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Shanghan Lun‧ and Jingui Yaolue Fanglun‧ contain a total of 25 gypsum decoction poems, but neither of them mentions "to be decocted first". Some formulas don’t even need to be fried for a long time, such as White Tiger Decoction, which combines Gypsum with Rice. , the rice is cooked and the soup is made. Calculated in today's time, "rice is cooked" in no more than 30 minutes. The heat-clearing effect of White Tiger Decoction has been praised by famous doctors of ancient and modern times, and countless clinical trials have confirmed that Gypsum has a good heat-clearing effect without having to be decocted first.

Zhong Jing Fang Zhong also uses the method of to be decocted first. Shanghan Lun 36 of the 113 parties asked to "cook first". Most of the main ingredients in the recipe are boiled first, such as Ephedra Decoction of Ephedra, Pueraria Decoction of Pueraria, Virgate Wormwood Decoction of Virgate Wormwood, Sour Jujube Decoction of Sour Jujube, Poria, Cinnamon Twig, Bighead Atractylodes and Licorice Decoction of Poria, Minor Chest Bind Decoction of Trichosanthes Seed and so on. Gypsum is the main medicine of white tiger decoction, but there is no mention of "cooking it first" in the book. The author thinks that it is not to ignore antagonism, Zhongjing is very particular about the frying method of Gypsum. For example, White Tiger Decoction and Bamboo Leaf and Gypsum Decoction use 1 jin of Gypsum. White Tiger Decoction treats high heat, and the boiling time is short. One bucket of water is used, and the rice is cooked and the soup is made." Bamboo Leaf and Gypsum Decoction treats low heat, but the decoction time is long (one bucket of water, boil six liters, rice in it, cook until the rice is cooked and soup becomes). Other formulas that contain Gypsum but are not very hot, such as Major Blue Dragon Decoction, Ephedra, Bitter Apricot Seed, Gypsum and Licorice Decoction, Spleen-Qi Effusing Decoction, Gui Eryue Yi Decoction, etc. all use the long-term decoction method. It seems that long-term decoction can reduce the heat-clearing power of Gypsum. If so, those who want to use Gypsum to relieve severe fever should not be decocted first (long-fried).

Zhang Xi-chun, a famous doctor in the late Qing Dynasty, is a representative figure who makes good use of Gypsum in modern times. The Gypsum in his prescription is either decoction with other medicines or taken infused into fine powder. There is no way to be decocted first theory. The leading figure in modern Chinese medicine Pu Fu-zhou often uses Gypsum decoction to reduce high fever. Looking through his medical records, there is no prescription to be decocted first Gypsum. ...

In the 1950s, Mr. Shi Yiren proposed that "Gypsum is heavy... Only when it is fried in more water for a long time can part of the active ingredients be dissolved." Since then, all those who have advocated Gypsum to be decocted first have said the same thing. However, it has not yet been determined what the active ingredients of Gypsum are for relieving heat. Some scholars believe that the active ingredient of Gypsum is the hydrous calcium sulfate... transformation in accord with constitution. From a scientific point of view, Gypsum is a slightly soluble substance with very small solubility. Its solubility at 100℃ is smaller than that at 40℃, even if At 40°C, where the solubility is maximum, only 0.21g can be dissolved per 100g of water. The temperature when to be decocted first is generally above 100℃, which is when the solubility of Gypsum is minimum, and long-term decoction reduces the solvent (water), and the dissolved Gypsum will partially recrystallize. The longer the decoction time, the lower the decoction The lower the Gypsum content. If calcium sulfate is the active ingredient of Gypsum, then to be decocted first Gypsum would not reduce the active ingredient content in decoction?

Some people have used atomic absorption spectrometry to measure Ca, Fe, Mn, Zn, and Cu in Gypsum and Ephedra, Bitter Apricot Seed, Gypsum and Licorice Decoction decocted alone and mixed decoction, and conducted comparative analysis. Discovery: When Gypsum was decocted with Bitter Apricot Seed, Ephedra, and Liquorice Root respectively, the measured value of the mixed decoction was compared with the two flavors decocted alone. In the sum of the obtained values, Ca, Fe, and Zn mostly increased, and the amount of each element increased most significantly in the mixed frying of Gypsum Ephedra. This may be due to the strong complexing effect between metal ions and Ephedra base molecules. It can be deduced that the pharmacological effects of Gypsum compound formula decoction may be due to the effects of metal complexes.

It was also reported that the decoction of raw Gypsum and Rhubarb Rhizoma had a significantly stronger antipyretic and cooling effect on rabbits with fever than the decoction of Gypsum alone. This shows that decoction of Gypsum mixed with other medicines can improve the curative effect, and there is no need to be decocted separately first.

Gypsum to be decocted first is time-consuming and energy-consuming. It is neither a traditional practice of Chinese medicine nor a reasonable scientific explanation. More than a thousand years of clinical practice has proven that Gypsum decoction has good curative effects without the need to be decocted first. In addition, the active ingredients and mechanism of action of Gypsum are still unclear, so there is no need to emphasize "to be decocted first" at present.