Honey pills are one of the most widely used forms of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) besides decoctions. However, nowadays, whether in cities or rural areas, there are fewer and fewer TCM shops capable of making honey pills, and even when available, the production costs are quite high, which is indeed regrettable. In fact, the method of making honey pills is not complicated, and if needed, we can completely make them ourselves in our daily lives.
Honey Pills
Overview of Honey Pills
Honey pills are a type of plastic solid pill made by using refined honey as a binder for finely powdered medicinal herbs.
Since 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 and enhance efficacy, making it particularly suitable for the preparation of tonic TCM formulas. Additionally, because honey pills are sweet, they can mask the bitterness of the herbs, and their soft and malleable texture allows them to be made into small pills for easy consumption, making them suitable for pediatric TCM formulations.
Refined honey has strong adhesive properties, effectively adhering to the medicinal powders, and after mixing with the powder, the surface of the pills does not harden easily, disintegrates slowly, and has a lasting effect (the term “pill” implies a slow release), making it convenient to preserve the medicinal properties, avoiding oxidation and degradation of the active ingredients, and maintaining the characteristic aroma of the TCM herbs. Therefore, honey is commonly used as a binder in clinical practice.
Moreover, formulas containing precious materials such as niuhuang (cattle bile), shexiang (musk), bingpian (borneol), and suhexiang (styrax) are also often made into honey pills for consumption. Generally, pills weighing over 0.5 grams are called large honey pills, while those weighing less than 0.5 grams are called small honey pills.
Production Process
The main processes for manually making TCM honey pills are as follows:
1. Formulation and Powdering: The medicinal herbs, prepared according to the formula, are roasted or sun-dried and then ground into fine powder using a grinder, and stored in a sterilized basin for later use.
2. Mixing Honey: Mixing honey involves preparing honey in a ratio of 1:1.2 to 1.5 based on the weight of the medicinal powder (for example, 1000 grams of medicinal powder requires 1200 to 1500 grams of honey; if the herbs contain a lot of sugars, gums, or starches, a ratio of 1:1 to 1.2 is sufficient).
3. Refining Honey: Refining honey means cooking the honey to remove impurities, destroy enzymes, kill bacteria, evaporate moisture, and enhance viscosity.
During the refining process, first boil the honey over high heat, then switch to low heat for slow cooking, while placing a bowl of cold water nearby and observing the color of the honey. When the honey starts to foam yellow, dip a bamboo stick into the honey and then hold it over the bowl of cold water, allowing the honey to drip into the water. If the honey does not disperse in the water and sinks to the bottom (i.e., “dripping water forms beads”), it is considered well-refined (if the honey is not refined enough, it cannot be made into pills, and overcooking is also undesirable).
There are three types of refined honey: tender honey, medium honey, and old honey:
“Tender honey” is obtained by heating raw honey until the temperature reaches 105°C to 115°C, filtering out the foam, resulting in minimal color change and moisture loss, and is slightly sticky, suitable for making pills from herbs with high starch, mucilage, sugars, and fats.
“Medium honey” is obtained by boiling raw honey for a longer time or continuing to heat tender honey to 116°C to 118°C, with foam showing a light red sheen, sticky to the touch but not able to stretch into long white threads, suitable for herbs with some stickiness or fiber.
“Old honey” is obtained by heating raw honey for an even longer time or continuing to heat tender or medium honey to 119°C to 122°C, allowing sufficient moisture evaporation, with bubbles appearing red-brown and glossy, very sticky to the touch, and able to stretch into white threads, suitable for herbs with a lot of fibrous or poorly sticky materials.
Medium honey is mostly used for making honey pills, with 1000 grams of honey yielding about 800 grams of refined honey; approximately 1200 grams of refined honey is needed for 1000 grams of medicinal powder.
Mixing and Kneading the Medicine
Pour the refined honey into the sterilized basin containing the medicinal powder using a spoon, while stirring the powder with a thick bamboo stick, similar to adding water to dough when making dumplings, gradually adding honey until the dry powder is no longer visible (be careful not to add too much honey, as too much will make it difficult to form pills).
If the initial amount of honey was not well controlled, adjustments can be made based on the dryness or wetness of the powder during mixing. Once mixed, knead the medicine and honey into a lump in the sterilized basin.
To prevent the medicine lump from sticking to hands or utensils, a small amount of glycerin, sesame oil, or peanut oil can be applied to the palms during rolling and shaping, which not only prevents sticking but also makes the pills smooth and shiny.
If each pill weighs 10 grams, and the total weight of the medicine is 3000 grams, then 300 pills need to be made. The mixed medicine lump can be divided into three portions, each further divided into five small portions, rolled into strips, and cut into 20 sections, with each section rolled into a pill, and so on.
Handmade Large Honey Pills
The main processes for making large honey pills are as follows:
1. Formulation and Powdering: The medicinal herbs, prepared according to the formula, are roasted or sun-dried and then ground into fine powder using a grinder, and stored in a sterilized basin for later use.
2. Mixing Honey: Mixing honey involves preparing honey in a ratio of 1:1.2 to 1.5 based on the weight of the medicinal powder (for example, 1000 grams of medicinal powder requires 1200 to 1500 grams of honey; if the herbs contain a lot of sugars, gums, or starches, a ratio of 1:1 to 1.2 is sufficient).
3. Refining Honey: Refining honey means cooking the honey to remove impurities, destroy enzymes, kill bacteria, evaporate moisture, and enhance viscosity. During the refining process, first boil the honey over high heat, then switch to low heat for slow cooking, while placing a bowl of cold water nearby and observing the color of the honey. When the honey starts to foam yellow, dip a bamboo stick into the honey and then hold it over the bowl of cold water, allowing the honey to drip into the water. If the honey does not disperse in the water and sinks to the bottom (i.e., “dripping water forms beads”), it is considered well-refined. (If the honey is not refined enough, it cannot be made into pills, and overcooking is also undesirable, so it is important to control the heat. There are three types of refined honey: tender honey, medium honey, and old honey: “Tender honey” is obtained by heating raw honey until the temperature reaches 105°C to 115°C, filtering out the foam, resulting in minimal color change and moisture loss, and is slightly sticky, suitable for making pills from herbs with high starch, mucilage, sugars, and fats; “Medium honey” is obtained by boiling raw honey for a longer time or continuing to heat tender honey to 116°C to 118°C, with foam showing a light red sheen, sticky to the touch but not able to stretch into long white threads, suitable for herbs with some stickiness or fiber; “Old honey” is obtained by heating raw honey for an even longer time or continuing to heat tender or medium honey to 119°C to 122°C, allowing sufficient moisture evaporation, with bubbles appearing red-brown and glossy, very sticky to the touch, and able to stretch into white threads, suitable for herbs with a lot of fibrous or poorly sticky materials. Medium honey is mostly used for making honey pills, with 1000 grams of honey yielding about 800 grams of refined honey; approximately 1200 grams of refined honey is needed for 1000 grams of medicinal powder.)
4. Mixing and Kneading the Medicine: Pour the refined honey into the sterilized basin containing the medicinal powder using a spoon, while stirring the powder with a thick bamboo stick, similar to adding water to dough when making dumplings, gradually adding honey until the dry powder is no longer visible (be careful not to add too much honey, as too much will make it difficult to form pills). If the initial amount of honey was not well controlled, adjustments can be made based on the dryness or wetness of the powder during mixing. Once mixed, knead the medicine and honey into a lump in the sterilized basin.
5. Rolling and Shaping the Pills: To prevent the medicine lump from sticking to hands or utensils, a small amount of glycerin, sesame oil, or peanut oil can be applied to the palms during rolling and shaping, which not only prevents sticking but also makes the pills smooth and shiny. If each pill weighs 10 grams, and the total weight of the medicine is 3000 grams, then 300 pills need to be made. The mixed medicine lump can be divided into three portions, each further divided into five small portions, rolled into strips, and cut into 20 sections, with each section rolled into a pill, and so on.
6. Packaging and Storage: The finished honey pills should be round, smooth, and have a dense, moist surface without visible fibers or other discolorations. After allowing the pills to sweat (for 3 days), the surface hardens, and then they should be wrapped in wax paper, glass paper, plastic bags, or wax shells, and stored in a cool, dry place.
Diagram of the Production Method
Process of Making Water Pills:
Select good millet, ensuring uniform size and full grains.
Boil in water, ensuring not to undercook or overcook.
After boiling, drain well.
Dry in the sun.
Add water (or diluted honey solution) and medicinal powder.
