How To Prepare Chinese Herbal Decoction - Simple Method -

In this video, we will yield 4 cups (1L) of decoction from one bag of herbs.

What you need;

• A Large cooking pot and lid (ie. clay, ceramic, or stainless steels. Do not use metal or cast iron cooking wear)

• A large measuring cup or bowl (NO Plastic)

• A strainer and spatula

• Storing jars (ie. ideally, made of grass such as mason jars)

• 8cups (2L) +/- of water depending on the volume of herbs

• Labels (optional)

1.  Pre-soak: 1hr
   No need to rinse the herbs before soaking.
   Put herbs in the large pot and pour water over the herbs.
   If herbs float on the surface, press them down to submerge in the water.
   Cover the pot and let the herbs soak in water for 1hr.
   This is an important step, so don’t skip this
    

2. Cooking: 1hr ~
   Place the pot over the stove.
   Bring the water and herbs to boil, then reduce to the medium to low heat to simmer
   Cook with or without lid depending on the instruction.
   Occasionally stir the pot so that herbs don't burn.
   Most herbs are cooked for roughly 45min to 1hr, until the water is reduced to a desired volume (roughly by half).
   If it is boiled down too much, you may add some more water
    

3. Straining; a few minutes
   With the strainer, strain the herbs and decoction
   Discard the herbs and keep the decoction
    

4. Storing: a few minutes + cooling time
   Store decoction in air tight containers such as mason jars.
   You may add labels (ie. cooked date etc.)
   Once it's cool, store in the fridge and consume within one week
    

5. Re-Heating: 2~4min (Not included in the video)
   Reheat the stored decoction by double boiling or in a pot on the stovetop.
   Avoid microwave if possible.

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Don’ts;

• DO NOT ADD any sweetener such as sugar or honey etc. to your decoction unless it is instructed to do so.

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Time saving tips;

• You may cook two or more bags together if you have a large pot, as long as it is consumed within a week. Make sure to add enough water to yield enough decoction that the total bags of herbs would supply.

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May your decoction bring wellness and healing to you!

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Akari