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Understanding Granule Chinese Medicine
The small granules we often refer to belong to the category of traditional Chinese patent medicines known as “pills”. These are made by combining finely powdered medicinal materials or extracts with suitable binding agents such as honey, sugar, starch paste, or medicinal juices to form small granule preparations. Common forms include honey pills (蜜丸), water pills (水丸), honey-water pills (水蜜丸), drop pills (滴丸), and micro-pills (微丸).
1. Honey pills (蜜丸) are made by using honey as a binding agent for the powdered medicine. Honey has functions such as tonifying the middle, moistening dryness, relieving pain, detoxifying, softening the properties of the medicine, and masking unpleasant tastes and odors. Honey pills dissolve slowly in the gastrointestinal tract, providing a gradual and lasting effect, often used for cough suppressants and tonifying qi (补中益气) medicines.
2. Water pills (水丸), also known as water-dissolved pills, are made by using cold boiled water, medicinal juices, or other liquids (such as yellow wine, vinegar, or sugar solutions) as binding agents. Because the binding agent is water-soluble, they dissolve and are absorbed more quickly than honey pills.
3. Honey-water pills (水蜜丸) refer to pills made with refined honey and water as binding agents. They are characterized by being smooth and round, making them easy to swallow. Compared to honey pills, they reduce costs and are easier to store.
4. Drop pills (滴丸) are small granule preparations made by heating and mixing solid or liquid medicines with suitable matrices, then dropping them into a non-miscible cooling liquid, allowing them to solidify. Drop pills act quickly and can solidify liquid medicines, such as the rapid-acting heart-saving pills (速效救心丸) and compound Danshen drop pills (复方丹参滴丸).
5. Micro-pills (微丸) are small pills with a diameter of less than 2.5 millimeters. Micro-pills can also be encapsulated in capsules for oral administration.
Granule medicines have the advantages of being easy to swallow and acting quickly, but there are also precautions to consider:
1. Traditional Chinese medicine pills are often made with honey, so before taking them, carefully check for mold or insect infestation. If they have deteriorated, do not consume them.
2. Children’s nervous systems are still developing, and their swallowing abilities are generally poor. When administering small granule pills, parents can dissolve the pills in warm boiled water in a small spoon and then feed them.
3. When taking water pills, it is advisable to divide the dosage into several smaller doses. They can also be dissolved in water before consumption, but be careful not to use water that is too hot, as this can cause the loss of volatile components and affect the efficacy of the medicine.
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