Crushing

Also pounding. To damage or destroy the structure of medicinal materials such as with a pestle and mortar. Some small fruits and seeds are crushed just before with a pestle and mortar. Gardenia (Gardeniae Fructus, 山栀子 shān zhī zǐ), amomum (Amomi Fructus, 砂仁 shā rén), and Katsumada’s galangal seed (Alpiniae Katsumadai Semen, 草豆蔻 cǎo dòu kòu), are crushed in small quantities before decoction to ensure that the active constituents are extracted. Medicinals should not be stored for long periods after crushing since they may lose their oil content and other constituents, thus becoming less effective.