Controlled extraction of Chinese medical herbs

Traditional Chinese medicine has been in use for hundreds of years and is recently attracting the attention of patients and the medical profession around the globe. Boiling is one of the most important and commonly used processes of extracting the active pharmaceutical ingredients from medical herbs. Traditionally, the boiling process is controlled by the principle of "reduction of water quantity". The herbs are soaked into a given quantity of water, and then boiled with a stable heat down to a quantity determined mainly by experience. Using the principle of "reduction of water quantity" has great difficulty in ensuring the quality of the extract, particularly the "concentration" of the biochemical ingredients. This investigation aims at the establishment of a general method that may facilitate the industrial production of a large quantity of a uniform extract and at the same time avoid wastage of raw materials and also energy.