Chinese Herbal Medicine Boiling Leaching Process

When medical herbs are processed by decoction in glossy vessels, boiling bubbles are found on the surface of the herbs. The process is different from ordinary extraction and named as boiling extraction. In the present work, visual observation is conducted and the characteristic of "boiling extraction" is studied experimentally. The difference in extracting rate between boiling extraction and ordinary extraction is studied. Experimental results show that the extracting rate of "boiling extraction" is obviously greater than that of ordinary extraction. The extracting rate of "boiling extraction" becomes greater with increasing heat flux.Based on theoretical analysis, kinetic models on boiling extraction and ordinary extraction process are presented. The relation between the concentration of gingerol and extraction time, size of herb particle and the extraction temperature are discussed respectively. The results indicate a reasonable matching between the mathematical model and the experimentaldata.