Chinese remedies are generally dispensed by
practitioners in separate bags containing enough dried
herb for each dose. This is traditionally boiled in three
cups of water in an earthenware or ceramic pot for
25-30 minutes until the liquid has reduced by half. The
mix is then strained and taken in a single dose on an
empty stomach in the morning. Sometimes
the herbs need to be reheated in fresh
water and then the two extractions
are combined. The same herbs might be used
for the following day's brew,
depending on the exact mix: if it
contains soluble ingredients, such as
certain mineral salts, then a fresh prescription
will be needed each day. The decoction (known as
Tang (soup) ) is generally extremely dark brown and
very strongly flavored. Chinese doses are much larger
than those used by Western herbalists (often up to
3 1/2 Oz/90g ) and the resulting mix is usually rather
unpleasant for Western palates.
A tincture is an alcoholic extract of the active ingredients in a herb, made by soaking the dried or fresh plant material in a mixture of alcohol and water for two weeks and then straining the mix through a wine press or jelly bag. Commercially produced tinctures are usually made from ethyl alcohol. In some countries this is readily available duty-free, but in others the supply is strictly controlled by the authorities: vodka makes a suitable alternative as it contains fewer other flavorings than most alcohol. Standard herbal tinctures usually contain 25 percent alcohol in water (i.e. 1 fl oz/25ml of pure alcohol with 3fl oz/75ml of water). This is a little weaker than most commercial spirits (usually 37.5 percent alcohol), so the vodka will need diluting with water (1 1/2pt/750ml of vodka to 3/4pt/375ml of water) to make the required strength. Put 80z/200g of the dried herb into a large jar and pour over 1 1/2pt/750ml of the alcohol/water mixture. If using fresh herbs, then you need t...
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