中药材采集后不能直接入药，要去除杂质或者非药用部位。某些具有毒性或者刺激性的药材，还需要通过炮制加以减缓。什么是中药炮制呢？简单的说，中药炮制就是根据用药需要和药物性质，对原药材进行一定的加工处理，以充分发挥中药的疗效，避免或减少一些不良反应，或改变中药原有的药性以更好的适应病情需要。
具体来说，中药炮制的目的主要有四个：
1.增强中药的临床疗效
中药炮制往往需要增加一些辅料，如黄酒、蜂蜜、姜汁等等。这些辅料可以增强中药的疗效，如蜜炙甘草可以增强甘草的润肺止咳作用，盐炙杜仲可以增强杜仲的补肝肾作用。
2.降低或消除药物的毒副作用，保证用药安全
一些中药是有毒的，这些中药如果口服使用，就必须经过炮制来消除或降低药物的毒性。比如川乌通过炮制可以大大减少有毒成分乌头碱的含量。陈皮需要陈制至少一年来减少陈皮中挥发油的含量。
3.改变药物的性能或功效，以适应病情的需要
地黄本身性味甘寒，适宜清热凉血，但通过黄酒反复蒸制晾晒后变为熟地黄，药性由寒变温，用于补益精血。再如麻黄善于发汗解表，而用蜂蜜炒过后的蜜炙麻黄则增强了平喘止咳的功能。
4.便于储存
刚采集的鲜药材含有大量水分，容易霉变，所以中药材在储存、运输等过程中必须要通过自然晾晒或烘干进行干燥处理。有些药材需要在产地进行盐处理以防霉变，如全蝎等。
中药的炮制大体包括如下方法：
1.修制：对药材进行净化、粉碎或切制。属于药材的初加工，为后续进一步加工、调剂和临床用药做准备。如枇杷叶表面毛茸多，需刮去粗毛；皮类药材需要刮去粗皮；贝壳类药材需要进行粉碎；根类药材需要切片。
2.水制：用水或其他液体辅料处理药材，主要是为了清洁、除杂、软化药材等目的。常见方法如漂洗、闷润、浸泡、喷洒、水飞等。
3.火制：用火加工处理中药材。主要方式有炒、炙、烫、煅、煨、炮、燎、烘等。
4.水火共制：主要有蒸法和煮法。如酒蒸地黄增加补肝肾和补血作用。
After collecting,theChinese medicinal materials cannot be directly used. Impurities or non-medicinal parts should be removed. Some toxic or irritating medicines need to be processed through“processing”. What is the processing of traditional Chinese medicine?In brief,it meansto process the original medicinal materialsaccording to the needs of medication and the nature of medicines, so as to give full play to the efficacy of traditional Chinese medicines, avoid or reduce some adverse reactions, or change the original medicinal properties to better meet the needs of diseases.
Specifically, there are four main purposes for theprocessingof traditional Chinese medicine:
1. Enhancingthe clinical efficacy of traditional Chinese medicine
Somepharmaceutical excipients, such asricewine, honey, ginger juice, are often used in the processing. Theycan enhance the efficacy of traditional Chinese medicine.For example,honey-roastedGancao (LiquoriceRoot)canhave betterlung-moistening and cough-relieving effects.Salt-roastedDuzhong (EucommiaBark)will have betterliver andkidney-tonifyingeffects.
2. Reducing or eliminating toxic and side effects ofherbal medicinesto ensurethesafetyof medication
Someherbalmedicines aretoxic,andmust be processed if they are used orallyin orderto reduce theirtoxicity. For example, aconitinein Chuanwu (Common Monkshood Mother Root)canbegreatly reducedafterprocessing.Chenpi (Tangerine Peel)needs to be aged for at least one yearin order to reduce thevolatile oilduringthe process ofaging.
3. Changingthe performance or efficacy ofherbal medicinesto meet the needs of diseases
Dihuang (RehmanniaRoot)is sweet and cold in nature. It is suitable for clearing heat and cooling blood. However, it changes toShudihuang (PreparedRehmanniaRoot)after repeated steaming and drying with rice wine. Its medicinal properties change from cold towarm,and itisoftenused to tonify the blood.Besides,Mahua (EphedraHerb)is good at sweating andreleasing exterior, whilehoney-friedEphedra Herbhas betterfunction of relieving asthma and cough.
4. Easy storage
Due to high moisture content, the freshly collectedmedicinal materialsareeasy to mildew. Therefore,theymust be dried during storage and transportation,either throughnatural drying oroven drying. Some medicinal materials such asQuanxie (Scorpion)need to be treated with salt in the producing areatopreventmildew.
The following methodsare often used in processingof traditional Chinese medicine:
1.Preliminary processing:Including cleansing, crushingor cutting ofmedicinal materials.Thispreliminary processing of medicinal materialspreparesfor further processing, dispensing and clinical medication.For example,loquat leaves arehairyand the thick hairsneed to be scrapedoff; therough barks of barkmedicinal materials need to be scrapedoff; the shellfish medicinal materials need to be crushed; the root medicinal materials need to be sliced.
2.Processed with water:The processing ofmedicinal materials with water or other liquid excipients is mainly for cleaning, removing impurities and softening medicinal materials. Commonly usedmethodsincluderinsing, moistening, soaking, spraying,grinding withwater, etc.
3.Processed with fire:SomeChinese medicinal materials are processed by fire. Themajor methods includestir-frying, roasting, scalding, calcining, simmering,burning, baking, etc.
4.Co-processing withboth waterandfire:This method mainlyincludesteaming and boiling. For example, steamingDihuang (RehmanniaRoot)with wine can increase the liver-and-kidney-tonifying and blood-tonifyingeffects.
转载自《读故事识本草：中药入门读本》
