Using Herbs: Determining Herbal Dosages

For most first-time herbal users, herbal dosage is a big deal and feels like a complicated matter. It can make you feel stuck and many times discourage you from moving forward using herbs.

Don’t worry though. You are not alone. The more you use herbs and the more familiar you become with them, the less of a complication this will be.

Below I’ll share 4 common dosing formulas with you that will help you determine herbal dosages for you and your family but first consider a few important things.

Factors That Affect Dosage

Weight-Based Dosage

Most dosages are based on an adult dose for a 150-pound adult, so when it comes to giving your child something, you’ll be giving them a much smaller dose. The same goes if you, the adult, weigh more or less than 150 pounds. You will need to adjust the dosage, either higher or lower, depending on your weight.

Nutritional Vs. Therapeutic Uses

Using herbs for tonic or nutritional purposes will have much larger doses than those used for therapeutic purposes.

Acute Vs. Chronic Conditions

Herbal preparations taken for acute situations (as in you need help right now) will be given in smaller, more frequent doses whereas preparations taken for chronic situations (as in the problem has been ongoing for 6 months or longer) will be given in larger, less frequent doses.

Varying Strengths of Herbal Preparations

Herbs can be prepared in a variety of ways, and each of these preparations has varying dosages to go along with them. For example, an herbal tea dosage will be much larger than an herbal infusion dose because tea is less concentrated than an infusion. For the same reason, herbal powders require a larger dose than herbal tinctures. Powders are less concentrated than tinctures. And again, an herbal honey will require a larger dose than an herbal oxymel. So when it comes to determining dosages for herbal preparations, the strength of the preparation must be taken into consideration. Below are some factors that affect preparation strength.

• Using fresh herbs versus dried herbs
• Using cultivated herbs versus wildcrafted herbs
• The type of herbal preparation being used (and therefore, the menstruum being used: water, vinegar, alcohol, oil, honey, etc.)
• Length of maceration time (how long the herbs set in the menstruum)

The point is this. It’s very difficult to put a specific dosage on herbs due to the fact that there are so many variants in the preparations. Store-bought preparations also tend to be more standardized than homemade preparations since herbal manufacturers have their processes down to a science and the batches are consistent time and time again.

Person Taking The Herbs

We are all different, thank the good Lord, and that means what works for me most likely will not work for you — at least not in the exact same way. We all have different tendencies and sensitivities to things, and herbs and their dosages are no exception. Now, with all of the above being said, let’s take a look at some dosage formulas that can help you find an appropriate dose for yourself and your children.

Determining Herbal Dosages

Many times, when you come across an herbal remedy, dosage information will be included. Keep in mind that this is just a suggestion and that the factors discussed above will cause changes to be made to the dosage.

Minimalist Approach (Titrate Dosing)

In my opinion, the best approach to herbal dosing is following a minimalist approach, also known as titrating the dose. This is where you start dosing with the smallest amount recommended, and if you don’t get the results you are expecting, slowly titrate the dose up over a period of time until you achieve those results. This method works best for homemade herbal preparations where the strength of the final product may vary.

Now a few things must be said about this approach.

First off, time periods for titrating dosages will vary. Sometimes you’ll titrate the dosage quickly and sometimes slowly. It depends on the situation. If your child has a dry cough that’s keeping them up at night (acute situation) and you want to give them an anti-spasmodic herbal tincture, you’ll titrate the dose quickly to find the right amount for them that works. If your child suffers from eczema and you’re using herbs to help heal their digestive system (chronic situation), you’ll titrate doses slowly to find what works for them.

Next, you must be aware of any side effects or overdose considerations for the herb you’re using and respect that information. A good example here is licorice. Licorice is a great herb for kids, but it should not be used in large doses for long periods of time. Generally, licorice is discontinued after 6 weeks as it can have unwanted effects on the cardiovascular system if taken for too long. Another example is lobelia. Lobelia is a great herb. It has many uses for children, but you will find herbalists who disagree with its use. Some will not use it with children while others (like myself) are comfortable using it wisely. It is a low-dose botanical (tinctures are usually dosed by drops only) and isn’t to be taken long-term. High dosages have been known in rare cases to induce vomiting.

Lastly, titrating herbal dosages has its limits. If you’ve been using an herb for 2-4 weeks, and you aren’t seeing the results you expected, it’s time to change herbs. Just because an herb is known to work for one thing doesn’t mean it will work for everyone who has that issue. Herbs are like puzzle pieces. They need to be fit to the right person, problem, and situation to work effectively.

Folk Method Dosing

Another popular dosing method that can be used, often for tinctures that have been made following the folk method and use 50% alcohol or glycerin, is to give 1 drop for every 2 pounds of body weight as a starting point and then titrating the dose, as explained above, from there.

Children’s Dosing Formulas

To figure out dosages for children, many people prefer to err on the side of caution and determine dosage by using a dosage formula. There are a couple of dosage formulas that I’ve found to be easiest to use when it comes to determining age-based and weight-based dosages for children.

Fried’s Rule: Take the child’s age in months, divided by 150, then multiply by the adult dose.

Clark’s Rule: Take the child’s weight in pounds, divided by 150, then multiplied by the adult dose.

In Conclusion

As herbalist Rosalee de la Foret likes to say, “Herbs don’t like to fit into boxes.” Herbal dosages can be a complicated matter, but trust me, the more you use herbs and work through these formulas and dosing approaches, the easier it will become. Just keep at it. Don’t give up. You can learn to use herbs for your family successfully!

Have questions about determining herbal dosages? If so, leave them in the comment section below, and I’ll do my best to get to them quickly!

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