Can I add rock sugar to Chinese medicine?

Many of us nowadays are afraid to take western medicine. When we are sick, we will choose some Chinese herbal medicine to take care of our bodies. Although Chinese medicine has no side effects, it is very bitter and difficult to drink. So we try to make the Chinese medicine sweet and add some rock sugar. Some people say that the efficacy of Chinese medicine will not be so good if we drink it this way. So, is it okay to add a little rock sugar to the Chinese medicine when we drink it?

Although Chinese medicine is good, it tastes bitter, so many people add some sugar when taking it. In fact, sugar is also a traditional Chinese medicine. It has the effects of moistening the lungs and the middle, nourishing the spleen and soothing the liver. It can be used to treat dry cough, dry mouth, stomach pain and other symptoms.

In each prescription, the ingredients of the medicines have different flavors of "sour, bitter, sweet, pungent, and salty", and the medicinal properties also have different properties of "cold, hot, warm, and cool". Therefore, adding sugar when taking Chinese medicine will reduce the efficacy at best and cause side effects at worst.

Eating too much sugar will increase heat. If the patient has symptoms such as abdominal distension, fullness, stagnation of damp heat, and thick and greasy tongue coating, it is generally forbidden to add sugar to avoid adverse reactions.

White sugar is cool in nature, while brown sugar is warm in nature. If white sugar is added to warm medicines, or brown sugar is added to cold medicines, it will weaken the medicinal properties, hinder the full absorption of the medicines, and affect the efficacy.

The chemical composition of traditional Chinese medicine is relatively complex. Sugars, especially brown sugar, contain more iron, calcium and other elements. Proteins, tannins and other components in traditional Chinese medicine can combine with them to produce chemical reactions, causing some effective ingredients in the medicine to coagulate and denature, and then produce turbidity and precipitation, which not only affects the efficacy of the medicine but also endangers health.

Some medicines use bitter taste to stimulate the secretion of digestive glands, thereby achieving better therapeutic effects. For example, Coptis chinensis works by stimulating the taste analyzer, thereby increasing the excitement of the appetite center, reflexively causing an increase in gastric juice secretion, thereby exerting a stomachic effect. If sugar is added, this effect will be lost and the therapeutic effect will not be achieved.

When drinking Chinese medicine, it is best not to add anything. Although it tastes bitter, good medicine tastes bitter. We can eat some rock sugar or white sugar after drinking it. What needs to be reminded is that when drinking Chinese medicine, do not wait until the medicine is cold before drinking it. Drinking cold Chinese medicine will not only have a poor effect, but will also cause diarrhea, so you must drink it while it is hot for the best effect.