A patient in my Washington DC acupuncture practice asked me the other day about how to take his herbs. He was taking the herbs based on the Sexual Health for Men Over 40 herbal protocol that I featured in my last newsletter. (By the way, he had already started on the dietary recommendations in the article and was experiencing excellent results.)
As I was writing down the dosages for each herb, I realized some important insights I had gained over the past years of using herbs that I wanted to communicate to him, but we didn’t have time because it was the end of the appointment.
Listening to Your Body
The most important insight is that when using herbs (or pharmaceuticals, for that matter), it is of the utmost importance to listen to your body.
Find out how your body feels when you take your herbs, supplements or pharmaceuticals. Maybe you have a sense that you need a higher dosage. Maybe you feel overdosed. Maybe your problem has been resolved and you wonder whether continued medication is necessary.
A Partnership-Driven Approach to Healthcare
These are all very important questions, and asking them and getting them answered is a fundamental part of becoming empowered as your own best doctor or physician. While doctors, acupuncturists, and herbalists may have specialized knowledge, your knowledge of your body and emotions are a key ingredient in this team-centered, partnership-driven healthcare approach.
The Benefits of Herbs
Herbs may help:
- Calm anxiety
- Promote more peaceful sleep
- Boost energy
- Clarify the mind
- Ease muscle and joint pain
- Heal PMS and menstrual issues
- Boost immunity and prevent colds and flus
- Clear congestion and heal sinus infections
These are just a few of the many benefits of herbal medicine. Humans have had a medicinal relationship with herbs most likely for hundreds of thousands of years.
Herbs vs. Pharmaceuticals
Herbs are composed of thousands of different molecules and components, each of them “active ingredients” in their own way. The human body treats these thousands of constituents like a “menu,” selecting the molecules that will be beneficial to the body, and excreting the rest. Because herbs have so many constituents, a single herb is able to perform a variety of functions. This is why, for example, high quality ginseng will both boost energy levels and calm the emotions and spirit.
In contrast, pharmaceuticals (oftentimes composed of molecules extracted from herbs), are constructed of just one molecule. While this provides a more powerful effect, it also has a much stronger potential for throwing the body off balance, thus causing side effects.
Side effects
As is well known, pharmaceuticals have a lot of side effects, many of them very serious, and some deadly. In contrast, herbs have a much milder effect on the body. However, sensitivities to herbs can occur in the form of digestive upset, allergic reactions, headaches, etc. in some individuals. Although side effects from herbs are much less common than side effects from pharmaceuticals, they can occur, so please be sure to notify your acupuncturist if you are experiencing any unwanted symptoms.
Listen to Your Body, part II
The most important consideration when taking herbs (or pharmaceuticals) is to listen to your body. “Listening” means paying attention to how your body feels during and after you take your herbs. Sometimes the effects of herbs can be subtle at first, so listening helps you know if you are starting to experience their benefits.
By listening to your body, you will know
- What effects the herbs are helping you achieve
- If the herbs are helping your symptoms
- If the herbs aren’t working at all
- If you’re taking the right dosage – or too little, or too much
Tablets, Powder, Tea or Tincture?
Herbs come in a variety of formats:
- Tablets: Herbs are processed, dried, and compressed into a tablet
- Capsules: Herbs are processed, dried, and put into capsules
- Powder: Herbs are dried and ground into powder
- Tea: Herbs are dried and put into a tea bag for steeping
- Raw herbs: Herbs are dried, cut up, and left in their natural form, and then brewed as a decoction (or tea) at home by the patient
- Tincture: Herbs are soaked in alcohol for a period of time, and then strained into bottles. Tinctures are taken by the dropper.
Your acupuncturist will usually recommend a format to you based on effectiveness for your condition, and other factors. As a patient, you can request your preferred format, based on whether you want to taste the herbs or not, the convenience of portable tablets and capsules versus teas, and other factors.
Dosage
Herb dosages are composed of:
1. Frequency: how many times per day
2. Timing: before food, after food, before bed, etc.
3. Amount per serving: 1 tablet, 3 capsules, 2 droppers, etc.
Your acupuncturist or herbalist will give you a recommended dosage for your herbs, including frequency, timing, and amount.
Dosage Considerations
Each body is different, and your body changes from day to day. Therefore, the dosage, or amount,, you take will affect you in a slightly different way each day. These differences may be so subtle that you don’t notice; or, they may be strong, in which case, you will need to modulate your dosages accordingly.
Start off with a small dosage:
- When starting with an herb, I always recommend people begin with low doses. Many people are able to start experiencing positive benefits from a low dosage. It is best to start small, give your body a change to respond and absorb these positive benefits, and then slowly increase to the recommended dosage. Your acupuncturist or herbalist will tell you how to modulate this increase.
Listen to your body:
- While increasing your dosage, you may notice you are experiencing the desired result, or feel like you’re taking the right amount, before you’ve reached the recommended dose. Congratulations! You’ve successfully taken control of your own health care, and become your own best doctor. At this point, let your acupuncturist know the dosage level you’ve reached, and after discussing your situation, you can make a decision about how to move forward.
Why doesn’t my doctor pay such close attention to my dosage?
- Most likely, it is because some doctors do not choose to spend the time on carefully helping their patients modulate the dosage of their medications. This is due in part to the way they were trained, and in part to the fact that they have so little time with each patient. This situation is caused by the financial constraints imposed by several factors in the current healthcare system. Unfortunately, this increases the chances of side effects due to excessive dosage of medication.
- While doctors may check in on a patient’s dosage every 6 months, an acupuncturist will check in as often as once a week, and recommend dosage and prescription changes as needed.
Make an appointment
For more information about how Chinese herbal medicine can help your particular health condition, contact our Washington DC acupuncture office, and for appointments, see our scheduling page.
