Although everyone knows that good medicine is bitter, many people still can't bear that suffering. In particular, when many elderly people decoct Chinese medicine for their children, they are afraid that the children will not drink it because they are too bitter and noisy, so they will put white sugar in the decoction. Is this advisable? Does white sugar reduce the efficacy of traditional Chinese medicine?
In fact, Chinese medicine cannot be "sweet and sweet" to drink. Traditional Chinese medicine believes that bitterness "can be discharged, dry, and firm", that is, it has the functions of clearing heat, discharging qi reversal, venting stool, drying dampness, and strengthening yin (purging fire and storing yin). The bitterness is in the heart, and the heart is too hot, and the bitterness is eliminated. Bitterness can strengthen the stomach, and studies have shown that bitterness can cause an increase in saliva and gastric juice secretion through the reflex activity of the vagus nerve.
You can't add sugar to drinking Chinese medicine
In the composition of traditional Chinese medicine, the medicinal taste of the medicine is different from the five flavors of "sour, bitter, sweet, pungent and salty", and the medicinal properties are also different from the four qi of "cold, hot, warm and cool".
Sugars also have certain medicinal properties and curative effects, such as traditional Chinese medicine caramel can replenish the middle and invigorate qi, moisten dryness and rejuvenate the body, and can be used to treat spleen and stomach weakness, dry cough, thirst, sore throat, constipation and other diseases. It can be seen that Chinese medicine also treats sugars as a traditional Chinese medicine, so it should not be used casually.
What are the contraindications to the clinical use of sugar?
If the patient has symptoms such as abdominal distension and fullness, thick and greasy tongue, it is generally strictly forbidden to add sugar to avoid affecting the efficacy of the drug and aggravating the symptoms; People with phlegm should not take it.
Sugar white sugar, brown sugar, white sugar cool, brown sugar warm, if the white sugar is added to the warm medicine, or the brown sugar is added to the cold medicine, it will weaken the medicinal properties, hinder the full play of the medicinal properties, and affect the efficacy.
The chemical composition of traditional Chinese medicine is more complex, sugar, especially brown sugar, contains more iron, calcium and other chemical elements, protein and tannin and other components in traditional Chinese medicine can be combined with it, and chemical reactions occur, so that some active ingredients in the liquid medicine are coagulated and denatured, and then turbidity and precipitation are produced, which not only affects the efficacy of the medicine, but also endangers health.
If you want to drink Chinese medicine without being bitter, try the following methods
Experience suggests that controlling the temperature of the decoction when taken orally can easily reduce the bitterness of Chinese medicine. Studies have shown that when the decoction is taken orally at a temperature of about 36.2°C, its bitterness will be reduced. Therefore, when taking the decoction, it is best to put the decoction of the Chinese medicine aside and cool it for a few minutes, and wait until the temperature of the liquid drops to warm and does not burn the mouth. The time and method of taking Chinese medicine is also very important. The time of taking Chinese medicine should generally be between half an hour and one hour after a meal. This is because traditional Chinese medicine is usually irritating and may cause irritation to the gastric mucosa if taken on an empty stomach, causing discomfort such as stomach pain and bloating.
In addition, special utensils should be used for decocting traditional Chinese medicine, and it is best to use casseroles and clay pots, because they have good chemical stability, are not easy to react with the ingredients in traditional Chinese medicine, and have uniform heat conduction and good heat preservation performance. Do not use utensils made of oxidized substances, such as aluminum, iron, copper, etc.
The efficacy of TCM is affected by diet, so patients should avoid eating spicy, greasy, and irritating foods while taking TCM.
Adjust lifestyle habits: The efficacy of traditional Chinese medicine is closely related to the patient's lifestyle habits. Patients should pay attention to maintaining good work and rest habits, avoid overwork and staying up late, and maintain a good mood, which will help improve the efficacy of traditional Chinese medicine.
Follow the doctor's instructions: When taking Chinese medicine, patients should strictly follow the doctor's advice and take it on time and in the right amount. Do not increase or decrease the dose or discontinue the drug at will, so as not to affect the treatment effect. Have you learned to drink Chinese medicine correctly? (Tao Jia)