When is the best time to take Chinese medicine? Time to take Chinese medicine

There are certain taboos when taking traditional Chinese medicine. For example, you cannot eat fish or chili peppers while taking the medicine, otherwise the medicinal effects will be greatly reduced. In addition, you should pay attention to the method and time of taking Chinese medicine. Drinking Chinese medicine at the best time can make the medicinal properties work well. Let’s take a look at these contents below.

Time to take Chinese medicine

Take before meals

Generally, take the medicine 30 to 60 minutes before meals. If the disease is located in the lower part of the body, the medicine should be taken before meals so that the medicinal properties can be easily delivered to the lower part of the body, such as liver and kidney deficiency or diseases below the waist.

For the treatment of intestinal diseases, it is also advisable to take medicine before meals, because when the stomach is empty, the liquid medicine can directly contact the gastrointestinal mucosa and pass through the stomach into the intestine more quickly, so that more of it can be absorbed and exert its effect, without being diluted by food in the stomach and affecting its efficacy.

Take after meal

Generally, take the medicine 15 to 30 minutes after a meal. If the disease is located in the upper part of the body, the medicine should be taken after meals.

For treating diseases of the heart, lungs, chest, diaphragm, and stomach, taking the medicine after meals can allow the medicinal properties to move upward.

Drugs that are irritating to the gastrointestinal tract can reduce damage to the gastrointestinal mucosa by taking them after meals.

Drugs with higher toxicity should also be taken after meals to avoid side effects due to too rapid absorption.

Meal service

That is, take the medicine between meals to avoid the impact of food on the medicine. Medicines for treating spleen and stomach diseases should be taken between meals.

Take on an empty stomach

Decoctions with tonic effects should be taken on an empty stomach in the morning to facilitate full absorption.

Drugs used to deworm or treat limb blood vessel diseases should also be taken on an empty stomach, so that the drugs can enter the intestines quickly and maintain a high concentration to quickly exert their effects. The same applies to decoctions with laxative effects to enhance their efficacy.

Take before bed

It is usually taken 15 to 30 minutes before bedtime. It is advisable to lie on your back after taking medicines that nourish the heart and spleen, calm the mind, and induce sleep, as well as those with stagnation, chest and diaphragm diseases, etc.

If you have diseases of the head, mouth, or ears, you should lie down without a pillow after taking the medicine. If you have diseases of the left or right ribs, you should choose a sleeping position according to the ascending and descending effects of the medicine after taking the medicine. If the medicine has an ascending effect, you should lie on the healthy side; if the medicine has a sinking effect, you should lie on the affected side.

Overnight service

It mainly refers to anthelmintics, which should be taken once before going to bed and again on an empty stomach the next morning in order to kill the worms and excrete them out of the body.

It is worth noting that for acute and serious illnesses, medications should be taken as soon as possible or frequently (every 1-2 hours) regardless of time, while for chronic diseases, medications should be taken on time.

Directions

The general way to take Chinese medicine is to take a dose of warm decoction twice a day, once in the morning and once in the evening, or three times a day, once in the morning, noon and evening. However, depending on the condition of the disease, some need to be taken only once a day, some need to be taken several times a day, and some can be decocted into a decoction instead of tea.