Can I take traditional Chinese medicine 20 minutes after a meal?

Generally speaking, it is appropriate to take traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) 20 minutes after a meal. The detailed explanation is as follows:

After eating, food undergoes initial digestion in the stomach. Usually, about 20 minutes after a meal, the food in the stomach begins to mix and be ground up during the digestive process but has not yet completely emptied from the stomach. Taking TCM at this time allows the medicine to mix with the food, thereby reducing direct irritation of the medication on the gastric mucosa. This is especially true for some TCMs that may irritate the gastrointestinal tract, such as those containing bitter-cold ingredients like Coptis (Huang Lian) and Scutellaria (Huang Qin). Taking these after a meal can help avoid discomfort such as nausea, vomiting, and stomach pain caused by the medication. However, for tonic TCMs, such as formulas made from ingredients like ginseng and cooked rehmannia (Shu Di), it is generally recommended to take them half an hour to one hour after a meal. This is because tonic medicines require a relatively slow absorption rate under conditions of good gastrointestinal function in order to better exert their therapeutic effects. If taken too early, they may interact with food components and affect absorption.

During the medication period, it is important to maintain healthy lifestyle habits and avoid eating raw, cold, greasy, spicy, or hard-to-digest foods, as these may interfere with drug absorption and effectiveness.