You know you want to use herbs.
But how much should you take and how often.
What is too little to get a desired effect?
What is too much for the body to handle? How do I figure this out.
Here are some general guidelines to help you in knowing what to do while knowing that each person is unique and needs and situations are always changing. Flexiblity and awareness are the name of the game.
Adult Dosage: Generally an adult is figured to be around 140-175 pounds.
Take the dosage and frequency according to your weight
Child Dosage: Take the child's weight and if it is half an average adult weight then do half a dose. if the child weighs 75 pounds, use half dosage. if the child ways 30 pounds use about 1/5 dosage.
Using herbs is not as exact as pharmaceuticals.
Acute Dosages: When one is treating an acute situation use the herbs at the high end of the recommended dosage and more frequently, every 1-2 hours until the symptoms reduce. Then, reduce dosage and frequency gradually as symptoms recede unless there is an axacerbation then increase accordingly.
Dosing a Tonic: A tonic is taken in lower doses but over a longer period of time even 1 year possibly as when rebuilding a system or nourishing after a large out put of energy or an illness, or other period of challenge. a tonic may only be 3 droppers twice per day or 5 ddroppers 1 times per day and maybe not everyday but 5 days per qeek to be reduced as strength is regained but continued until fully strengthened.
If a product doesnt have a dosage or you have made the medicine yourself. A low dose is 6 droppers a day, medium is 9-12 droppers per day and high dosage is 12-15 droppers per day for an average adult.
But what is a dropper? Droppers for various size bottles have different amounts of liquid in them due to the physics of displacement of air and liquid and the amount of extract in the bottle as in full or close to empty. so as a rule of thumb, 1 dropper equals 1 ml. 5 droppers equals 5 mls which also equals 1 teaspoon. 2.5 droppers equals 2.5 mls and also equals 1/2 teaspoon.
1 dropper will vary but will almost never fill completely. it doesnt matter that much but use teaspoons if exactness is your comfort zone.
Seasonal Dosing: If you always get sick in winter, boost your immune system with a tonic or your lungs with a tonic starting 3 months before as in September to prepare the body for the time it usually feels challenged. this can help to change the pattern. if you always have allergies or are a tax accountant so winter into spring finds you working 60+ hours a week, use an Adrenal tonic starting in January for instance. or you are an athlete preparing for a long race, use your tonic all the way through training as part of your preparation..
For all these situations use a medium dose or start low, go to medium and then full as you come into the time of challenge.
I hope this gives you some information to make you feel more comfortable using herbs. they are wonderful potent allies on our journey.
​Be Well and let us know if we can help.