Can boiled Chinese medicine be stored in the refrigerator?

When a TCM practitioner prescribes a TCM prescription, he usually prescribes a 4 to 7 day's supply at a time, and if a patient with a chronic disease may prescribe a two-week dose at a time, many patients will choose to decoct all the TCM at a time in the hospital or pharmacy, and then keep the decoction in the refrigerator. So, how long can decoction Chinese medicine be stored in the refrigerator?

First of all, we need to understand the packaging form of the decoction of Chinese medicine. At present, the most common packaging of decoction of Chinese medicine decoction is vacuum-sealed packaging, and secondly, it can also be served in the utensils provided by the patients themselves.

We found that the storage time indicated on the sealed vacuum packaging bag varies from hospital to hospital and pharmacy. In this study, different formulas were stored at different temperatures, and the degree of deterioration of the liquid was observed, and the measurement items such as odor, turbidity, mold, and acidity were recorded separately. The results show that the higher the temperature, the faster the deterioration of the liquid medicine, in the season of higher temperature, the room temperature is above 25, the general decoction is stored for no more than 2 days, if refrigerated, it will not deteriorate for 7 days.

In addition, even under the same conditions, the degree of deterioration of different formulas varies greatly, and if the content of starch, protein, sugar and other components in the liquid medicine is large, the deterioration will be faster.

In order to ensure the safety of the use of medicines, the best temperature for the storage of sealed vacuum-packed Chinese medicine decoction is 0 5, and the storage time is 7 14 days, but it is best not to exceed 7 days. On the one hand, after the decoction is cooked, it is often stored at room temperature for half a day to a day before taking it home for refrigeration, which will "accelerate" the deterioration of the medicinal soup; On the other hand, if the decoction contains animal Chinese medicines such as whole scorpion and centipede, or Chinese medicines with high sugar content such as rehmania and astragalus, the shelf life will also be affected. If you find that the liquid medicine bag is bulging, the liquid medicine has changed its flavor, there are bubbles and other abnormal phenomena, it is considered to be spoiled and should not be used.

If it is a Chinese herbal decoction that is served in a container provided by yourself, it is generally not recommended to take it overnight, even if it is placed in the refrigerator, it should not exceed 3 days, so as not to deteriorate the liquid medicine and affect your health.

It is best to drink the decocted Chinese medicine on the same day, so that the medicinal effect is better, and it is not easy to breed bacteria. If there are special circumstances and you can't drink it on the same day, you can put the decocted Chinese medicine in the refrigerator and refrigerate.

The Chinese medicine is decocted and stored in the refrigerator, generally not for more than three daysHowever, the specific shelf life is also related to the ingredients of traditional Chinese medicine, and it is recommended to take it as much as possible, so that the ingredients of the drug can be absorbed to the greatest extent, and then the disease can be better.

According to the different properties of each traditional Chinese medicine, the shelf life is not the same, if the content of starch, protein, sugar and other components in the liquid medicine is more, it will deteriorate quickly, it is recommended to refrigerate for more than 3 days. For other ingredients, it is recommended to seal the vacuum packaging, and it is best to store it in the refrigerator within the range of 0 5 degrees, not more than 7 days. Heat well before drinking the medicine so as not to affect the efficacy of the medicine.

Drugs that are collected, processed, and prepared under the guidance of traditional Chinese medicine theory, explain the mechanism of action, and guide clinical application are collectively referred to as traditional Chinese medicine. In short, traditional Chinese medicine refers to substances that are used to prevent, diagnose and have health care effects under the guidance of traditional Chinese medicine theory. Chinese medicine is mainly used in natural medicines and their processed products, including botanical medicines, animal medicines, mineral medicines and some chemical and biological products.

Since most of the traditional Chinese medicine is botanical, there is a saying that "all medicines are herb-based".

The above content reference: Encyclopedia - Chinese Medicine (Chinese Medicine).

How long can boiled Chinese medicine be stored in the refrigerator has a certain relationship with the storage method of Chinese medicine, and the storage time of decoction in the refrigerator is generally 3-7 days. If the Chinese medicine deteriorates, it should not be consumed.

If the Chinese medicine is decocted by a hospital and stored in a sealed bag, it can generally be stored for a longer time, but it should not exceed 7 days. If you are boiling the decoction yourself, you did not put the decoction in a sealed storage device.

At this time, it is recommended to consume it as soon as possible and try to avoid storing the medicine in the refrigerator for more than 3 days. In addition, it is recommended to avoid storing the decoction at a warm temperature in summer, and it should not be more than 2 days at the daily temperature of the ear in winter, as the deterioration of the decoction may occur if it is stored for too long.

When using Chinese herbs taken out of the refrigerator, it is recommended to heat the medicine in a microwave oven over medium heat for 1 minute, or in a water bath. If the sealed Chinese medicine bag is swollen, or the Chinese medicine has changed taste, texture has become turbid, the taste has become sour or even moldy, it is often due to the deterioration of the Chinese medicine, and it is not recommended to continue to consume it.

The method of boiling Chinese medicine

Before decoction, soak the medicine in cold water for about 1 hour, which is conducive to the precipitation of the active ingredients of the drug. It is best to use a casserole for decoction, but you can also use a metal container. After adding water, the medicine floating on the water surface should be turned up and down with chopsticks to make the Chinese medicine Huai Huai completely soaked in water, and the water surface should be 2-3cm higher than the Chinese medicine.

The decoction is generally boiled over high heat, and then boiled over a simmer, generally each dose should be fried three times, the first decoction time is 30 minutes after the pot is boiled, the second time with boiling water should be less than the first scattered chop once should be less, the decoction time is 40 minutes after the pot is boiled, and the third time is the same as the second time. Take 150-200 ml of medicinal juice for each of the three times, mix well, and take it half an hour after meals every day.

There are also some medicines that need to be specially decocted: such as turtle plates, turtle shells, etc., should be decocted for one hour, and then decoction with the rest of the medicines. Then there are some medicines that need to be taken, such as Panax notoginseng powder, American ginseng, etc. Swallowing, boiling, and serving, such as ejiao, deer horn glue, turtle plate glue, etc.

Put the decoction back into the pot and heat it, pour the gelatinous medicine that needs to be boiled into the sauce, heat it, and melt it. You can also put 2-3 pairs of Chinese herbs together in a pot and decoction them, and then take them in 2-3 days.