How much of an herb do you take? Observations on herbal dosages.

6/20/23

The amount of herbs you need to take can be a tricky thing and is very much dependent on the person taking them. 

A lot of herbalists say 3 cups of herbal tea a day or 3 ml of tincture is a medicinal dose. After 7 years of clinical practice I politely disagree with this statement. I think of it more as a tonifying dose.

When someone has had a severe health imbalance for years you need to overwhelm the imbalanced energy, starting with a greater quantity of herbs and then slowly reducing the amount as the person is coming into balance. 

That being said, I do always recommend people start with just taking a little bit of an herbal formula first (if it has herbs the person has not tried before) to make sure there will not be an allergic reaction. Then after 3 days they can scale up the dosage.

Some of the exceptions:

There are also the cases where some people are a lot more sensitive to changes in their bodies than others. If you are someone who shifts easily, start with the tonifying amount and see where that gets you before scaling up. 

Children also shift very quickly and need very little of an herb. 

If you are having just a slight imbalance, for instance, a mild hormonal issue that popped up in the last couple of months (such as light cramping or light acne etc.) then the 3 cups or 3ml a day will probably be enough to help you balance out. 

Want to learn more about herbs? Check out my monthly virtual herb classes! In the classes we go over how the herb improves your health, different ways to use the herb, how you can use Chinese Medicine theory to improve your health at home, and so much more! Check out more details here.