Various drying methods for inventory of traditional Chinese medicines

The cultivation of Chinese medicinal materials is a key industry supported by our country at present, but the storage of Chinese medicinal materials is a difficult problem. If the collected Chinese medicinal materials are not dried to the safe water limit, the quality of Chinese medicinal materials in the storage process will be difficult to guarantee.

For example, when the temperature in the north is 30 ~C, the moisture content of Codonopsis pilosula is controlled at 11%-16%, bitter almond 6%-8%, Radix Salviae Miltiorrhizae 12%-15%, and Astragalus membranaceus 11%-14%. This is the so-called "safe water" of Chinese medicinal materials, which refers to the critical water content that can make it safely stored under certain conditions, and the quality does not change. At present, there are several commonly used drying methods for Chinese herbal medicines:

1 and air drying

which are commonly used for most Chinese herbal medicines. When airing, we should choose sunny and windy weather, spread medicinal materials thin on reed mat or cement floor, use sunlight to illuminate, and pay attention to turning in time to ensure that the sunlight shines evenly. In the night after autumn, the air humidity is high. We should take care to cover the medicinal materials so as to prevent moisture return.

2. Yin-dry method

P>This method is often used in cloudy and rainy weather, or for medicinal materials containing volatile oil, as well as medicinal materials which are easy to walk and discolor, such as jujube kernel, cypress seed, Anemarrhena asphodeloides, Codonopsis pilosula, asparagus, hemp seed, etc. These medicinal materials should not be exposed to the sun, but can be spread out in places where the sun is not strong or where the wind is cool, in order to avoid oil and deterioration.

P>3. Drying in oven

P>This method is not restricted by the weather and can play an insecticidal and fungicidal effect. However, attention should be paid to the construction of drying rooms in accordance with the technical requirements and standards of the specifications, which are operated by professionals familiar with drying technology. In addition, we should pay attention to the control of drying temperature and time according to the different properties of medicinal materials. The drying principle of far-infrared heating drying method is to convert electric energy into far-infrared radiation, which is absorbed by the molecule of medicinal materials, generates resonance, causes the vibration and rotation of the molecule and atom, causes the object to become hot, through thermal diffusion, evaporation and chemical change, and finally achieves the purpose of drying. Microwave drying equipment

is a new technology developed rapidly in the 1960s. Microwave drying can absorb microwave energy in different degrees by induction heating and medium heating, and convert it into heat to achieve the purpose of drying. Microwave drying can kill microorganisms and fungi, and has disinfection effect, so that medicinal materials meet the hygienic standards, conform to GMP certification, and can prevent mildew and insects in the storage process of medicinal materials. At present, Henan Microwave Equipment Co., Ltd. is the most technologically powerful microwave manufacturer in the field of industrial microwave. The microwave drying equipment produced by Henan Microwave Equipment Co., Ltd. has won many awards, such as Henan Province Industrial Energy Saving Products, Zhengzhou Second Prize, Science and Technology Achievement Award, and has cooperated with major pharmaceutical enterprises, and won unanimous praise from customers.