摘要：古人云：“丝桐合为琴，中有太古声。”那丝桐之弦，轻拨间流淌出的，是穿越千年的悠远古韵，是岁月沉淀的深沉智慧。于中药而言，又何尝不是如此？中药的种植、采收、炮制与煎煮，皆需如丝桐制琴般，严守古训，方能奏响那守护健康的太古之音。
古人云：“丝桐合为琴，中有太古声。”那丝桐之弦，轻拨间流淌出的，是穿越千年的悠远古韵，是岁月沉淀的深沉智慧。于中药而言，又何尝不是如此？中药的种植、采收、炮制与煎煮，皆需如丝桐制琴般，严守古训，方能奏响那守护健康的太古之音。
种植采收：循天时之律，汲大地精华
中药的种植与采收，是一门与天地自然紧密相连的学问，需遵循《本草纲目》《千金方》《唐本草》等古籍所载的季节规律。这就如同农人耕种，春种秋收，顺应天时，方能收获丰硕的果实。
《本草纲目》中记载，人参宜在秋季采挖，此时人参根茎饱满，药效最佳。据现代研究统计，秋季采挖的人参，其人参皂苷等有效成分含量比其他季节高出 20% - 30%。若违背这一规律，过早采挖，人参尚未充分生长，药效大打折扣；过晚采挖，人参又可能因养分流失而品质下降。
又如金银花，应在花蕾期采收。此时金银花中的绿原酸等活性成分含量最高。有数据表明，花蕾期采收的金银花，其清热解毒的药效比盛花期后采收的要强 30%左右。若不遵循这一古训，等到花朵完全开放后再采收，就如同错过了最佳的收获时机，中药的品质和疗效都会受到严重影响。
曾经有一个中药种植基地，为了追求经济效益，不顾季节规律，提前采挖人参。结果，这些人参不仅个头小，而且药效极差，在市场上根本卖不出去，损失惨重。这就是不遵循古训，违背自然规律的惨痛教训。
炮制之法：承古艺之妙，焕药材生机
中药炮制，是一门传承千年的技艺，需遵循《雷公炮制》等古老方法。这就如同一位技艺精湛的工匠，对原材料进行精心雕琢，使其发挥出最大的价值。
以附子为例，附子有大毒，但经过《雷公炮制》中的炮制方法处理后，毒性大大降低，药效却得以保留和增强。研究表明，未经炮制的附子，其乌头碱等有毒成分含量较高，服用后容易导致中毒反应；而经过正确炮制的附子，乌头碱含量可降低 80%以上，同时药效更加温和持久。
又如黄连，经过酒炙炮制后，其苦寒之性减弱，归心经的作用增强，更适用于治疗心火亢盛所致的失眠、烦躁等症状。有临床统计显示，使用酒炙黄连治疗心火亢盛型失眠的患者，其有效率比使用生黄连的患者高出 25%。
然而，如今一些药商为了追求利润，简化炮制工艺，甚至不进行炮制就直接销售中药。这不仅影响了中药的疗效，还可能对患者造成安全隐患。曾经有一位患者，因为服用了未经炮制的附子，出现了严重的心律失常，差点危及生命。这就是不遵循古训炮制中药所带来的严重后果。
煎煮之道：守古方之规，得药液真味
中药的传统煎煮方法，遵循如《伤寒论》等历代著作中的记载，一般都煎煮饮片中药。这就如同烹饪一道美味佳肴，需要掌握好火候和时间，才能做出色香味俱佳的菜品。
《伤寒论》中提到，煎煮中药要用砂锅，加水要适量，先武火后文火。用砂锅煎煮中药，是因为砂锅受热均匀，化学性质稳定，不会与中药中的成分发生反应。而加水过多或过少，都会影响中药的煎出率。研究表明，按照古方加水煎煮的中药，其有效成分煎出率可达 70% - 80%；而加水不当的中药，有效成分煎出率可能只有 50% - 60%。
然而，现在市场上出现了很多颗粒剂等现代汤药的替代治疗形式。虽然颗粒剂方便携带和服用，但与传统的煎煮方法相比，其疗效却大打折扣。有临床对比研究显示，使用传统煎煮方法治疗的患者的治愈率比使用颗粒剂治疗的患者高出 15% - 20%。这是因为颗粒剂在生产过程中，可能会损失一部分中药的有效成分，有的中药比如附子、石膏都需要先煎久煎，如果直接颗粒冲服，一方面容易引起中毒，另一方面容易引起腹泻。而且无法根据患者的具体病情进行灵活调整。
曾经有一位老中医，他坚持让患者使用传统的煎煮方法服用中药。他说，只有这样才能真正发挥出中药的疗效，就像只有用古法酿造的酒，才能品尝出那醇厚的酒香一样。他的患者们也都深有体会，按照他的方法煎煮中药服用后，病情都得到了明显的改善。
“丝桐合为琴，中有太古声。”中药的种植、采收、炮制与煎煮，就如同丝桐制琴的每一个环节，都需要严守古训，尊重自然规律，传承古老技艺。只有这样，我们才能守护好中药的灵魂，让中药在现代社会中继续发挥出守护健康的巨大作用。让我们循着古人的足迹，守护这份珍贵的文化遗产，为人类的健康事业贡献力量。
作者简介：梁世杰 中医高年资主治医师，本科学历，从事中医临床工作24年，积累了较丰富的临床经验。师从首都医科大学附属北京中医院肝病科主任医师、著名老中医陈勇，侍诊多载，深得器重，尽得真传！擅用“商汤经方分类疗法”、专病专方结合“焦树德学术思想”“关幼波十纲辨证”学术思想治疗疑难杂症为特色。现任北京树德堂中医研究院研究员，北京中医药薪火传承新3+3工程—焦树德门人（陈勇）传承工作站研究员，国际易联易学与养生专委会常务理事，中国中医药研究促进会焦树德学术传承专业委员会委员，中国药文化研究会中医药慢病防治分会首批癌症领域入库专家。荣获2020年中国中医药研究促进会仲景医学分会举办的第八届医圣仲景南阳论坛“经方名医”荣誉称号。2023年首届京津冀“扁鹊杯”燕赵医学研究主题征文优秀奖获得者。事迹入选《当代科学家》杂志、《中华英才》杂志。
Keep the ancient teachings and protect the spirit of traditional medicine
An ancient man once said, "The sycamore is a harmonium, and there is too much ancient sound in it." The string of sycamore, which flows between the soft strokes, is a distant ancient rhyme that has passed through thousands of years, and a deep wisdom that has been settled by the years. Why isn't this true for Chinese medicine? The cultivation, harvesting, concoction and cooking of traditional Chinese medicine all require strict adherence to ancient teachings like the sycamore piano to strike the ancient sound that protects health.
Cultivation and Harvesting: Follow the laws of the day and extract the essence of the earth
The cultivation and harvest of traditional Chinese medicine is a science closely linked to the heavens and the earth and nature, and it needs to follow the seasonal laws contained in ancient books such as The Materia Medica, Thousand Golden Herbals, and Tang Materia Medica. It is like when a farmer cultivates crops in the spring and harvests in the autumn, and when he obeys the heavens, he can harvest fruitful harvests.
According to the Herbal Materia Medica, ginseng should be mined in the autumn, when the roots of ginseng are full and the medicinal effect is best. According to modern research statistics, the content of effective ingredients such as ginseng saponin is 20% -30% higher in ginseng excavated in autumn than in other seasons. If this rule is violated and ginseng is mined prematurely, the ginseng has not fully grown, and the effectiveness of the medicine is greatly reduced; Late harvesting may reduce the quality of ginseng due to nutrient loss.
Be like honeysuckle bud and flower, should be collected in bud period. At this time, the active components in honeysuckle bud and flower are the highest. Some data show that the effect of clearing heat and removing toxicity of honeysuckle bud and flower is about 30% stronger than that of honeysuckle after blooming. Without following this ancient teaching, waiting until the flowers are fully open before harvesting is like missing the best harvest time, and the quality and efficacy of Chinese medicine will be seriously affected.
There used to be a traditional Chinese medicine growing base, which, in pursuit of economic benefits, disregarded seasonal laws and mined ginseng ahead of time. As a result, these ginsengs were not only small in size, but also extremely ineffective, and they could not be sold on the market, resulting in heavy losses. This is the bitter lesson of not following the ancient teachings and going against the laws of nature.
The way of making a medicinal product: harnessing the benefits of ancient craftsmanship to revive the medicinal product
Traditional Chinese medicine canning is a skill that has been inherited for thousands of years, and it requires following ancient methods such as the Tin Dynasty canning. It is like a skilled craftsman who carefully carves the raw materials so that they display the greatest value.
Take ephedra, for example, which is highly toxic, but after being treated with the preparation method in the Tin Dynasty, the toxicity is greatly reduced, but the effectiveness is preserved and enhanced. Studies have shown that unconcocted ephedra has a high content of toxic components such as utophan, which can easily lead to a toxic reaction after consumption; With the correctly concocted appendices, the utaminate content can be reduced by more than 80%, and the effectiveness is more mild and long-lasting.
Also, Huang Lian, after wine roasting, its bitter cold nature is weakened, and the role of qigong is enhanced, which is more suitable for treating insomnia and irritability caused by high heart fire. There have been clinical statistics showing that the effectiveness of the use of wine-roasted yellow pills for patients with hyperactive insomnia was 25% higher than that of raw yellow pills.
However, some drug dealers today, in pursuit of profit, simplify the concoction process and sell Chinese medicine directly without even making it. This not only affects the efficacy of traditional Chinese medicine, but may also pose a safety risk to patients. There was a patient who had developed a severe arrhythmia that was almost life-threatening because he had been given an unconcocted appendix. This is the serious consequences of not following ancient teachings to make Chinese medicine.
How to cook: Follow the ancient rules to get the real taste of the medicinal liquid
The traditional method of cooking traditional Chinese medicine follows the records in ancient writings such as The Theory of Typhoid fever, which generally involves cooking pills of Chinese medicine. This is like cooking a delicious dish, and you need to master the fire and time in order to make a dish with good color and fragrance.
The Theory of Typhoid says that when cooking Chinese medicine, you should use a sand pan, add the right amount of water, and use fire first. The reason for cooking traditional Chinese medicine with a sand pot is that the sand pot is heated evenly and chemically stable, and does not react with the ingredients in traditional Chinese Medicine. Adding too much or too little water will affect the cooking rate of traditional Chinese medicine. Studies have shown that according to the ancient recipes of cooking traditional Chinese medicine with water, the cooking rate of its effective ingredients can reach 70% - 80%. When the water is not added properly in Chinese medicine, the frying rate of the effective ingredients may only be 50% - 60%.
However, there are now many alternative forms of treatment for modern remedies such as particulate agents on the market. Although particulate agents are easy to carry and take, their efficacy is significantly reduced compared to traditional cooking methods. Clinical comparison studies have shown that the use of traditional decoction treatment of patients with the cure rate of 15% -20% higher than the use of granular treatment of patients. This is because the particulate agent may lose some of the effective ingredients of Chinese medicine during the production process. Some Chinese medicines such as parsley and gypsum need to be cooked long before it is consumed. If the particles are taken directly, on the one hand, it is easy to cause poisoning and on the other hand, it can cause diarrhea. And there is no flexibility to adjust to a patient's specific condition.
There was once an old Chinese medicine practitioner who insisted that his patients use traditional cooking methods to take Chinese medicine. Only in this way, he said, can the therapeutic effects of traditional Chinese medicine be truly realized, just as only wine made with ancient methods can you taste the rich aroma of wine. His patients also know well that after cooking traditional Chinese medicine in accordance with his method, their condition has improved significantly.
"The sycamore is a harmonium, and there is too much ancient sound in it." The cultivation, harvesting, making and cooking of traditional Chinese medicine, like every step of the process of making a sycamore piano, requires strict adherence to ancient teachings, respect for natural laws, and inherit ancient techniques. Only in this way can we safeguard the soul of traditional Chinese medicine and let traditional Chinese Medicine continue to play a tremendous role in protecting health in modern society. Let us follow in the footsteps of the ancient people, safeguard this precious cultural heritage, and contribute to the cause of human health.
Author Bio: Liang Shijie is a senior medical practitioner in traditional Chinese medicine with an undergraduate degree. He has been engaged in traditional medicine clinical work for 24 years and has accumulated a wealth of clinical experience. Following Chen Yong, chief physician of liver disease at Beijing Traditional Medicine Hospital, affiliated with Capital Medical University, and renowned old Chinese medicine, he has been treated for many years and received great attention. He specializes in the treatment of difficult diseases using "conversational traditional therapy" and special treatments combined with the academic ideas of Jiao Shude and Guan Yubo's ten-level diagnosis.He is currently a researcher at the Shude Tang TCM Research Institute in Beijing, a fellow at the new 3 + 3 project of traditional Chinese medicine flame inheritance in Beijing - a scholar at the inheritance workstation of Jiao Shude's protégés (Chen Yong),He is a standing committee member of the International Expert Committee on E-learning and Health Care, a member of the Jiao Shude Academic Heritage Special Committee of the Chinese Association for the Advancement of Chinese Medicine Research, and the first cancer specialist to be included in the chapter of the Chinese Pharmaceutical Culture Research Association. Won the 2020 China Association for the Promotion of Traditional Chinese Medicine Zhongjing Medical Branch held the eighth session of the Medical Saint Zhongjing Nanyang Forum "Classic Prescription Famous Doctor" honorary title. The winner of the first Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei "Pingui Cup" Yanzhao Medical Research Essay Award in 2023. His work was featured in the journal Current Scientist and the journal Chinese Talent.
来源：老梁谈养生
