How to Prepare and Use Chinese Herbs - Decoctions

[Doc Stier]

Chinese Herbs: Decoctions

Raw, dried Chinese Bulk Herb are traditionally prepared for use as Internal Medicines by simmer cooking a Classical Herb Formula or Herbal Combination composed of several individual herbs. The most effective cooking method traditionally uses a Chinese Ceramic Clay Herb Pot, which are typically available for purchase at most Chinese Food Markets and Chinese Herb Shops. Here is an example of these ceramic pots:



The ceramic clay cooker and its lid should be thoroughly washed and rinsed, both inside and outside, and filled with filtered or purified water up to the bottom of the spout hole on the inside of the pot. Place over high heat until a near boil is reached. The proper temperature of the water has been obtained when steam escapes the surface of the water and tiny bubbles have begun to rise from the bottom of the pot simultaneously.

The Herb Formula or Combination, properly combined according to specific gram weight measurements for each individual herb in the formula, is then placed into the ceramic clay pot, covered with its lid, and the heat reduced to low setting on an electric range top burner, or as low as the flame can be set without extinguishing it on a gas range top burner. It is then allowed to simmer cook for 30-45 minutes, depending on the delicacy of the ingredients combined in the formula. These preparations should never be boiled, as boiling destroys many of the medicinal and nutritional agents inherent in the herbs, and will make the final preparation bitter to the taste.

The properly cooked preparation should be served in a tea cup without a handle, and are considered ready to drink when the cup has cooled enough to be held comfortably in the hand. A natural sweetener can be added to improve the flavor...such as honey, blackstrap molasses, or brown rice syrup...but generally are not sweetened with refined white sugar or artificial sweeteners. Most formulas, however, will not need any sweetener if properly prepared, since the herbs will not have been boiled, but only gently simmer cooked.

Doc Stier

[Doc Stier]

Chinese Herbs: Infusions

Chinese Herbs are prepared for health maintainance or medicinal use in one of several ways, depending on the ingredients used. Part 1 of this Series addresses the traditional preparation of herbal infusions (teas/cha). The method described here is also used for the preparation of non-herbal green teas and black teas such as Jasmine Tea, Oolong Tea, Special Gunpowder Green Tea, English Breakfast Tea, India Darjeeling Tea, and so forth. It is considered the most desirable method of making any kind of tea, herbal or otherwise.

A tea is essentially a fluid infusion of one or more ingredients which are too delicate to be boiled or simmer cooked as a decoction. This would especially apply to items such as dried flower tops like Chrysanthemum Flower Tea (Ju-Hua Cha), dried plant leaves such as Peppermint Leaf Tea (Bo-He Cha), and could also include dried fruit bodies such as Dried Red Chinese Dates (Hung-Zao). In each case, boiling would destroy the nutritional and medicinal properties of the herbs, negate their known healing actions, and ruin the normally pleasant flavor and aroma of the herbs.

Preparation of the infusion begins by gently bruising the dried herbs with a mortar and pestle. Smaller mortars and pestles made of wood or bamboo work well when preparing one or two servings only, while larger stone mortars and pestles (granite or marble) are usually used when preparing larger amounts of herb for a greater number of servings. Example of each type of mortar and pestle can be seen here:

http://www.fantes.com/images/120840mortar.jpg (bamboo)
http://www.chefdepot.net/graphics23/olivemortar.jpg (olive wood)
http://www.chefdepot.net/graphics23/mortar.jpg (marble)
http://www.templeofthai.com/mortar_a...tar_pestle.php (granite)

A sufficient volume of water is then brought to a full, rolling boil. Either a ceramic/porcelain teapot with a lid, or a large ceramic/porcelain teacup with a lid, is pre-heated by swishing a small amount of boiling water around inside the vessel and then pouring it out. Here are examples of traditional teapots and cups, and the individual teacups with their own lids which are so popular among the Chinese:

http://importfood.com/media/cwtp0701b.jpg
http://importfood.com/media/cwtp0701c.jpg
http://img.alibaba.com/photo/1121618...eramic_Cup.jpg

Alternately, any ceramic coffee mug can be used instead, with a small saucer or plate placed on top of it as a cover while the tea steeps or infuses.

Next, place the bruised herbs or tea leaves in the bottom of the teapot or cup, pour the remaining boiling water in until the vessel is filled, cover the vessel with its lid, and allow the preparation to steep or infuse until all or most of the ingredients sink to the bottom of the vessel. This may take between 5-20 minutes depending on the ingredients used. In the event that all of the ingredients do not sink to the bottom of the teapot or teacup, the tea should be poured through a non-metal strainer prior to drinking in order to prevent small pieces of ingredients from floating around in the cup when drinking the tea.

When the tea is fully prepared and poured for drinking, it is considered ready for consumption when the cup it is poured into has cooled enough to pick up and hold comfortably in the hand. This is why Asian teacups traditionally are made without handles as in the West. In this way, the tongue and inner mouth are never scalded from drinking the tea while it is still too hot!

Enjoy your teas, and drink to good health!

Doc Stier

[Xiao3 Meng4]

nice informative post!

My one comment: I'd've called the thread "The chinese method of preparing herbs," seeing as how it's applicable to more than just (Chinese) plants.

That's just me being me, though.

[Doc Stier]

Some of the exceptionally hard dried root herbs, such as Ginseng Root, are often cooked individually in special root cookers, usually made of ceramic porcelain, like this one:



Instructions for use of the Root Cooker:

The best way to prepare ginseng is in a ginseng cooker, which is a porcelain double-boiler unit. No waste occurs with this method.

With a ginseng cooker, good ginseng essence is not lost in steam, and less of the herb yields a richer final product. The herbs should be used over several times. In fact, a "ginseng cooker" is the best way to prepare practically all of the tonic brews.

The ginseng cooker has two lids, one flat and one domed shaped which goes on top. Place the ginseng inside the cooker along with enough water (bottled pure water) to cover the herbs (holds 4 cups). Place the cooker with it's contents into a pot of water. The water level in the outer pot should come up to the bottom of the handles. Turn on the burner and and bring the outer water to a boil.

Allow to simmer until the water has half boiled away from the outer pot. The liquid inside the cooker remains just below boiling and, because of the lids, does not evaporate. When half of the outer water is gone, fill back up to original level and continue cook.

This process is repeated several times, depending upon the time available and the strength of the tea desired. The tea, prepared in this manner, will be very rich. Drink as directed and save the remainder of the brew in a jar for reheating later. Meanwhile, the herbs should be refrigerated.

Herbs cooked in a ginseng cooker can be re-cooked several times. If a root such as ginseng has been used, after the first cooking it is wise to break up the root into smaller pieces so that it's inner tissue can be cooked in subsequent cookings. Many feel that it is the second cooking in a ginseng cooker that will yield the most potent tonic brew.

This method has two advantages. First, none of the elixir is lost in evaporated steam; and secondly, since the water remains slightly below boiling, some of the vitamins and enzymes remain intact that might otherwise be broken down during boiling.

Additionally, for those who do not have the use of a root cooker, Ginseng Root Extract, commercially prepared in larger quantities as in the manner described above, can be purchased at most Oriental Food Markets, Chinese Herb Shops, and at a growing number of health and nutrition stores. These extracts may be added to hot water alone, or added to freshly infused, hot green or black tea. Here's an example of Korean Ginseng Root Extract:



Doc Stier

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