# Decoction (extraction)
Decoction is a method of extracting water-soluble, heat-stable constituents from plant or other material by boiling it in water. It is the dominant preparation form in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), a core dosage form of Ayurveda (kwatha) and [Unani medicine](https://www.edgepedia.org/unani-medicine) (joshanda), and a conventional technique in phytochemistry alongside infusion, maceration, and percolation.[1](https://www.phytojournal.com/archives/2023/vol12issue3/PartC/12-3-46-609.pdf) • [2](https://www.ijbsac.org/wp-content/uploads/papers/v2i6/F0082122618.pdf) • [3](https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/fa29/29ed80e8ba483799860ffdf5d34e56d66edf.pdf) Because the extractant is boiling water, the method suits tough materials such as roots, barks, and seeds, and excludes heat-sensitive constituents.[2](https://www.ijbsac.org/wp-content/uploads/papers/v2i6/F0082122618.pdf)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| What it extracts | Water-soluble, heat-stable constituents; the extract carries water-soluble impurities and excludes heat-labile compounds[1](https://www.phytojournal.com/archives/2023/vol12issue3/PartC/12-3-46-609.pdf) |
| Typical plant material | Tough, fibrous drugs: roots, rhizomes, bark[2](https://www.ijbsac.org/wp-content/uploads/papers/v2i6/F0082122618.pdf) • [4](https://journal.eu-jr.eu/health/article/download/1971/1708) |
| Standard TCM process (T/CACM 1366-2021) | Soak ≥30 min, boil, then 30 min over low heat; second decoction 20 min; water at 7–12× the weight of the pieces[5](https://kpt-bj.com/t-cacm-1366-2021-specification-of-traditional-chinese-medicine-decoction-1675731352.html) |
| Ayurvedic kwatha ratios | 1:4 (soft drugs), 1:8 (moderately hard), 1:16 (very hard), boiled down to 1/4 or 1/8 of volume[1](https://www.phytojournal.com/archives/2023/vol12issue3/PartC/12-3-46-609.pdf) |
| Time–yield trade-off | Longer, pressurized boiling raises soluble solids and yield but lowers marker-compound contents (liquiritin, baicalin, glycyrrhizin)[6](https://www.jkom.org/journal/view.php?number=4683) |
| Scale of use | 646 proprietary Chinese medicines in the Chinese Pharmacopoeia involve water extraction, with decoction the dominant approach[7](https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlehtml/2026/ra/d5ra09650b) |
## How it works
Boiling water solubilizes and diffuses out constituents that are stable at around 100 °C. Temperature and time are the controlling variables: in decoctions of Gumiganghwal-tang prepared at 100 °C for 30–180 min, higher pressure (1.0 kgf/cm²) and longer time lowered pH and raised total soluble solids and gross extraction yield, yet the marker compounds liquiritin, baicalin, and glycyrrhizin peaked at 120 min non-pressurized and 90 min pressurized, so prolonged or pressurized boiling degrades some actives even as it extracts more bulk solids.[6](https://www.jkom.org/journal/view.php?number=4683)
Decoction is also a reaction vessel, not just an extractor. A 2025 review frames the decocting process as hot-water extraction accompanied by complex chemical and physical changes that form a multiphase system affecting absorption and therapeutic effect.[8](https://europepmc.org/article/med/40350817) Boiling drives hydrolysis (saikosaponin d converts to saikosaponin b2[9](https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1155/2012/890524); Aconitum diester alkaloids hydrolyze to less toxic monoester and aminoalcohol alkaloids[10](https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s13020-026-01377-1)) and Maillard and Strecker chemistry, which generate furan and pyrazine compounds in the finished liquid.[11](https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/13/4/2154) Decocting-induced transformations are now profiled globally by UPLC–Q-TOF-MS/MS, as shown for Du–Shen–Tang, ginseng decoction.[12](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12916026/)
## How it is done
The Chinese group standard T/CACM 1366-2021, the first to codify the whole decoction process, specifies: check the pieces → soak at least 30 min in water at 7–12 times the piece weight (or covering the material by 2–5 cm) → first decoction, bringing to a boil over high heat then 30 min over low heat → second decoction for 20 min → combine the liquids.[5](https://kpt-bj.com/t-cacm-1366-2021-specification-of-traditional-chinese-medicine-decoction-1675731352.html)
Pharmacopoeial protocols differ. The Russian Pharmacopoeia (since 1936) covers the raw material with water at room temperature and heats it 30 min in a boiling water bath; the Japanese Pharmacopoeia heats the daily dose in 400–600 ml of purified water for 30 min with stirring; the Austrian Pharmacopoeia fixes a 1:10 ratio.[4](https://journal.eu-jr.eu/health/article/download/1971/1708) In Ayurvedic kwatha, ratios run 1:4 for soft to 1:16 for very hard drugs, boiled down to 1/4 (soft) or 1/8 (harder drugs) of the starting volume; classical sources describe reduction until about three-quarters of the water has evaporated.[1](https://www.phytojournal.com/archives/2023/vol12issue3/PartC/12-3-46-609.pdf) • [3](https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/fa29/29ed80e8ba483799860ffdf5d34e56d66edf.pdf)
[Response surface methodology](https://www.edgepedia.org/response-surface-methodology) with a [Box-Behnken design](https://www.edgepedia.org/box-behnken-design) optimized decoction of Huang-Qi-Liu-Yi Tang to a 57 min soak, 9:1 mL/g water-to-herb ratio, and 48 min extraction, giving yields of 0.13% astragaloside, 0.085% calycosin-7-glucoside, 1.64% glycyrrhizic acid, 1.56% liquiritin, 72.19% polysaccharide, and 25.64% extractum.[13](https://doi.org/10.5740/jaoacint.17-0022)
## Origin
The earliest recordation of Chinese herbal processing is dated to 200 BC in the Wushi'er Bingfang (Recipes for 52 Ailments), which lists methods including burning, calcining, stewing, and soaking.[14](https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/tkm2.1235) • [15](https://cmjournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13020-018-0163-3) • [14](https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/tkm2.1235) Lei-Gong-Pao-Zhi-Lun (Leigong Paozhi Lun), from the [Northern and Southern dynasties](https://www.edgepedia.org/northern-and-southern-dynasties), is the earliest book systematically describing the principles and methods of processing.[15](https://cmjournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13020-018-0163-3) In the Unani system, decoction is classified among hot extraction methods, entailing boiling plant materials to extract more robust constituents.[16](https://www.ovid.com/jnls/jrum/fulltext/10.4103/jrum.jrum_11_25~plant-drug-extraction-and-its-concept-in-the-unani-system-of)
Published studies closely related to the method include a comparison of decoction, infusion, and hydroalcoholic extracts of cultivated thyme by Natália Martins and colleagues (Food Chemistry, 2014),[17](https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodchem.2014.06.094) a video protocol for preparing Er-Xian decoction and Er-Xian-containing serum by Shufen Liu and colleagues (Journal of Visualized Experiments, 2017),[18](https://doi.org/10.3791/55654) and a study of self-assembled nanoparticles from Xie-Bai-San decoction by Wenlong Nie and colleagues (International Journal of Nanomedicine, 2024).[19](https://doi.org/10.2147/ijn.s449268)
## Variants
TCM practice distinguishes decoct-first and add-later drugs: T/CACM 1366-2021 classifies special methods into 6 major and 21 minor categories, with drugs such as gypsum and processed Chuanwu boiled 20–90 min in advance and volatile drugs such as Amomum villosum and [Uncaria](https://www.edgepedia.org/uncaria) added 1–5 min before the end.[5](https://kpt-bj.com/t-cacm-1366-2021-specification-of-traditional-chinese-medicine-decoction-1675731352.html) A second (repeat) decoction of the same material recovers substantial residue: for shosaikoto, the second decoction yielded 78.3% of saikosaponin b2, 58.8% of saikosaponin d, 49.2% of glycyrrhizin, and 31.0% of baicalin relative to the first.[9](https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1155/2012/890524) Combined (co-)decoction of whole formulas changes chemistry: in Palmijihwang-tang, boiling herbs together significantly altered the abundance of 22 compounds versus individual decoction, 16 increased and 6 decreased.[20](https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12906-025-05153-w) Korean MFDS "standard decoction" decocts all herbs together at 1:10 w/v at 85 °C for 3 h,[20](https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12906-025-05153-w) and T/CACM 1572-2024 specifies determination of liquid-to-solid ratio, water absorption, and vessel evaporation rate for standardized decoctions, which must carry identification, content assay, and fingerprint or characteristic chromatograms.[21](https://kpt-bj.com/t-cacm-1572-2024-technical-specification-for-preparation-of-standard-decoction-of-chinese-medicines-1524691519.html) Hybrid processes add enzymatic hydrolysis (cellulase, pectinase, amylase; 2 h at pH 5, 45 °C) and sequential probiotic fermentation, enriching bioactives up to 7 times over direct extraction.[11](https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/13/4/2154)
## Applications
At industrial scale, kwatha extraction in steam-jacketed vessels with size reduction cuts boiling from 16–21 h to 6 h at equal extraction, and spray-dried decoction is concentrated to 22–25% [total dissolved solids](https://www.edgepedia.org/total-dissolved-solids).[3](https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/fa29/29ed80e8ba483799860ffdf5d34e56d66edf.pdf) Machine learning with [orthogonal experimental design](https://www.edgepedia.org/orthogonal-experimental-design) for a liver-cancer formula recommended a solid–liquid ratio of 9.71, 1.50 h decoction, and 3 cycles, predicted to yield an extract rate of 43.21% and a paeoniflorin content of 75 units; extraction time was the key factor influencing both the extract rate and the paeoniflorin content.[7](https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlehtml/2026/ra/d5ra09650b) Self-assembled nanoparticles isolated from Xie-Bai-San decoction enhance oral bioavailability.[19](https://doi.org/10.2147/ijn.s449268)
## Limitations and alternatives
Decoction does not afford the highest yields, produces many water-soluble impurities, and is unsuitable for volatile compounds.[22](https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/27/7/2074) Prolonged boiling extracts more starch, which can cause bloating, indigestion, and acid reflux; for one formula (FDY2004), 120 min was judged the most appropriate duration.[23](https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1934578X20968437) Endpoint control can be safety-critical: Fuzi's diester-type alkaloids such as hypaconitine are fully hydrolyzed to a low level only after about 100–150 min, so Zhiwu decoction's endpoint was set at approximately 150 min,[10](https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s13020-026-01377-1) and the SBTEF five-dimensional schema (safety, bioactivity, time, cost, energy) predicts the optimal decoction endpoint using online real-time mass spectrometry.[10](https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s13020-026-01377-1)
Compared with alternatives, infusion is used for soft drugs containing water-soluble constituents, while Unani practice reserves decoction for heat-stable, water-soluble hard drugs.[16](https://www.ovid.com/jnls/jrum/fulltext/10.4103/jrum.jrum_11_25~plant-drug-extraction-and-its-concept-in-the-unani-system-of) USP <565> classifies botanical extracts by percolation rate rather than boiling.[24](http://uspbpep.com/usp29/v29240/usp29nf24s0_c565.html) [Soxhlet extraction](https://www.edgepedia.org/soxhlet-extraction) gives continuous hot-solvent extraction but risks thermal destruction of heat-labile compounds and is lengthy and solvent-intensive.[2](https://www.ijbsac.org/wp-content/uploads/papers/v2i6/F0082122618.pdf) Advanced methods out-yield decoction in the order MAE > UAE > HAE, yet across six medicinal plants infusion and decoction showed the highest antioxidant activity.[22](https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/27/7/2074) Supercritical CO₂ (above 31.1 °C, 7.38 MPa) suits thermosensitive, non-polar analytes,[25](https://revista.uepb.edu.br/BIOFARM/article/download/4469/3512) and advanced techniques compress extraction to seconds to half an hour where decoction takes hours.[22](https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/27/7/2074) For baicalin and puerarin from seven TCM materials, reflux with 60% ethanol outperformed decoction.[1](https://www.phytojournal.com/archives/2023/vol12issue3/PartC/12-3-46-609.pdf)
## References
1. [A comprehensive review of conventional and non-conventional solvent extraction techniques (Journal of Pharmacognosy and Phytochemistry, 2023)](https://www.phytojournal.com/archives/2023/vol12issue3/PartC/12-3-46-609.pdf)
2. [Conventional Extraction Methods Use in Medicinal Plants (IJBSAC, 2018)](https://www.ijbsac.org/wp-content/uploads/papers/v2i6/F0082122618.pdf)
3. [A Critical Review and Significance of Ayurvedic preparation Kwatha - Herbal decoction](https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/fa29/29ed80e8ba483799860ffdf5d34e56d66edf.pdf)
4. [Pharmacopeial aspects of preparation of infusions and decoctions in pharmacies](https://journal.eu-jr.eu/health/article/download/1971/1708)
5. [T/CACM 1366-2021 Specification of traditional Chinese medicine decoction](https://kpt-bj.com/t-cacm-1366-2021-specification-of-traditional-chinese-medicine-decoction-1675731352.html)
6. [The Influence of Pressure and Time on the Preparation of Decoctions (Gumiganghwal-tang)](https://www.jkom.org/journal/view.php?number=4683)
7. [Machine learning-driven optimization of extraction process and development of quality standards for traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) formulae (RSC Advances, 2026)](https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlehtml/2026/ra/d5ra09650b)
8. [Research progress on scientific connotations of decocting methods in traditional Chinese medicine decoction (China Journal of Chinese Materia Medica, Feb 2025)](https://europepmc.org/article/med/40350817)
9. [Extraction Efficiency of Shosaikoto (Xiaochaihu Tang) and Investigation of the Major Constituents in the Residual Crude Drugs](https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1155/2012/890524)
10. [Online real-time mass spectrometry-driven dynamic monitoring and optimal endpoint prediction schema development for herbal medicine decoction process](https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s13020-026-01377-1)
11. [Investigation of Chinese Herbal Decoctions with Enzymatic Hydrolysis and Sequential Fermentation as Potential Nutrient Supplements](https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/13/4/2154)
12. [A deep dive into herbal extraction: Techniques, trends, and technological advancements](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12916026/)
13. [Optimization of a Decoction Process for an Herbal Formula Using a Response Surface Methodology](https://doi.org/10.5740/jaoacint.17-0022)
14. [Identification of Chochukei (Zhang Zhongjing) as the revolutionist of decoctions](https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/tkm2.1235)
15. [Seeing the unseen of Chinese herbal medicine processing (Paozhi): advances in new perspectives](https://cmjournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13020-018-0163-3)
16. [Plant drug extraction and its concept in the Unani system of medicine](https://www.ovid.com/jnls/jrum/fulltext/10.4103/jrum.jrum_11_25~plant-drug-extraction-and-its-concept-in-the-unani-system-of)
17. [Natália Martins and colleagues (2014). Decoction, infusion and hydroalcoholic extract of cultivated thyme: Antioxidant and antibacterial activities, and phenolic characterisation. Food Chemistry.](https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodchem.2014.06.094)
18. [Shufen Liu and colleagues (2017). Preparation of Herbal Medicine: Er-Xian Decoction and Er-Xian-containing Serum for In Vivo and In Vitro Experiments. Journal of Visualized Experiments.](https://doi.org/10.3791/55654)
19. [Wenlong Nie and colleagues (2024). Self-Assembled Nanoparticles from Xie-Bai-San Decoction: Isolation, Characterization and Enhancing Oral Bioavailability. International Journal of Nanomedicine.](https://doi.org/10.2147/ijn.s449268)
20. [Combined decoction selectively modifies chemical composition of traditional Asian medicine: a systematic analysis on Palmijihwang-tang using theoretical additive model](https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12906-025-05153-w)
21. [T/CACM 1572-2024 Technical specification for preparation of standard decoction of Chinese medicines](https://kpt-bj.com/t-cacm-1572-2024-technical-specification-for-preparation-of-standard-decoction-of-chinese-medicines-1524691519.html)
22. [A Comparative Study between Conventional and Advanced Extraction Techniques: Pharmaceutical and Cosmetic Properties of Plant Extracts (El Maaiden et al., Molecules 2022)](https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/27/7/2074)
23. [Influence of Decoction Duration of FDY2004 on Its Physicochemical Components and Antioxidant and Antiproliferative Activities](https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1934578X20968437)
24. [USP General Chapter <565> Botanical Extracts](http://uspbpep.com/usp29/v29240/usp29nf24s0_c565.html)
25. [Review of extraction techniques (BioFar/UEPB journal)](https://revista.uepb.edu.br/BIOFARM/article/download/4469/3512)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Physical world and mathematics › Chemistry › Chemical principles and methods › Laboratory techniques and equipment › Routine bench techniques*
*Initially written Sep 29, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license