Lindsey Health Clinic

Dosing Guidelines by Age and Weight

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The standard dose of herbal extracts for an average adult is 6 grams per day, usually divided into two or more doses through the day. Take the herbs on an empty stomach 1 hour before meals or 2 hours after meals. Heat clearing and purgative herbs can be taken with meals should they upset the stomach. Take the herbs at least 2 hours apart from prescription medication or other supplements. Serve with warm water. (If taking granules, dissolve the granules in warm water and drink like tea. Granules do not dissolve well and may clump up in cold or hot water.)

In treating acute or severe cases, dosage of some herbal formulas may be increased up to 20 grams per day. Since not everyone is an “average adult,” the fundamental concept in dosing is to realize that one size does not fit all. Every person is unique and must be treated individually.

The principle behind the Age-To-Dose Dosing Guideline is assessment of the maturity of the organs’ ability to metabolize, utilize, and eliminate herbs. This detailed chart is especially useful for adjusting dosages for infants and younger children. The recommendations are taken from Herbology, published by Nanjing College of Traditional Chinese Medicine.

The principle underlying the Weight-To-Dose Dosing Guideline is based on gauging the effective concentration of the herb or herbal combination after it is distributed throughout the body. This dosing strategy is especially useful for patients whose body weight falls outside of the normal range. All calculations are based on Clark's Rule in Pharmaceutical Calculations, by Mitchell Stoklosa and Howard Ansel.

These two charts provide the herbal practitioner with a handy reference for calculating dosages for those patients who fall outside the definition of an ‘average adult.’ It is still important to keep in mind, however, that these charts serve only as a guideline--not an absolute rule. One must always remember to treat each patient as a unique individual, not as an 'average case' or a chart!

 

 

Table I. Age-To-Dose Dosing Guideline

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