Many people choose to take traditional Chinese medicine to treat daily physical discomfort. Dong Junming, a pharmacist from the Pharmacy Department of Tianjin Second People's Hospital, introduces the scientific methods of decocting and taking traditional Chinese medicine. Before decocting traditional Chinese medicine, the herbs do not need to be cleaned to avoid losing effective ingredients, which can lead to a decrease in efficacy. It is not advisable to use an iron pot for boiling containers, and it is recommended to use ceramics and clay pots to ensure the efficacy of traditional Chinese medicine. It is advisable to use cold boiled water that has cooled down after boiling for boiling. It is generally advisable to let the water cover about half an inch of the medicine, and do not add water several times in the middle, let alone decoct the medicine dry before adding water again. Before decoction, soak in cold water for half an hour to ensure that the active ingredients are dissolved in water. Generally, use martial fire first, then simmer before using slow fire to keep boiling and avoid spillage and rapid drying of the medicine. Some drugs with volatile components need to be covered well when cooking to prevent the effective ingredients from evaporating into the air and affecting their efficacy. For medicinal materials that are light in weight and large in volume, it is best to open the lid and boil them, and stir them occasionally to prevent spillage. During the medication period, tonifying drugs should be taken before meals to facilitate absorption; Yin tonifying drugs should be taken once at night to improve the therapeutic effect. Urgent and severe medication should be administered in a timely manner, and the required dosage should be given in batches as appropriate. Anti surface medication should be given in a timely manner. If the condition permits, sweating anti surface medication should be given before noon, which helps to drive away evil and eliminate diseases. Sedative and sleeping pills are administered 1-2 hours before bedtime. Runchang laxatives should be taken on an empty or half empty stomach to facilitate the clearance of intestinal stagnation. When taking medication for throat diseases, take it multiple times and slowly swallow it, allowing the medication to come into full contact with the affected area and work quickly. Taking expectorants before meals can stimulate the gastric mucosa and indirectly increase bronchial secretion, thus diluting sputum and facilitating sputum excretion. Gastric tonics should be taken before meals for appetizers, and after meals for digestive and stagnation inducing drugs. Drugs that stimulate the stomach should be taken after meals to ease the irritation of gastric mucosa. Medication methods: Antidotes, antiemetics, and antipyretics should be taken cold to avoid irritation. Both peaceful and tonifying medicines should be taken warm at around 35 ℃. Medicines for catching a cold or relieving external symptoms should be taken orally while hot to achieve the goal of sweating. The same applies to drugs that promote blood circulation. Small doses of strong medicinal properties should be taken at once. Try not to take traditional Chinese medicine overnight or store it for too long. During this period, all foods that are difficult to digest, such as raw, cold, greasy, or foul smelling, or have special irritants, should be avoided. Do not add sugar to traditional Chinese medicine. In addition, it is best not to drink beverages when taking traditional Chinese medicine, as additives, preservatives, and other components in the beverage can also affect the absorption of effective ingredients in traditional Chinese medicine and reduce its efficacy. (New News Agency)