Chinese herbal medicine has been used for centuries. It has unique advantages in conditioning the human body compared with western medicine due to the prominent features of less noxious, side effect and treating both manifestation and the root cause of disease.
Chinese herb medicine is usually dried to keep its medicinal components and extend the shelf life after being collected. The herb’s drying has a long history in China. Chinese herbal medicine has the features of heat sensitivity, oxidability, and lucifuge because it contains an alkaloid, saponins, anthraquinone, flavonoid, volatile oil, etc. This increases the difficulty to ensure the drying quality. Now the researches about the Chinese herb medicine drying process are concentrated on the comparison between traditional drying method and modern drying technology and in the seeking of new efficient drying method.
Traditional Drying Methods
Sun-drying method: It has a long history and has still been used. But it needs long drying time, easily deteriorate in rainy days and is easily polluted. The dried herb has low quality and loses many active ingredients. So it is only suitable for the herbs with less added value.
Oven-drying method: It not only needs a large number of workshops but also takes too much upon the preparation of the air conditioner, the large amount of energy and needs much time. It transforms the heat power from the exterior to the interior. Herbs cannot be heated evenly within a short time. Researches show that the herb’s structure is not suitable for the high-temperature drying. So the herbal medicine after high temperature loses the active ingredients and maybe is polluted. This not only can not heal people but also has damage to health.
Microwave Drying Method
It is widely used in various fields so does in the Chinese herbal medicine drying field. The microwave is a kind of electromagnetic wave with strong penetrability. During the heating process, the herbs themselves become the heating source and then absorb the microwave energy both interior and exterior. So the Chinese herb medicine can be dried evenly and thoroughly within a very short time and keeps the original properties and color due to the low-temperature microwave drying. The microwave also has a sterilizing effect. It can kill the microorganism and bacteria to prevent the mildew during storage and extend the shelf life.
The microwave drying technology not only covers the traditional drying method’s shortages of long drying time, much energy cost and labor cost, bad drying herb quality but also shows its prominent features of drying and sterilizing evenly, thoroughly, energy saving, long shelf life, high efficiency, etc. It appropriately meets Chinese herbal medicine’s drying requirements and also fits the environmental protection theme.
We produce the industrial microwave drying equipment for Chinese herbal medicine by adopting the microwave drying method, it can help you realize drying in a short time and with good drying effect.
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