Roasting

A method of drawing out unwanted oils or irritants from medicinal materials and reducing their toxicity by exposure to heat.

Method: Materials are usually wrapped in wet paper or coated in flour and water paste, and then placed in hot embers until the wrapping becomes burnt and black. They may also be put at the side of the fire, in an oven, or tossed in a wok. Nutmeg (Myristicae Semen, 肉豆蔻 ròu dòu kòu) and kansui (Kansui Radix, 甘遂 gān suì) may be treated in this way.