Preparation method of Chinese medicine pill bonded by litsea cubeba leaf powder

Abstract

This invention discloses a method for preparing traditional Chinese medicine pills bound with Litsea cubeba leaf powder, belonging to the field of traditional Chinese medicine processing technology. The raw materials include 75%-90% basic traditional Chinese medicine powder, 5%-15% Litsea cubeba leaf powder, and 20%-30% purified water. In the preparation process, fresh Litsea cubeba leaves with a gum content ≥8% and suitable growing environment are selected, washed, dried, and pulverized to obtain 100-200 mesh leaf powder. After pretreatment of the basic traditional Chinese medicine powder, it is mixed in a certain proportion until the uniformity is ≥95%, purified water is added, and the pill-making machine speed is controlled to obtain pills of qualified specifications. The pills are dried in stages with controlled temperature until the moisture content is ≤8%, and then sealed and packaged with inert gas. This invention is the first to use Litsea cubeba leaf powder as a natural binder, solving the problems of traditional pill-making binders being difficult to form, costly, prone to mold, or affecting efficacy. Its natural antifungal properties eliminate the need for preservatives, the raw material is widely available and low-cost, the preparation process is simple and easy to operate, and the pills have high stability and safety, enriching the utilization pathways of traditional Chinese medicine resources and contributing to the development of the traditional Chinese medicine preparation industry.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of traditional Chinese medicine processing technology, specifically relating to a method for preparing traditional Chinese medicine pills using Litsea cubeba leaf powder as a binder. Background Technology

[0002] Litsea cubeba is a traditional Chinese medicinal herb. Its fruit is commonly used in medicine, possessing effects such as regulating qi and strengthening the spleen, drying dampness and resolving phlegm. However, its leaves have not been effectively utilized in the field of Chinese medicine processing, and no one has used them as a binder for pill making. Traditional Chinese medicine pill-making processes present many challenges in the selection and use of binders: when using water to form pills, most Chinese medicine powders lack natural viscosity, resulting in a low pill-forming rate; honey-based pill making is costly, and the dosage is difficult to control precisely due to temperature variations, leading to uneven pill hardness and stability; starch paste-based pill making is prone to mold growth, resulting in a short shelf life; and chemical binders can affect the efficacy of the medicine, contradicting the principle of using natural medicines in Chinese medicine.

[0003] Furthermore, the control of traditional pill-making process parameters relies on manual experience, resulting in significant fluctuations in product quality. This invention discovers that fresh leaves of Litsea cubeba have extremely strong adhesive properties after being broken open. Even after drying, grinding into powder, and adding boiling water, the adhesiveness remains significant. Moreover, it is rich in gum components, possessing natural antifungal properties, eliminating the need for additional preservatives. Based on this, a method for preparing traditional Chinese medicine pills using Litsea cubeba leaf powder as a natural binder is proposed. Summary of the Invention

[0004] This invention aims to address the core pain points of adhesive use in traditional Chinese medicine pill-making processes. Specifically, it overcomes the problems of insufficient viscosity and low pill-forming rate in water-based pill-making, high cost and uneven stability due to temperature fluctuations in honey-based pill-making, easy mold growth and short shelf life in starch paste-based pill-making, and the impact of chemical adhesives on drug efficacy and violation of the natural medicine concept in traditional Chinese medicine. It provides a set of Chinese medicine pill preparation methods with clear process parameters and strong operability. By standardizing raw material selection criteria, proportioning ratios, pill-making and drying parameters, it reduces the dependence on manual experience in the production process, reduces product quality fluctuations, and enables large-scale production.

[0005] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention provides the following technical solution: A method for preparing a traditional Chinese medicine pill made from Litsea cubeba leaf powder, wherein the raw materials, by mass percentage, include: The mixture consists of 75%-90% basic Chinese herbal powder, 5%-15% Litsea cubeba leaf powder, and 20%-30% purified water, with the purified water content calculated based on the total mass of the basic Chinese herbal powder and Litsea cubeba leaf powder. The preparation steps are as follows: (1) Preparation of Litsea cubeba leaf powder: Select fresh Litsea cubeba leaves with a gum content of ≥8%, free from pests and diseases, and bright green color. After rinsing with running water for 2-3 minutes, remove leaves with impurities accounting for ≥0.3%. Dry the leaves at 35-45℃, pulverize them, and then screen them to obtain Litsea cubeba leaf powder with a mesh size of 100-200. (2) Pretreatment of basic Chinese medicine powder: Select basic Chinese medicine powder with a particle size of 80-120 mesh and an impurity ratio of ≤0.2% for more than 80% of the particles; (3) Raw material ratio and mixing: Mix the basic Chinese herbal medicine powder and Litsea cubeba leaf powder according to the above ratio, control the mixing rate at 30-50 r / min, and the mixing time at 10-15 min, until the mixing uniformity is ≥95%; (4) Pelletizing: Gradually add purified water to the mixed powder, control the speed of the pelletizing machine to 60-80 r / min, the diameter of the pellets is 3-5 mm, and the roundness deviation is ≤ ±0.2 mm; (5) Drying and quality inspection: The formed pills are dried at a temperature of 40-60℃ for 2-4 hours until the moisture content of the pills is ≤8%, the hardness of the pills is 2-4kg / cm², and the appearance is undamaged and unadhesive. (6) Packaging and sealing: Put the qualified pills into a sealed packaging container, fill the container with 0.08MPa inert gas and maintain it for 20 seconds. After the pressure drop value is less than 0.003MPa, the sealing is completed.

[0006] Furthermore, in step (1), the growth environment of fresh leaves of Ligusticum sinense meets the requirements of temperature 18-28℃, humidity 55-75%, soil moisture content 18-25%, and the harvest period is 3-5 days after the leaves have matured.

[0007] Furthermore, in step (5), the drying process adopts a segmented temperature control method, with the initial drying temperature at 40-45℃ and the subsequent drying temperature at 55-60℃.

[0008] Furthermore, in step (4), the inner wall of the pelleting machine is provided with an anti-stick coating.

[0009] Beneficial effects of this invention: 1. Expanding new uses of traditional Chinese medicine: For the first time, Litsea cubeba leaves are used as a binder in the making of traditional Chinese medicine pills, breaking the traditional understanding that only the fruit is used in medicine and enriching the ways of utilizing traditional Chinese medicine resources; 2. Natural, safe and additive-free: Litsea cubeba leaf powder is a natural raw material containing natural gum components, which has strong adhesion and natural antifungal properties. No additional preservatives are needed, and it does not affect the efficacy of the medicine, which is in line with the concept of natural medicine in traditional Chinese medicine. 3. Solving the pain points of traditional pill making: It overcomes the shortcomings of water-based pill making, honey-based pill making, starch paste-based pill making, which is prone to mold, and chemical adhesives affecting efficacy. Moreover, the raw material of Litsea cubeba leaves is widely available and inexpensive, and one pound of dry powder can make ten pounds of pills. 4. Simple and easy-to-operate process: The preparation process is clear and the parameters are well-defined, reducing the difficulty of production. Ordinary producers can operate it, which is conducive to large-scale promotion. 5. Improve product quality: The pills have high stability, uniformity and safety, which meets the quality requirements of traditional Chinese medicine preparations and promotes the upgrading of the traditional Chinese medicine preparation industry. Attached Figure Description

[0010] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the implementation process of a method for preparing a traditional Chinese medicine pill made from Litsea cubeba leaf powder according to the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0011] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the embodiments of the present invention clearer, the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention, and not all embodiments. The components of the embodiments of the present invention described and shown in the accompanying drawings can generally be arranged and designed in various different configurations.

[0012] The present invention proposes a method for preparing a traditional Chinese medicine pill made from Litsea cubeba leaf powder, characterized in that: Raw material composition (by mass percentage) Basic Chinese herbal powder: 75%-90%, and can be selected according to clinical needs, such as qi-tonifying, blood-activating, and other corresponding Chinese herbal powders; Litsea cubeba leaf powder: 5%-15%, as a natural binder, one pound of dry powder can be mixed with ten pounds of basic Chinese medicine powder to make pills; Purified water: 20%-30%, calculated based on the total mass of the basic Chinese herbal powder and Litsea cubeba leaf powder, used to activate the adhesiveness of Litsea cubeba leaf powder.

[0013] Preparation method steps Preparation of Litsea cubeba leaf powder: Select fresh leaves of Litsea cubeba that meet the growing environment requirements of 18-28℃ temperature, 55-75% humidity, and 18-25% soil moisture content, and are harvested 3-5 days after the leaves have matured. The fresh leaves should be free from pests and diseases, bright green in color, and have a gum content of ≥8%. Rinse the fresh leaves with running water for 2-3 minutes, remove leaves with impurities accounting for ≥0.3%, and then dry them at 35-45℃ (to avoid damaging the sticky components). After that, crush them and screen them to obtain Litsea cubeba leaf powder of 100-200 mesh for later use. Basic Chinese herbal powder pretreatment: Select basic Chinese herbal powder with a particle size of 80-120 mesh and an impurity content of ≤0.2% to ensure the quality of raw materials; Raw material proportioning and mixing: Add 5%-15% of the weight of the basic Chinese herbal medicine powder to the powder, put the two into a mixing device, control the mixing rate at 30-50 r / min, the mixing time at 10-15 min, and stop mixing when the mixing uniformity is ≥95%. Pelletizing: Purified water is gradually added to the mixed powder. The speed of the pelleting machine is controlled at 60-80 r / min. The diameter of the formed pellets is 3-5 mm, and the roundness deviation is ≤ ±0.2 mm. Unqualified pellets are rejected. The inner wall of the pelleting machine is equipped with an anti-stick coating to prevent materials from sticking together. Drying and quality inspection: The formed pills are fed into a drying device and dried using a segmented temperature control method. In the early stage, the pills are rapidly dehydrated at 40-45℃, and in the later stage, the moisture content is stabilized at 55-60℃. The total drying time is 2-4 hours, and drying is stopped when the moisture content of the pills is ≤8%. The appearance of the pills (no damage, no sticking) and hardness (2-4 kg / cm²) are then tested. Qualified pills proceed to the next step. Packaging and sealing: The qualified pills are placed into a sealed packaging container, and 0.08 MPa of inert gas is introduced into the container and maintained for 20 seconds. After the pressure drop value is less than 0.003 MPa, the sealing is completed.

[0014] To make the technical solution of the present invention clearer and easier to understand, the present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to specific embodiments, but the protection scope of the present invention is not limited to the following embodiments.

[0015] Example 1: Preparation of Qi-tonifying Chinese herbal pills 1. Raw material composition (total mass 10kg) Basic Chinese herbal powder (qi-tonifying type, made from Astragalus membranaceus, Codonopsis pilosula, and Atractylodes macrocephala in a 2:1:1 ratio): 8.5 kg (85%) Litsea cubeba leaf powder: 0.85 kg (8.5%, accounting for 10% of the basic Chinese medicine powder). Purified water: 2.27 kg (22.7%, calculated based on a total mass of 9.35 kg of basic Chinese herbal powder and Litsea cubeba leaf powder).

[0016] 2. Preparation process (1) Preparation of Litsea cubeba leaf powder: The production area was selected with a growing environment of 22℃, 65% humidity, and 20% soil moisture content. Fresh leaves were harvested 4 days after the leaves matured. Near-infrared spectroscopy showed that the resin content was 9.2%, and the leaves were free of pests and diseases and had a bright green color. The fresh leaves were rinsed with running water for 2.5 minutes, and leaves with impurities accounting for 0.1% (meeting the requirement of ≤0.3%) were manually removed. The leaves were then dried in a drying equipment at 40℃ for 6 hours. After being pulverized, the leaves were screened to obtain 150-mesh Litsea cubeba leaf powder for later use. (2) Pretreatment of basic Chinese herbal medicine powder: When the qi-tonifying powder is fed into the testing equipment, if 85% of the particles are between 80-120 mesh and the impurity content is 0.15% (meeting the requirement of ≤0.2%), it is considered a qualified basic Chinese medicine powder. (3) Raw material proportioning and mixing: 8.5 kg of basic Chinese herbal medicine powder and 0.85 kg of Litsea cubeba leaf powder were put into a mixer. The mixing rate was set to 40 r / min and the mixing time was 12 min. The mixing uniformity was measured to be 96.5%, and then the mixing was stopped. (4) Pelletizing: 2.27 kg of purified water was gradually added to the mixed powder. The speed of the pelleting machine was controlled at 70 r / min. Visual inspection showed that the diameter of the formed pellets was 4 mm and the roundness deviation was ±0.1 mm. There were no unqualified pellets. During the pelleting process, no material sticking occurred because the inner wall of the equipment was coated with an anti-stick coating. (5) Drying and quality inspection: The formed pills were placed in a drying oven and dried at a controlled temperature in stages: 1.5 hours at 42℃ in the first stage and 1.5 hours at 58℃ in the second stage, for a total drying time of 3 hours. The moisture content of the pills was tested to be 6.8% (≤8%), the hardness was 3.2 kg / cm² (meeting the requirement of 2-4 kg / cm²), and there was no damage or sticking in the appearance, which indicated that the pills were qualified. (6) Packaging and sealing: The qualified pills were placed into a sealed glass bottle, and nitrogen gas at 0.08 MPa was introduced into the bottle and maintained for 20 seconds. The pressure drop was measured to be 0.0015 MPa (<0.003 MPa), indicating that the sealing was complete.

[0017] 3. Product testing results The pill formation rate was 98.2%, and no mold growth was observed after 6 months of storage. The hardness remained at 2.9-3.3 kg / cm², indicating good stability.

[0018] Example 2: Preparation of Blood-Activating Traditional Chinese Medicine Pills 1. Raw material composition (total mass 8kg) Basic Chinese herbal powder (blood-activating type, made from pulverized Danshen, Chuanxiong, and Honghua in a 3:2:1 ratio): 6.8kg (85%); Litsea cubeba leaf powder: 0.544 kg (6.8%, accounting for 8% of the basic Chinese medicine powder). Purified water: 1.468 kg (18.35%, calculated based on the total mass of basic Chinese herbal medicine powder and Litsea cubeba leaf powder of 7.344 kg).

[0019] 2. Preparation process (1) Preparation of Litsea cubeba leaf powder: The production area with a growing environment of 25℃, 70% humidity, and 22% soil moisture content was selected. Fresh leaves were harvested 3 days after the leaves matured. Near-infrared spectroscopy showed that the resin content was 8.8%, and the leaves were free of pests and diseases and had a bright green color. The fresh leaves were rinsed with running water for 2 minutes, and leaves with impurities accounting for 0.2% were removed. The leaves were dried at 38℃ for 7 hours, pulverized, and screened to obtain 120-mesh Litsea cubeba leaf powder for later use. (2) Pretreatment of basic Chinese medicine powder: The powder for promoting blood circulation was tested. 82% of the particles had a particle size of 80-120 mesh and the impurity ratio was 0.18%, which met the requirements. (3) Raw material ratio and mixing: 6.8 kg of basic Chinese medicine powder and 0.544 kg of Litsea cubeba leaf powder were put into the mixer, the mixing rate was 35 r / min, the mixing time was 14 min, and the mixing uniformity was 95.8% before stopping the mixing. (4) Pelletizing: Gradually add 1.468 kg of purified water, the pelletizing machine speed is 65 r / min, the diameter of the pellet is 3.5 mm, the roundness deviation is ±0.15 mm, there are no unqualified pellets, and no material sticking; (5) Drying and quality inspection: The pills were dried in stages with controlled temperature. The initial drying time was 43℃ ​​for 1 hour, and the subsequent drying time was 56℃ for 2 hours. The total drying time was 3 hours. The moisture content of the pills was 7.2%, the hardness was 2.8 kg / cm², and the appearance was qualified. (6) Packaging and sealing: Pack into a sealed aluminum foil bag, fill with 0.08MPa argon gas and maintain for 20 seconds. The pressure drop value is 0.002MPa, and the sealing is completed.

[0020] 3. Product testing results The pill formation rate was 97.8%, and no mold growth was observed after 6 months of storage. The hardness remained at 2.6-2.9 kg / cm², and the stability met the standards.

[0021] Example 3: Preparation of heat-clearing Chinese herbal pills 1. Raw material composition (total mass 12kg) Basic Chinese herbal powder (heat-clearing type, made from honeysuckle, forsythia, and scutellaria in a 2:2:1 ratio): 9.6 kg (80%); Litsea cubeba leaf powder: 1.44 kg (12%, accounting for 15% of the basic Chinese medicine powder). Purified water: 3.312 kg (27.6%, calculated based on the total mass of basic Chinese herbal medicine powder and Litsea cubeba leaf powder of 11.04 kg).

[0022] 2. Preparation process (1) Preparation of Litsea cubeba leaf powder: The growing environment is 20℃, humidity 60%, soil moisture content 19%. The leaves are harvested 5 days after maturity, with a gum content of 9.5%. The fresh leaves are rinsed for 3 minutes, and leaves with impurities accounting for 0.25% are removed. The leaves are dried at 42℃ for 5 hours, pulverized, and screened to obtain 180-mesh leaf powder. (2) Pretreatment of basic Chinese herbal medicine powder: The test results showed that 88% of the particles were between 80 and 120 mesh, and the impurity rate was 0.12%, which is acceptable. (3) Raw material proportioning and mixing: The mixing rate was 45 r / min, the mixing time was 11 min, and the mixing uniformity was 97.2%. (4) Pelletizing: Add 3.312 kg of purified water, rotate the pelleting machine at 75 r / min, the pellet diameter is 4.5 mm, the roundness deviation is ±0.18 mm, there is no sticking and no defective products; (5) Drying and quality inspection: Drying at 44℃ for 1.2 hours in the early stage and at 59℃ for 1.8 hours in the later stage, with a total drying time of 3 hours, moisture content of 6.5%, hardness of 3.6 kg / cm², and appearance qualified; (6) Packaging and sealing: The pressure drop during nitrogen filling is 0.0018 MPa, indicating that the sealing is qualified.

[0023] 3. Product testing results The pill formation rate is 98.5%, no mold growth was observed after 6 months of storage, and the hardness remained at 3.4-3.7 kg / cm², demonstrating excellent stability.

[0024] Comparative Example: Traditional Honey Pill Making (based on Qi-tonifying Chinese Medicine in Example 1) 1. Raw material composition 8.5 kg of basic Chinese herbal medicine powder; 2.5 kg of honey (costing approximately 8 times that of Litsea cubeba leaf powder); 0.8 kg of purified water.

[0025] 2. Preparation process Following the traditional honey pill-making process, honey is heated and refined, then mixed with Chinese herbal powder and purified water. The pill-making parameters are manually controlled, and the pills are naturally dried for 48 hours after forming.

[0026] 3. Product testing results The pill formation rate was 82.3%. After 3 months of storage, some pills showed slight mold growth. The hardness fluctuated between 1.5-4.8 kg / cm², indicating poor stability. Moreover, the production cost was significantly higher than that of this invention.

[0027] Example of effect description: As can be seen from the above Examples 1-3, the present invention uses Litsea cubeba leaf powder as a binder to prepare traditional Chinese medicine pills. The molding rate is above 97%, the product moisture content and hardness meet the set standards, and there is no mold growth after 6 months of storage, showing good stability. Compared with traditional honey pill making, the present invention not only solves many pain points of traditional pill making process, but also has lower raw material cost and simpler process operation, and can realize large-scale production.

[0028] Meanwhile, different types of basic Chinese herbal powders (qi-tonifying, blood-activating, and heat-clearing) can all be prepared into qualified pills using the method of this invention, proving that the process of this invention has wide applicability.

[0029] The above embodiments are merely preferred embodiments of the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention. Any modifications or equivalent substitutions based on the technical solutions of the present invention without departing from the core ideas of the present invention shall fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A method for preparing a traditional Chinese medicine pill made from Litsea cubeba leaf powder, characterized in that, Raw materials, by weight percentage, include: The mixture consists of 75%-90% basic Chinese herbal powder, 5%-15% Litsea cubeba leaf powder, and 20%-30% purified water, with the purified water content calculated based on the total mass of the basic Chinese herbal powder and Litsea cubeba leaf powder. The preparation steps are as follows: (1) Preparation of Litsea cubeba leaf powder: Select fresh Litsea cubeba leaves with a gum content of ≥8%, free from pests and diseases, and bright green color. After rinsing with running water for 2-3 minutes, remove leaves with impurities accounting for ≥0.3%. Dry the leaves at 35-45℃, pulverize them, and then screen them to obtain Litsea cubeba leaf powder with a mesh size of 100-200. (2) Pretreatment of basic Chinese medicine powder: Select basic Chinese medicine powder with a particle size of 80-120 mesh and an impurity ratio of ≤0.2% for more than 80% of the particles; (3) Raw material ratio and mixing: Mix the basic Chinese herbal medicine powder and Litsea cubeba leaf powder according to the above ratio, control the mixing rate at 30-50 r / min, and the mixing time at 10-15 min, until the mixing uniformity is ≥95%; (4) Pelletizing: Gradually add purified water to the mixed powder, control the speed of the pelletizing machine to 60-80 r / min, the diameter of the pellets is 3-5 mm, and the roundness deviation is ≤ ±0.2 mm; (5) Drying and quality inspection: The formed pills are dried at a temperature of 40-60℃ for 2-4 hours until the moisture content of the pills is ≤8%, the hardness of the pills is 2-4kg / cm², and the appearance is undamaged and unadhesive. (6) Packaging and sealing: Put the qualified pills into a sealed packaging container, fill the container with 0.08MPa inert gas and maintain it for 20 seconds. After the pressure drop value is less than 0.003MPa, the sealing is completed.

2. The method for preparing a traditional Chinese medicine pill made from Litsea cubeba leaf powder according to claim 1, characterized in that, Step (1) The growth environment of fresh leaves of Ligusticum striatum meets the requirements of temperature 18-28℃, humidity 55-75%, soil moisture content 18-25%, and the harvest period is 3-5 days after the leaves have matured.

3. The method for preparing a traditional Chinese medicine pill made from Litsea cubeba leaf powder according to claim 1, characterized in that, In step (5), the drying process adopts a segmented temperature control method, with the initial drying temperature at 40-45℃ and the subsequent drying temperature at 55-60℃.

4. The method for preparing a traditional Chinese medicine pill made from Litsea cubeba leaf powder according to claim 1, characterized in that, In step (4), the inner wall of the pelleting machine is provided with an anti-stick coating.

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