Author: Pharmacy Department, Xiangshan Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital, Huangpu District, Shanghai
Chief Chinese Medicine Pharmacist: He Lin
Traditional Chinese Medicine Pills refer to spherical or quasi-spherical forms made from finely powdered herbs or herbal extracts combined with suitable binders or other excipients. They are one of the earliest dosage forms used in clinical medicine in China and have a long history.
The earliest records of pills in China can be found in the pre-Qin text “Fifty-Two Disease Formulas,” which describes the method of preparation as “take a large one and pound it into a large pill.” The earliest theoretical basis for pills is found in the “Shennong Bencao Jing,” which states, “Medicinal properties suitable for pills should be used in pill form, while those suitable for powders should be used as powders…” This indicates that the selection of herbs for pill formulation is based primarily on their medicinal properties, without the addition of foreign components (such as binders).
During the Eastern Han Dynasty, Zhang Zhongjing first documented in his medical works, such as “Shanghan Zabing Lun” and “Jinkui Yaolue,” the addition of non-therapeutic sticky substances to pills, leading to the modern use of various common binders such as honey, starch paste, water, ethanol, and syrup.
Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) believes that “pills are slow,” and “the treatment with pills is to relieve and soothe,” as well as “medicinal properties suitable for pills” and “highly toxic substances must be made into pills.” This shows that the delayed release of pills can achieve stable and lasting effects, reduce toxicity and adverse reactions, and are mainly used for treating chronic diseases or patients with prolonged illness. Depending on the excipients used, there are mainly honey pills, water honey pills, water pills, concentrated pills, and drop pills.
Today, I will introduce honey pills and share my experience in making “Sesame-sized Honey Pills”.
Concept of Honey Pills
Honey pills are defined as pills made from finely powdered herbal slices using refined honey as a binder.
Functions of Honey
Honey has functions such as moistening the lungs and relieving cough, lubricating the intestines and promoting bowel movements, tonifying the middle and alleviating urgency, and detoxifying. It can complement the main medicinal ingredients, enhancing efficacy, making it particularly suitable for preparing tonic Chinese patent medicines. Additionally, honey pills can prevent the oxidation of easily denatured components in Chinese medicine, and the strong adhesive properties of refined honey ensure that the pills do not harden easily when mixed with herbal powders, providing great plasticity. The resulting pills are smooth, moist, dissolve slowly, and have lasting medicinal power.
Preparation Method of Honey Pills
The preparation mainly involves several steps: formulating and grinding the herbs, refining honey, mixing with the herbs, forming pills, and packaging. If conditions allow, making them yourself is quite simple, as long as you remember the key points.
The key process is pill formation, and the factors affecting the quality of the pills mainly include: the degree of honey refinement; the temperature of the honey when mixing; and the amount of honey used.
Degree of Honey Refinement
Refining honey involves heating it to remove impurities, kill microorganisms, reduce moisture content, destroy enzymes, and increase viscosity. There are three types: “young honey,” “medium honey,” and “old honey.”
#01
“Young Honey” is produced by heating raw honey until it reaches a temperature of 105℃ to 115℃, where the surface shows uniform, small fish-eye-like bubbles that have not changed color, commonly referred to as “fish-eye boil.” After filtering out the foam, it is ready. Its color change is not significant, and it loses little water, retaining some stickiness, making it suitable for herbs with high starch, mucilage, sugars, and fats.
#02
“Medium Honey” is produced by heating raw honey for a longer time or continuing to heat young honey until it reaches 116℃ to 118℃, where the surface shows uniform, fish-eye-like light yellow bubbles, commonly referred to as “fish-eye bubbles.” The foam has a light red sheen, is sticky to the touch, but cannot be pulled into long white threads, making it suitable for herbs with some stickiness or fiber.
#03
“Old Honey” is produced by heating raw honey for an even longer time or continuing to heat young or medium honey until it reaches 119℃ to 122℃, where the surface shows larger, cow-eye-like red-brown bubbles, commonly referred to as “cow-eye bubbles.” When lifted with chopsticks or a stirring tool, it flows slightly and forms a sheet, commonly referred to as “hanging flag.” When dropped into cold water, it forms a clear-edged lump, commonly referred to as “dripping water into beads,” has a sheen, is very sticky to the touch, and can be pulled into long white threads, making it suitable for herbs with a lot of fibrous or poorly adhesive properties.
Temperature of Honey When Mixing
Generally, hot honey is used for most herbs because honey has the characteristic of “hot and thin, cold and thick.” The higher the temperature, the easier it is to moisten the herbal powder, allowing for better integration and mixing, and it is easier to knead; when the formula contains resinous, gummy, sugary, or mucilaginous herbs (such as frankincense, myrrh, dragon’s blood, donkey-hide gelatin, white atractylodes, cooked rehmannia, etc.) and aromatic volatile herbs (such as borneol, musk, etc.), honey at 60℃-80℃ should be used; herbs with poor stickiness should use old honey while still warm.
Amount of Honey Used
In summer, in the south, and when using machines, the amount of honey should be less; in winter, in the north, and when using by hand, the amount of honey should be more.
The ratio of herbal powder to refined honey is generally 1:1 to 1:1.5.
However, in practice, honey should be added slowly and adjusted in real-time to avoid adding too much at once, which would prevent the mixture from forming a cohesive mass. Loose and soft herbal masses cannot be rolled into pill shapes. Traditional honey pills are generally made by hand, and their appearance is “round, smooth, shiny, soft, and moist, with uniform size.”
Sesame-sized Honey Pills
The “Sesame-sized Honey Pills” introduced today have a rich sesame aroma, are made by hand, are natural with no additives, and have the effect of nourishing the kidneys and protecting hair, making them suitable for daily health maintenance. The roasted sesame seeds are ground into coarse powder, and “old honey” is added while warm to increase adhesion.
Author’s Biography
He Lin Chief Chinese Medicine Pharmacist
National Talent for Inheritance of Traditional Chinese Medicine TechniquesDirector of the Quality Branch of Chinese Medicinal Materials and Slices of the Chinese Medicine Information Research AssociationMember of the Pharmacy Popularization Committee of the Shanghai Practicing Pharmacists AssociationCurrently responsible for the management of the Chinese medicine pharmacy, has been engaged in related work for 30 years, has obtained 2 utility model patents, and is skilled in Chinese medicine identification, traditional Chinese medicine preparations, medicinal cuisine, traditional Chinese health preservation techniques, and medication education.Some images in this article are sourced from the internet for public welfare dissemination. Thanks to the authors of the images; if there is any infringement, please contact us for deletion.
This article is an original work of “PSM Yao Shield Public Welfare”. Please leave a message for reprinting.
Review Expert: Yang Jun, Director of the Pharmacy Department, Xiangshan Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital, Huangpu District, Shanghai
References
[1] Zhang Zhiguo, Wu Ping, Tang Lin, Chen Xing, Huang Li, Zhou Yiqun, Liang Xuejuan, Yang Lei. Standardization of the Traditional Handcrafted Preparation Process of Large Honey Pills and Its Precautions [J]. Chinese Patent Medicine, 2020, 42(12): 3355-3359.
[2] Yu Haiyan, Cai Chenglong, Du Qingwei, Zhang Cuicui, Fu Jialei, Sun Dandan, Yan Xuesheng. Research Progress on Chinese Medicine Pills [J]. Pharmacy Research, 2019, 38(07): 424-426+430.
[3] Zhang Wenxia, Mei Quanxi, Zhong Xiwen. Contribution of “Zhouhou Beiji Fang” to Chinese Medicine Pills [A]. Guangdong Pharmaceutical Association. Proceedings of the 2016 Guangdong Pharmacist Week Conference [C]. Guangdong Pharmaceutical Association: Guangdong Pharmaceutical Association, 2015: 5.
Practicing Pharmacists Discuss Medication
The Shanghai Practicing Pharmacists Association was established in May 2002, and the Pharmacy Popularization Committee was established in August 2020, with Shi Haoqiang from Ruijin Hospital serving as the chairman. The association consists of practicing pharmacists, employed pharmacists, and management personnel of practicing pharmacists. The Shanghai Practicing Pharmacists Association’s Pharmacy Popularization Committee aims to unite more pharmacists, engage in more popular science work, and create a greater social impact!
Supporting Units for the Column:
Shanghai Practicing Pharmacists Association Pharmacy Popularization Professional Committee
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