What wine can be used to make medicinal wine?
Core tip: When preparing medicinal wine, well-brewed white liquor (that is, Qujiu, Baigan, sorghum liquor, Shaojiu), yellow rice wine, or the rice wine favored by people in the south are generally used as the base. Among these, the white liquor made from sorghum and the yellow rice wine made from glutinous rice are the best.
There are four methods for making medicinal wine: cold infusion, hot infusion, percolation, and reflux hot infusion. The cold infusion method is commonly used by the public, which involves placing medicinal materials and white liquor in a sealed container, soaking at room temperature, stirring regularly, and generally soaking for more than 30 days.
Because alcohol itself has the effect of promoting blood circulation and activating collaterals, and is easily absorbed and diffused, medicinal wine is often used for wind-cold-dampness arthralgia, with the functions of dispelling wind and activating blood, relieving pain and resolving stasis. Common ones include Shujin Huoluo Wine, Hufeng Wine, Guogong Wine, Sanliangban Medicinal Wine, and Fengshi Dieda Medicinal Wine (all of which are included in the "Chinese Pharmacopoeia"). Such medicinal wines are strictly forbidden for pregnant women. Even for external use, they must not be applied to the abdomen to avoid causing miscarriage.
In addition, alcohol is a good solvent that can extract a high proportion of ingredients from medicinal materials. It is a common practice for the public to soak precious medicinal materials in medicinal wine for nourishing yin, tonifying the kidney, nourishing blood, and securing essence. Common ones include Shenrong Wine, Sanbian Wine, and Renshen Wine.
What wine can be used to make medicinal wine?
The alcohol content of the white liquor used for soaking medicinal wine is usually 50-60%. Because high-concentration alcohol can irritate the digestive tract, accelerate blood circulation, increase the burden on the heart, and inhibit thyroid secretion, medicinal wine is not suitable for patients with hypertension, heart disease, gastric ulcers, bronchitis, asthma, etc., nor for children and pregnant women. In addition, medicinal wine should also be avoided when taking other medications.
When preparing medicinal wine, well-brewed white liquor (that is, Qujiu, Baigan, sorghum liquor, Shaojiu), yellow rice wine, or the rice wine favored by people in the south are generally used as the base. Among these, the white liquor made from sorghum and the yellow rice wine made from glutinous rice are the best. The higher the alcohol content, the better the extraction effect. Generally, 40-60 degree high-alcohol liquor has a strong effect and short time in dissolving and extracting the active ingredients of medicinal materials, and the medicinal effect of the wine is also better. Zeng Huifang explained that however, for women who are not good at drinking, it is also acceptable to use low-alcohol liquor of 20-40 degrees to soak.
How much is better to drink every day?
The key to medicinal wine is not the amount you drink, but the persistence. The general method for drinking medicinal wine is to drink 10-30 ml each time, 2-3 times a day (for example: within one hour before a meal, within 30 minutes after a meal, or within 30 minutes before bedtime).
For those with a low alcohol tolerance, you can add an appropriate amount of rock sugar (or honey), or mix it with an appropriate amount of warm water in a ratio of 1:10, and then drink after stirring. People with alcohol allergies cannot drink medicinal wine.
Li Shizhen said: "Wine is a gift from heaven. Drinking a little harmonizes blood and qi, strengthens the spirit and wards off cold, eliminates sorrow and creates pleasure. But drinking heavily injures the spirit and consumes blood, damages the stomach and depletes essence, produces phlegm and stirs fire. This thing has both benefits and harms. Medicinal wine is the same." It can be seen that although medicinal wine is good, it must be consumed in moderation. Generally, it is appropriate to drink 2-3 times a day, 10-50 ml each time, and you must never drink excessively.