Chinese patent medicine

Chinese patent medicine (simplified Chinese: 提取; traditional Chinese: 科學; pinyin: zhōngyào) are herbal medicines in Traditional Chinese medicine.

Chinese patent medicines generally consist of extracted condensed pills called teapills, and are usually small, spherical, and black. They are called teapills because the herbs are cooked into an herbal tea to make the pills. Honey or water pills made from ground raw herbs are also a popular format in China, and they tend to be larger and are slightly to significantly softer than teapills.

Modern teapills are created from herbs extracted in stainless steel extractors to create either a water decoction or water-alcohol decoction, depending on the herbs used. They are extracted at a low temperature (below 100 degrees Celsius) to preserve essential ingredients. The extracted liquid is then further condensed and a small amount of raw herb powder from one of the herbal ingredients is mixed in to form an herbal dough. This dough is then cut into tiny pieces by a machine, and a small amount of excipients are added for a smoother and a more consistent exterior. The products are then made as pills.

Honey pills and water pills have been made since ancient times by combining several dried herbs and other ingredients, which are grounded into powder, mixed with a binder and traditionally formed into pills by hand. Modern honey or water pills are formed into pills by machine. The binder is traditionally honey for honey pills. For water pills the binder may simply be water, or may include another binder, such as molasses. Modern manufacturers still produce many patent formulas as honey or water pills, such as Wuji Baifeng Wan, a popular honey pill formula to "nourish qi and blood", to strengthen the body.

Patents may come in other forms such as dripping pills, liquids, syrups, powders, granules, instant teas, and capsules. Companies make Chinese patent medicines both within and outside China.

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