Herbal Dosages
Herbal preparations come in a variety of forms, both liquid and solid. Because they are not compounded in the same fashion as pharmaceutical drugs, the dosages may be more difficult to interpret. For instance, each of the following preparations could be made using an equal amount (approximately 1 gram) of a dried herb (or its parts) (Rotblatt and Ziment, 2002):
· 5 ml or a 1:5 liquid
· 1 ml of a 1:1 liquid
· 250 mg of a 4:1 solid extract
· 200 mg of a 5:1 powder
Even so, preparations with the same reported herb/extract ratio may not be equivalent in potency. Methods of growing, processing and storing herbs may create significant differences, even among batches from the same manufacturer.
Click for a glossary of terms that may be helpful in understanding the prescribed amount of various herbal remedies.