This article gives a few of the possible methods for cooking your Chinese herbal formula, and should be secondary to the advice of your herbalist. He or she can likely answer your questions better than a page on the web since each patient has different needs. However, with the following information you will, at least, be able to ask appropriate questions.

The Kind of Container
　　The best container is ceramic. Glass is okay. Avoid to use something that will cast iron or metals. Chinese herbs can interact with these metals casing chemical reactions that can alter the therapeutic qualities of your herbs, or worse yet, and have an unhealthy effect on whoever drinks the tea. It is important that your teapot has a lid.

Water
　　In ancient times the source of the water used in the tea was an important issue. Some teas required water from a spring, others called for water collected during a rain. Nowadays, any drinking water is acceptable. The purity and cleanliness of the water you choose is a personal choice.

Cooking
　　Soak the herbs. Place the herbs into the water. The water should cover the herbs by about an inch and a half. Let them sit for 15 minutes without turning on the heat beneath the teapot. Some sources suggest allowing the herbs to absorb the room-temperature water for one hour.

Bring water to a rolling boil. Then, turn down the fire to a low simmer. Cook herbs for 20 to 30 minutes. There is a great deal of variation in the time necessary to cook herbs. It depends mostly on the kind of herbs you're cooking. The average is 20 minutes. Diaphoretics are cooked for no more than 15 minutes. Aromatics only get steeped for 5 minutes. For tonic herbs, 40 to 50 minutes is appropriate. There is more on timing further on in this article.

Don't lift up the lid, especially with aromatic herbs as the volatile oils can evaporate out of the mixture very easily.

Strain the tea
　　Drink it. If you find the taste disagreeable, then your tongue is working right. However, if you find the taste so unpalatable that you don't drink it, then you need to do something to make it more drinkable. We suggest watering it down a bit. This helps a great deal. Also, it seems that after time, the body begins to crave a certain formula, especially one that is well suited. The taste will become more and more attractive. Some people add a little honey to sweeten it. This should only be done with the consent of your herbalist. Honey can adversely affect the therapeutic qualities of the formula and so it should only be added when appropriate.

Re-cook the same herbs a second time. During the first steeping, the temperature energetic comes out of the herb. This affects the patient mostly at the Qi level. It is more superficial, more Yang in nature.During the second steeping, the taste energetics come out of the herb. This affects the patient more on the Blood level. These energetics have more of an internal impact. The Yin is affected more.It would be a good idea to mix the tea from both batches for drinking.

When to take your herbs?
　　Generally, as a rule, it is best to take your herb tea one hour before eating, on an empty stomach. This provides the best absorption of the ingredients of the herbs.

If the herbs cause a little stomach upset, drink the herb tea one hour after eating, or drink some fresh ginger juice before taking the formula, or eat some fresh ginger before the formula. Fresh ginger is the sweet little slices of root often served with sushi.

Shen calming formulas (for insomnia) are best taken two hours before sleeping. Formulas treating ailments above the diaphragm are best taken one hour after eating. The food in the stomach provides the energetics of the herbs a platform from which to rise up to the upper part of the body.

Formulas treating ailments below the diaphragm are best taken one hour before eating so the energetics can descend unimpeded by contents in the stomach.

Formulas for heat syndromes can be taken at room temperature or chilled. If drinking an herb tea at room temperature tastes bad, it should be consumed warm. It is more important to drink the tea than to add to its function by drinking it cold.

Formulas for cold syndromes can be taken warm or hot.

Mixing herbs with Western pharmaceuticals is not something we can comment on without knowing the specifics of what you're taking and why. It is a personal choice. Generally, it never hurts to get everybody's opinion including your M.D. and your herbalist to better decide which therapies to mix, and which not to mix.

(From China.com)