同仁堂手工塑制蜜丸傳統制作技藝,首先是中醫結合病人病情開具個性處方,再選用同仁堂“上等、純潔、地道”藥材,根據不同藥性采取不同的粉碎方法,隨后在容器中和煉制過的蜂蜜按比配制,經過合藥、稱量、制條、成丸等幾種工序制作而成,對蜂蜜的選擇與煉制是保證蜜丸質量的關鍵。煉蜜的目的是除去雜質,破壞酶,殺死微生物,蒸發水分,增強粘性。蜂蜜和藥品的合理配比直接影響著成品的圓整度、粒度差和數目,也影響制作過程中難度及藥物含量的均勻度,有的還需要根據藥材性質和季節不同計算特殊的蜂蜜使用量。根據處方要求,還需要每丸獨立進行蠟紙、玻璃紙等包裝。
The processes of Tong Ren Tang’s traditional manual manufacturing techniques for honeyed pills are as follows: “premium, pure and authentic” medicinal materials are chosen according to the customized prescription made by the traditional Chinese medicine practitioner based on the patient’s conditions, and medicinal materials of different natures are grinded using different methods, then the medicinal powder is mixed with refined honey based on specific ratio, and goes through various processes such as binding, measuring, rolling and pill forming to make the honeyed pills. The choosing and refining of honey are critical to the quality of honeyed pills. The honey is refined in order to remove impurity, destroy the enzyme, kill the microbes, vaporize water and increase viscosity. The compounding ratio between honey and medicinal powder will have a direct impact on the roundness, size difference and volume of the honeyed pills, and will also affect the difficulty of production process and the evenness of medicinal substance distribution. In some cases, the nature of medicinal material and seasonal factor are also considered when determining the amount of honey used for the pills. Each honeyed pill is wrapped in wax paper or cellophane as required by the prescription.