, when to add the medicine later, what kind of fire to use, etc. The fundamental purpose is to ensure the efficacy. "The boiling method established by the ancients must be carefully studied, and each one is appropriate, so that the effect is particularly quick."

In terms of efficacy, if you have the time and conditions, doctors will recommend that you try to boil the medicine yourself. Boiling the medicine yourself is a respect for the disease you have, and an attitude of being serious and responsible for yourself. Think about it, if you let others boil the medicine, it is a job for others. There are people who work hard, and there are naturally people who do not do it well. You will be responsible for your own disease, and you will boil the medicine very seriously. When boiling the medicine with your serious attitude, the efficacy will definitely be different, and the taste of the boiled medicine will also be different. Not to mention that the taste of the medicine boiled by yourself is stronger than that of the medicine boiled by others, our respect is already there. It is undeniable that boiling the medicine is a tedious process. You must first soak the medicine in cold water for about an hour, then boil it with high heat, and then boil it slowly with low heat for 20 to 30 minutes. When boiling the medicine, it is best not to leave the medicine pot, which can prevent it from being burnt, and you can smell the fragrance of the medicine, which can also cure the disease. Boiling the medicine is nothing more than a process. This process is not only about boiling the medicine, but also about nourishing the heart. When boiling the medicine, you should operate calmly, slowly but not impatiently. Nourishing the heart is curing the disease. Life needs a sense of ritual! The same is true for decocting Chinese medicine. Don't think decocting Chinese medicine is troublesome, do it slowly and calmly, it is also a kind of treatment!

In addition to good therapeutic effects, there are many other benefits to making your own medicine, such as some flexibility in decocting the medicine yourself.

It is convenient for you to control the dosage of medicine

When you make the medicine yourself, you can freely control the amount of the decoction, because everyone's appetite is different. If you make the medicine yourself, you can better control the amount, especially for children, or the elderly with poor appetite, and patients with vomiting, you can concentrate it a little bit and make less, so we can control the amount ourselves. Clinically, for children, I would recommend that parents make the decoction themselves, and make less, so that it is convenient for children to take. If you make the decoction on behalf of others, then there is no way to control the amount of medicine, because the amount of each bag is standardized.

Timely increase or decrease the type of medicine

Sometimes, due to illness, some food and medicine need to be added, such as ginger, egg yolk, etc., which are not in the medicinal materials. If the Chinese medicine is decocted on behalf of others, there is no way to add them; if the patient's clinical condition changes, some changes occur after taking the medicine, the medicine can be added or subtracted in time. If it is decocted on behalf of others, there is no way to make such a timely adjustment.

Flexible drug absorption

Some patients who are unwilling to take the medication orally can also help absorb the medication by soaking their feet, or they can decoct the medicine several times, taking it orally for the first two times and using the third decoction for soaking their feet, making full use of the medication and reflecting the flexibility of decocting the medicine.

Of course, if you are a very busy office worker, often on business trips, or a student living on campus, and you don’t have the conditions or time to decoct in a single apartment, I personally suggest that we can choose to decoct the medicine on behalf of others. There is no need to pursue perfection too much. Treatment is always better than no treatment. Taking decoction is always better than not taking medicine. The effect may be slower. Of course, if economic conditions permit, we can choose decoction-free granules, which is a new type of Chinese medicine preparation. It adopts a single medicinal material active ingredient concentration pharmaceutical method. Each medicine contains an active ingredient of a medicinal material. Decoction-free Chinese medicine can be taken directly with warm boiled water. The overall method of taking is more convenient, and because this medicine is small in size, it can be placed in a small sealed bag and can be taken at any time during life, work and study, which greatly improves the convenience of patients. However, some provinces are still outside the scope of medical insurance.

Everyone has their own preferences for vegetables and radishes. It depends on your own situation and needs. The above is what I want to share about the choice of decocting methods.

Author: Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai Changzheng Hospital

Zhao Ying