Chi and Chinese herbal medicine

Traditionally Chinese herbal medicine comes as a hot bitter drink.  Boiled from dried herbs under slow boiling so that a strong bitter taste will be delivered.  A concentrated dark liquid, like three bowls of water with herbs boiled into down into one bowl.   Drink while hot.  The definitive rule is the liquid is inevitable bitter and to be drink while hot.  In Hong Kong, many Chinese herbalist doctors, now the majority are younger folks with a medical degree on Chinese medicine from local Universities, provide the services of preparing these hot bitter liquids for their patients.  And patients are advised to follow the advice: drink while hot.

Why?  Apart from the particular medical benefit of each preparation, the common features of bitterness and hot serve good purpose.  And the purpose is: to generate chi.  And chi is an important "broad-spectrum" healing-aid.  Bitterness can generate chi, and so can hot drinks.  And the result is more noticeable when a person is in a relaxed state, which is normally the case for a weak patient! 

Corollary 1:  Food with bitter taste likewise can help generate chi (e.g. bitter gourd).  The drinking of hot water can generate chi, no wonder Chinese doctors generally advice against cold drinks, and no wonder Chinese like drinking hot tea.

Corollary 2:  Chinese medicines prepared in the form of pills, though more convenient, will lose part of their healing ability, sometimes even a major part!

Herbal pot