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Getting the dose right

Sebastian Pole

I started Herbal Reality in 2020 to share traditional, scientific and practical insights into herbal medicine that informs a deeper understanding of the power of plants and clinical herbalism.

Along with my herbal studies and clinical practice, much of what I have learned about the intricacies of the herbal world has come from my time with Pukka Herbs that I co-founded in 2001.

I have travelled to hundreds of organic farms around the world pioneering sustainable herbal value chains, rigorous quality systems and a regenerative approach to business.

I now work with Earthsong Seeds, a medicinal seed project in the UK growing over 100 species to encourage the tradition of the self-empowered apothecary; growing and making health-remedies yourself. I am also a trustee of Earthsong Foundation and serve on the Advisory Board of the American Herbal Pharmacopoeia.

I have written Ayurvedic Medicine: The Principles of Traditional Practice, A Pukka Life, and Cleanse, Nurture, Restore with Herbal Tea.

Getting the dose right

Here we will look at how you can achieve the perfect dose for each herb through exploration of the six tastes.

Ayurveda has a theory that anything can be a food, a medicine or a poison, depending on ‘Who is having How much of What and When‘. We all know when we have had too much of something, be it cold wind, hot sun or pizza. But do we really know how to use herbs in the right way and at the right dose? For example, fresh ginger root is a delicious flavour in food and helps digestion. It can be a stimulating medicine when used for therapeutic purposes, such as in a hot tea to ease a cold or induce a sweat. However, if too much is taken it can cause acidity, hence acting as a poison in the wrong circumstances. That is why there is no absolute right dose per se, there are some long tested methods used in herbalism.

“There is nothing in the world which does not have therapeutic utility in appropriate conditions and situations.” – Charaka Samhita

Just as ‘One person’s meat is another person’s poison’ a therapeutic dose depends as much on the specific nature of the herb you are using as on the person’s age, sex, constitution, digestive capacity, strength, stage of the disease and the season in which the treatment takes place. All these need to be considered to ensure ‘you’ as a complete entity are seen in context.

(Very) Generally speaking:

  • Low dose (0.5-3g of herb powder) balances and nourishes the natural functions of the body
  • Medium dose (3-9g) stimulates a specific therapeutic effect that treats a systemic imbalance
  • High dose (9-30g) either drains or tonifies the whole system
Sebastian Pole

I started Herbal Reality in 2020 to share traditional, scientific and practical insights into herbal medicine that informs a deeper understanding of the power of plants and clinical herbalism. Along... Read more

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