decoction

[Guest guest]

I just decocted some herbs. I noticed as the liquid cooled, it separated

into what was clearly an oily and watery layer. I think we may

underestimate the amount of alcohol and fat soluble ingredients extracted

in decoction. The heat and the percolation clearly lead to these nonwater

soluble constituents being forced out of the cell membranes. they are no

dissolved by water, but come into the solution mechanically from the

vibration of the herbs as they simmer. As an analogy, consider the

considerable amount of fat that will percolate to the top of a batch of

freshly made chicken soup, even if no free fat has been added to the broth.

this may explain how herbs like mo yao work in tea form (as they most

definitely do). The force of decoction may break cell walls, so even if

constituents are not dissolved, per se, they still enter solution. does

anyone know if this is correct? It would be hard to explain the action of

many herbs if the only elements in solution were water soluble ones.

 

 

Chinese Herbs

 

 

" Great spirits have always found violent opposition from mediocre

minds " -- Albert Einstein