Dosing and Formulas 101
Blooming goldenrod
Determining the correct dose of an herbal remedy can often be confusing for people and is one of the most frequent questions that I come across when discussing herbal remedies with people. There are many different schools of thought related to dosing, so I am going to try to give a general overview of the different types of dosing, (briefly!) discuss formulas vs individual herbs, and then at the end I will summarize the way I practice.
A few notes on terms: When referring to “drops” of a remedy, I am referring to actual drops of tinctures measured out using a dropper – I will discuss teas a bit towards the end of the entry too. In this article, “tinctures” refer to the extraction of plant material in alcohol or, sometimes, vinegar or vegetable glycerin. And, when referring to “toxic” herbs, th is a spectrum of herbs with the potential to cause unpleasant side effects (vomiting, gastritis, etc.) to injury or even death. Of course, there are few hard and fast rules to dosing, so there is a lot of room for discussion for different styles and practices – I’d love to hear what you’ve been taught too!
* Please also keep in mind this is meant as an informational post - if you are being provided herbs by your herbalist/acupuncturist, please follow the dosage guidelines they give you, and ask them if you have any questions regarding your specific remedy. *
Drop Dose vs Energetic Doses
Drop doses (sometimes called “low dose”) typically refer to herbal remedies that can be toxic at larger doses or could have negative effects if too much is taken, and so dosing is given in the maximum amount of drops of tincture someone should take at one time. For example, Pulsatilla is an herb that can be taken carefully at very small doses, such as a few drops at a time, one to two times per day. However, if taken in larger doses or too frequently, Pulsatilla can be toxic. There are many herbs that are like this and are often noted in reference material as either as herbs to avoid taking or to take in “drop dose only.” Some herbs are even recommended at a single drop per day diluted in water! The use of these herbs are often recommended only for people who have well researched the herb and are often best used with guidance from someone who has received training with the herb. The reason it is important to get specific training in these herbs is because the potential for toxicity (as in hurting or killing someone) is very high!
Energetic doses are tinctures that are also given just a few drops at a time, but it can be the dose for all kinds of plants, not just potentially toxic ones. There are many reasons people may choose to dose their herbs this way; a few reasons include that it is more ecologically sound (because it uses much less plant matter), it acts as more of a gentle “nudge” to the body rather than a “push” of a larger dose, and smaller doses allow for the energetic properties of the plant to communicate with your body in a way that larger material doses don’t. Also, smaller doses are economical – you use less of the product, so it lasts much, much longer! Energetic doses are often 5 drops or less a few times each day.
Material Doses
Material doses are larger doses, such as 30-60 drops or more, which is what is often what is listed on tincture bottles that you can find in stores. These doses provide the “material” qualities of the herb, or the herbal constituents that are described when talking about the components of the herb (like tannins, etc.). This is a very common way of dosing herbs in Western herbalism, both when using single herbs or a formula. Large material doses are also almost exclusively how herbs are dosed in Chinese medicine (though Chinese medicine almost always uses herb formulas – more on that next), though smaller doses of toxic herbs are used within the formula. Tinctures are less common in Chinese medicine, but material doses can also be used with teas/decoctions and capsules/teapills.
Formulas & High Doses
Formulas are, as you may expect, a combination of different herbs at various ratios. Formulas are almost always used in Chinese medicine, and there is a long (long!) tradition of formulas designed for specific pattern diagnoses, some coming from texts as far back as 200-250 BCE. Often these formulas are customized to the patient, but sometimes they aren’t. Some formulas are so common that they are easy to buy premade in a variety of formats (capsules, teapills, powdered) and are often standardized. This means, generally speaking, the Yin Qiao San you see for sale has the same herbs and formula, regardless of the brand (but there are always exceptions to the rule, so always double check!). Japanese herbal medicine, called Kampo, uses standardized formulas that are regulated by the Japanese government and are rarely customized to the patient. Traditional Korean medicine also uses formulas. Both Kampo and Traditional Korean medicine were influenced by classical Chinese medicine formulas, but (of course!) also have their own methods and traditions too.
Western herbalism does use formulas, but not as universally as Chinese medicine. Often, if you see herbs for sale in stores, you can see individually tinctured/capsuled herbs alongside prepared formulas. However, most of the formulas available are proprietary to the company – meaning each company makes their own version and there are no standardized formulas. There are some folk formulas or recipe guides, such as Fire Cider, but more often than not, this is not the case in Western herbalism.
When taking a formula with the intention of someone receiving the material dose for all of the herbs, a higher dose is often required than if you were taking just a single herb. This is because you will get less of each individual herb if it is taken at the same dose as a single herb. So, for example, if you would ordinarily want someone to receive 30 drops of one herb and add that herb to a formula with other herbs, simply taking 30 drops of the new formula would result in less of the single herb being consumed. However, often formulas are used for their synergistic properties rather than just the one herb’s properties, so a higher dose is not always necessary. As you can see, formulation gets pretty complicated and is too much to really dive into in this entry! If you are using the herbs on an energetic level (as described in the “low dose” section), it is not as important to increase the dose proportionally for formulas because the properties are energetic, not material.
Higher doses have both an upside and a downside when using potentially toxic herbs. If the herb should be used in small amounts, it is easy to include that in the herbal formula and is potentially safer because it limits how much of the herb someone can take (they can never take more than the maximum in the formula, versus having a whole bottle available to them, if that makes sense). Also, formulas can sometimes be designed to minimize the toxic effects with other herbs; this is common in Chinese medicine but, again, gets pretty complicated, so it is outside the scope of even this long entry! However, if you are using potentially toxic herbs in the formula, it is important to keep in mind this effect and how much someone will be consuming in the end product and be cautious when scaling. It is better to err on the side of caution! And, if you haven’t recieved specific training from someone skilled in the use of that herb, its probably best to use safer herbs.
Flower Essences
Flower essences are energetic remedies that contain the energetic/spiritual essence of the plant, but do not contain any plant constituents or compounds. They can be created in a variety of ways: sometimes someone will put the flower or plant (or mineral, tree, etc.!) in the water to create the essence, and sometimes the water will simply be near the plant/mineral/object to create the essence. These are often taken at low doses – 4 drops a few times per day is typical – and don’t really seem to have an increased effect if you take more at one time – so save your money and don’t take extra!
Preparation can change dose – tincture vs tea/capsules/teapills
Up until this point, the dosage references have been referring to tinctures. If someone wants to take teas instead, the definitions of low vs high dose are different - taking 4 drops of a tea wouldn’t make sense! Medicinal tea is brewed longer than a normal cup of tea; preparation will vary depending on the herbs in the remedy. Typically, ¼ c – ½ of a cup one to two times per day is considered an “energetic” dose of tea, whereas higher/material doses can be a full cup taken 2-3 times per day. Sometimes tonics or “daily infusions” will be 32 oz or more each day.
Chinese medicine providers in the United States often use premade powders (which are the prepared teas that have been dried and had a starch, usually potato, added) which are typically dosed around 15 g per day, split up into 3-4 times per day (so, 3-5 g of powder per drink). To take these, the powder is added to a cup of hot water and stirred to make a sort of instant tea. That dose is a generalization - whoever is giving you the tea will let you know how much to take! Some Chinese medicine herbalists will prescribe “raw” herb formulas, which mean they will provide the whole herbs (rather than the prepared powders) and you decoct, or cook at a low simmer, for an extended period of time (sometimes hours), then strain and drink.
Herbal capsules and teapills (the little black balls from Chinese remedies) are often labeled with a generic dose on the bottle. Frankly, I often ignore the dose completely and start at, minimum, half the dose, whether it is a Western or Chinese herb or formula – I tend to be pretty sensitive to herbs in general. However, some people will use much more than what is listed on the bottle! A professor I had routinely told her patients to take 30+ teapills per dose of some formulas, even though the bottles say 8. If someone is giving you the herbs, ask them what they recommend. If you are trying a new-to-you herb, I always like to err on the side of a lower dose first so I can see how I will react to it.
Things to Consider When Determining the Dose
Are you generally pretty sensitive to other herbs or things in your environment? If so, you may want to start at a lower dose and work your way up, to make sure the dose isn’t too high for you.
When you take the recommended dose, how does it make you feel? Do you feel better, or is it too strong? For example, if the purpose is to help you feel calmer, do you feel too sedated? It is okay to take less if you feel like the effect is too strong! If you were given the formula by an herbalist, reach out to them to discuss the effects and how they think you should proceed; sometimes a strong effect is the desired effect, but its okay to let them know it is too much!
How ecologically sensitive is the plant? If you are using an endangered or at-risk plant in your environment or in general, please consider using drop doses to use as little of the herb as possible, or even use flower essences instead. Here is a good place to start if you aren’t sure if the plant is at risk: https://unitedplantsavers.org/species-at-risk-list/ Even if you are only using a small amount, others may consider it safe to use a small amount too…which will add up! Personally, I use cultivated herbs almost exclusively, though sometimes that isn’t always possible (especially with Chinese herbs).
Is what you are working on acute (sudden, recent onset) or chronic? Acute conditions will sometimes react better to material doses, whereas chronic conditions sometimes respond better to longer term, gentler, lower doses.
The dose can make a big difference when looking at herb-drug and herb-herb interactions, too. Please make sure to thoroughly research all interactions before trying out new remedies, and let your herbalist know everything you’re taking. It is a big, big misconception that all herbs are safe and don’t interact with medications! If you believe herbs can have a therapeutic effect, it only makes sense to also believe they can interact with other substances you are taking. Flower essences are safe to take with medications (because they don’t actually have any plant matter in the remedy) and so they can be a safe option for people who otherwise couldn’t take herbal remedies.
Have you done enough research (with good sources) to make sure this herb is indicated for you, and that it is safe? Herbal medicine is an art, but it is also a long tradition that deserves to be respected. It is easy to get a recommendation from a friend (or online), but it is important to make sure the herb is right for you. For example: ashwagandha is having a moment right now, but it is a very warming, dry herb - so if you are already a warm, dry person, this herb isn’t right for you, and can actually make you feel worse!
How I Practice
I almost exclusively use drop/energetic doses or flower essences, especially for chronic conditions or as tonics (regular use). This is generally how I was taught and makes the most sense to me. Often, especially with chronic conditions, gentle nudges in a specific direction are safer and kinder to the body/mind/spirit than a shove. To continue the analogy, while a “shove” may get you in the direction you are hoping for, you can trip and injure yourself along the way! This is one of the principles of Vitalist herbalism: finding the smallest effective dose and using only as strong of an herb as required, but no stronger. And, sometimes an herbal remedy isn’t indicated! Sometimes, food therapy or better sleep or reducing stress are the answer, not herbs. I also appreciate the other positives I mentioned above: energetic doses are economical, and they have a smaller ecological footprint. Taking 30-60 drops multiple times per day means someone will be going through a 1 oz bottle every few days, which isn’t sustainable for most people’s wallet and definitely isn’t ecologically sustainable.
However, I do occasionally use material doses in acute physical situations, such as colds/flus. In this situation, it can sometimes be helpful to provide a stronger dose to head off the development of the condition. Also, often the remedies we are using for colds/flus specifically work because of their material properties, rather than just the energetic properties (for example, they have antibacterial/antiviral properties). So, while the energetics of the herb may also assist in acute physical situations, material doses can sometimes be appropriate! This can especially be the case when we are facing more serious infections, so they don’t gain a foothold in our body (so to speak). But, once the acute situation has passed, it is essential to go back to the process of gaining vitality through tonics and nourishing doses. It is hard to create a hard-and-fast rule for this situation, and there’s a lot of room for nuance and interpretation.
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When I set out to write this entry, I didn’t expect it to be quite so long! And I really feel like I only scratched the surface. But, I hope this answered some of the questions you may have had around how to dose herbs. Please let me know if you have any additional questions!