Herb Dosing By Age and Weight

Most Chinese herbs have pretty straight forward dosing instructions, but using a person's age and or weight as you factor in the dose can help get the best results and avoid problems.  Here are two nice guides to help you know if you should adjust the dose you are taking (or giving to someone else)

Age-to-Dose Guidelines                                      Weight-to-Dose Guidelines

0-1 month 1/18-1/14 of adult dose                      30-40 lbs. 20-27% of adult dose
1-6 months 1/14-1/7 of adult dose                       40-50 lbs. 27-33% of adult dose
6-12 months 1/7-1/5 of adult dose                       50-60 lbs. 33-40% of adult dose
1-2 years 1/5-1/4 of adult dose                             60-70 lbs. 40-47% of adult dose
2-4 years 1/4-1/3 of adult dose                             70-80 lbs. 47-53% of adult dose
4-6 years 1/3-2/5 of adult dose                             80-100 lbs. 53-67% of adult dose
6-9 years 2/5-1/2 of adult dose                             100-120 lbs. 67-80% of adult dose
9-14 years 1/2-2/3 of adult dose                           120-150 lbs. 80-100% of adult dose
14-18 years 2/3 to full adult dose                         150-200 lbs. 100-133% of adult dose
18-60 years full adult dose                                    200-250 lbs. 133-167% of adult dose
60 years + 3/4 adult dose or less                          250-300 lbs. 167-200% of adult dose

Patients who are more than usually sensitive to foods, herbs, or drugs should begin with smaller than usual doses.

Chinese Herbal Medicine for Endometriosis

See the study on PubMed

This is a really exciting finding on Chinese herbal medicine and post laparoscopic suppression of endometriosis.  While it is small (158 women) it shows that Chinese herbal medicines are as effective or MORE than the two main western drugs used to inhibit the return of endometrial tissue post surgery.  AND it specifically notes that while there are side effects to the two Western drugs (Danazol and Gestrinone) there are NOT with chinese herbs.

I know I have seen herbal formulas do some pretty amazing things including help prevent endometriosis from returning in patients of mine who have previously had to undergo repeated laperoscopic surgeries to remove it.  PLUS, they can help with the whole person and help women feel better overall when the formula is the right match for the job.  I love studies like this and it's exciting to see more research on Chinese herbal medicine, vs. all on acupuncture (not that I mind those studies either, but acupuncture is just one aspect of Chinese medicine!)

Hurrah for HERBS for fertility

While there's always some buzz about acupuncture for improving fertility related challenges (see LOTS of my other blog posts for links to the studies) this one is EXTRA cool because it's about Chinese herbs!  Those of you who know me know I'm a totally geek for TCM herbalism, acupuncture, yeah, that's cool and all, but the elegant, nuanced things you can do with herbs REALLY make me think!  


http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22036524
To sum it all up, in a review of studies on TCM herbal medicine for fertility that includes over 1,800 cases the results, "suggests that management of female infertility with Chinese Herbal Medicine can improve pregnancy rates 2-fold within a 4 month period compared with Western Medical fertility drug therapy or IVF."


I dig it!

Improved Implantation with Chinese Herbs

While implantation is considered "the unknown frontier" of ART treatments and Eastern and Western practitioners alike are limited in their knowledge of the specifics that need to occur to encourage healthy implantation and prevent early loss, this study shows a specific Chinese formula may be helpful in promoting at least some of the factors that improve success.  The outcomes are promising.