Modern Chinese medicine believes that, in principle, medication should be avoided at the time of eating, from half an hour before the meal to one hour after the meal do not take Chinese medicine, in order to prevent the food affects the gastrointestinal tract on the absorption of drugs.

There are three types of drugs that are usually required to be taken on an empty stomach: first, the treatment of gastric ulcers, gastric mucous membrane erosion, commonly used cuttlebone, hyacinth and other traditional Chinese medicines to inhibit the secretion of gastric acid, and to produce a protective film in the lining of the stomach, this type of drug should be selected as much as possible to be taken on an empty stomach before meals. Secondly, some laxative drugs, such as rhubarb for constipation, should also be taken on an empty stomach. Finally, tonic drugs are also recommended to be taken on an empty stomach.

But it should be emphasized that due to the different constitution of individuals, they react differently to medicines. If you experience side effects such as stomach pain after taking the medication on an empty stomach, you should consider changing to taking the medication after meals.

The choice of time for the specific medication should also take into account the nature of the drug and the characteristics of its action. Tranquilizers should be taken about one hour before bedtime; anthelmintics should also be taken before bedtime to take advantage of the night time to fully kill the worms, which can be discharged from the body the next day. Medicines for malaria should be taken 2 hours before a regular attack, which is conducive to killing the malaria parasite and controlling the onset of symptoms of malaria.