Analysis on Historical Evolution of Steaming Methods of Traditional Chinese Medicine / 中国实验方剂学杂志

ABSTRACT

Steaming is a traditional processing method of traditional Chinese medicine （TCM）. In this paper， taking the Collection of Processing Methods of TCM （Ancient Times） as a clue and checking the original herb books， the historical evolution of TCM steaming was sorted out and analyzed from four aspects， including steaming method， steaming variety， quality control method of steaming process， and steaming purpose. The results showed that the steaming method was originated from the Spring and Autumn period and the Warring States period. Afterwards， a total of 56 steaming methods were recorded. The most steamed varieties recorded in Song dynasty were 104， and the most newly added varieties in Song dynasty were 90. The steamed varieties recorded in the processing specifications of southern provinces and cities were higher than those of northern provinces and cities， including 43 in Guangdong province. The quality control of steaming process in Tang dynasty included steaming time， steaming times， softening by steaming， etc. In the Song dynasty， the steamed until aroma and sweet and steaming rotten were increased. In the Ming dynasty， the poisonous drugs steamed until no numbness of tongue and nontoxic was increased， and in the Qing dynasty， steaming and moistening was added. The main purposes of steaming in the past dynasties were recorded as enhancing the tonic effect， moderating the medicinal properties， reducing side effects， etc. In modern times， the purposes of preserving medicinal effects and facilitating storage were increased. From the perspective of the historical process of steam development， the Spring and Autumn period and the Warring States period to the Han dynasty were the embryonic period of steam development， the Southern and Northern dynasties， Tang and Song dynasties were the rapid periods of steam development， and the Ming and Qing dynasties were the prosperous periods of steam development. This paper can provide reference for the research and development of steaming technology.