How do I take a tincture ?
It’s probably the most common question I get. Do I take it with anything, because it tastes horrible. ha! Yes, it’s strong and concentrated. It’s meant to be that way.
Determining Dosage
Even in conventional allopath medicine, determination of dosage is far more arbitrary than we’re led to believe. Herbalists are usually quicker to admit that determining dosage involves some skill and experience, a healthy touch of “inner knowing,” careful observation, and a bit of guesswork.
To determine the proper dosage of an herbal preparation, you must consider the herbs used to make it: What are their primary actions? Do they have any toxic side effects? Are they tonic in nature or are they used to treat a specific health problem or organ system? Consider the constitution of the person: Is she or he relatively healthy? Robust or sensitive? Weak or debilitated? And, finally, consider the nature of the imbalance or illness you want to address: Is it chronic or acute? Excess or deficient in nature?
These clinical factors will help you determine a reasonable dosage, but ultimately you must trust the wisdom of your own body (or that of the person being treated). Listen to what it tells you. Watch how it responds. The body itself offers the best guidelines for what - and how mush - it needs.
For those who are just beginning their herbal studies, the guidelines below will be helpful in getting started. Remember always to use the smallest dosage that will get the job done, working up only as necessary.
Adult Dosage
Chronic Problems: are long-term imbalances such as hay fever, arthritis, back pain, insomnia, and long-standing bronchial problems. Chronic problems can, however, flare up with acute symptoms. Follow these guidelines for treating chronic problems. Tea: 3 to 4 cups daily for several weeks. Extracts/Tincture: 1/2 to 1 teaspoon three times daily. Capsules/Tablets: 2 capsules three times daily. (I can turn any tincture blend into a tea or capsule if you prefer, just contact me.)
Acute Problems: are sudden, reaching a crisis and needing quick attention. Examples of acute problems include toothaches, migraines, bleeding, burns, and sudden onset of cold or flu. Follow these guidelines for treating acute health problems. Tea: 1/4 to 1/2 cup served throughout the day, up to 3 or 4 cups. Extract/Tinctures: 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon every 30 to 60 minutes until symptoms subside. Capsules/Tablets: 1 capsule every hour until symptoms subside.
Child Dosage
Most of the children’s tinctures are glycerin based and have the dosage listed on the bottle. In cases of babies, I advise 1 drop per the month-age of baby. So if a baby is 4 months, use 4 drops, three times a day. If you increase the number of doses, I advise you to cut the dosage in half. And if you are giving a baby the Baby Ease tincture, use 1 drop before each feed. And with children, weight is taken into consideration. So, if a child is close to an adult weight, then give an adult dose. If kids won’t take tinctures, contact me and I can design a tea for them. Sometimes kids do better drinking a tea.
How much is a drop?
Have you ever been frustrated by a recipe that provides one type of measurement only? Here are some basic conversions to keep in mind:
Teaspoons Dropperfuls Milliliters
1/4 1 (35 drops) 1
1/2 2.5 (88 drops) 2.5
1 5 (175 drops) 5
What does the bottle say?
You will see on most of my bottles is says “Take 6 to 12 drops, Three times a day”. That is a low, general dose for maintenance, a safe dose to start with and a dose that is general in case people don’t read my long explanation of dosing. If you were to take it as a healthy person, young or old, that would be a safe dose for all ages. There are a few tinctures that have different doses, for specific reasons. If you need more information on dosing of tinctures, please contact me.
How many drops are in a 2 ounce bottle?
Good question! It’s a LOT!! Rough estimate is 1,180 drops… give or take a few. So how long will a 2 ounce tincture last? Good question, too! Depends on how many drops you take. I’m not good at math, so you get to figure that out.
