Determining the proper dosage requires some experience, careful observation, skill and a little bit of guesswork. As you increase your herbal pharmacopeia, you will begin to increase your knowledge of the individual herbs and gain more confidence in your ability to safely determine dosages.
There are many things to consider when calculating the correct dosage for herbal preparations. What are the actions of the herb, and do they have any toxic side effects? Are they going to be used to treat a specific health problem or are they tonic in nature? You will also need to consider the person the preparation is being made for: Is he or she relatively healthy or are there other health concerns that need to be taken into consideration? Is the condition chronic or acute and is it excess or deficient in nature?
It is fairly easy to administer herbs to yourself as you will be able to judge how your body responds to the herbal preparations. Carefully observe any reactions you feel in your body, and pay careful attention to the reactions of anyone using your herbal preparations. Just remember to always start with the smallest dosage and only work up to larger dosages as necessary.
Adult Dosages
The dosages here have been adapted from Rosemary Gladstar’s book “Herbal Recipes for Vibrant Health.”
Chronic conditions: long-term imbalances such as arthritis, back pain, and hay fever are examples of chronic conditions. The following are merely guidelines for treating chronic conditions:
- Tea: 2 to 4 cups daily for several weeks
- Syrups: 1/2 to 1 teaspoon 2 to 3 times daily
- Extracts or Tinctures: 1/2 to 1 teaspoon 2 to 3 times daily
- Capsules or Tablets: 2 capsules or tablets 2 to 3 times daily
Acute conditions: burns, toothaches, migraines, and the onset of the cold or flu are examples of acute conditions. The following are merely guidlines for treating acute conditions.
- Tea: 1/4 to 1/2 cup taken throughout the day, up to 3 to 4 cups
- Syrups: 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon every hour until symptoms are relieved
- Extracts or Tinctures: 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon every hour until symptoms are relieved
- Capsules or Tablets: 1 capsule or tablet every hour until symptoms subside
Children Dosages
The suggested dosages here are adapted from Rosemary Gladstar’s book (Herbal Recipes for Vibrant Health.)
When the adult dosage is 1 cup (8 oz) calculate the appropriate dosage for children using the following:
- Younger than 2 years of age: 1/2 to 1 teaspoon
- 2 to 4 years of age: 2 teaspoons
- 4 to 7 years of age: 1 tablespoon
- 7 to 11 years of age: 2 tablespoons
When the adult dosage is 1 teaspoon or 60 grains/drops
- Younger than 3 months of age: 2 grains/drops
- 3 to 6 months of age: 3 grains/drops
- 6 to 9 months of age: 4 grains/drops
- 9 to 12 months of age: 5 grains/drops
- 12 to 18 months of age: 7 grains/drops
- 18 to 24 months of age: 8 grains/drops
- 2 to 3 years of age: 10 drops/grains
- 3 to 4 years of age: 12 grains/drops
- 4 to 6 years of age: 15 grains/drops
- 6 to 9 years of age: 24 grains/drops
- 9 to 12 years of age: 30 grains/drops
How Much is a Drop?
The following conversion chart has also been adapted from Rosemary Gladstar’s book “Herbal Recipes for Vibrant Health.”
If you run across a recipe that uses drops as a unit of measure, (which I’m sure you will) here are some basic conversions:
Teaspoons Dropperfuls ML
1/4 1 (35 drops) 1
1/2 2.5 (88 drops) 2.5
1 5 (175 drops) 5