The Herbal Medicine-Maker's Handbook_ A Home Manual - James Green [7]
Following are some specific indications and an adult dosage for using the whole-plant Dandelion tincture you are presently making (see Chapter Twenty-Five, “Dosage,” to help determine corresponding children’s dosages).
For physical comfort take 30 to 50 drops of tincture 3 to 4 times daily to:
relieve intestinal gas and poor digestion that is due to insufficient bile
relieve constipation that is due to sluggish liver activity
help eliminate skin eruptions that are due to sluggish liver activity
relieve difficulty in urinating and/or water retention
use as a blood purifier to treat chronic auto-toxemia which is contributing to rheumatism, arthritis, and/or skin eruptions
The dosage I have suggested is low for this particular herb, for Dandelion is safe, gentle, and shows no toxicity. Some herbalists recommend 150 to 300 drops (approx. 5 to 10 ml) of Dandelion tincture three times a day as a basic adult dosage. However, it is prudent to begin with a low dosage regardless of the herb you consider using. Dosages can always be increased after observing your reaction to a new substance. To gain the full benefit of Dandelion when employing it as a tonic, it is often best to continue its use for at least one month up to a year, depending on the individual’s response and needs. A second year of use can be beneficial and appropriate for some individuals. For the bodies of these folks, Dandelion is good food.
This act of nourishing yourself with herbs is fully affordable now that you are harvesting your own herbs and learning to make tinctures and other extracts for yourself. Remember, like the mind, the body appreciates and responds most favorably to variety (diversity). Don’t take any food or herbal remedy every day. Take the remedy for 6 days a week with a random day off; do this for three to four weeks, then take a few days off, and so on. And when using Dandelion, it is quite appropriate to change the delivery vehicle by preparing this tonic herb as an herbal tea (a decoction). Drink it with the tincture, or alternate a dose (1 cup) of tea with a dose of tincture, or use Dandelion tea in place of Dandelion tincture altogether, drinking a cupful twice a day.
So, now you have an herbal tincture in the making, and you know how to store and use this specific health-supporting herbal tonic once the extraction process is completed. Meanwhile, during the following hours when you are not eating, dreaming, working, playing, or shaking your tincture, we can explore more ideas concerning the home practice of Herbalism and consider other forms of herbal extracts you can make.
It’s a jungle garden out there; roots and flowers are everywhere. That’s why this leafy turquoise planet is so dear to the hearts of herbalists. Here we enjoy an unending variety of plants and animals to embrace as our allies and teachers. But for an enthusiastic student herbalist, who has just entered through some unassuming personal gate into the vast forest of Herbalism, sorting out Earth’s immense herbal diversity can be somewhat bewildering.
Question: How many herbs should I know to be an effectual herbalist?
Answer: 30 … well, maybe 35 … and probably a fungus as well.
How’s that for an assertive air of authority? Someone has to act like he or she knows the answer to that question. I’ll reference the source of this authority shortly.
Certainly, most herbalists I know strongly recommend that a student limit his or her studies to “a few select herbs.” Get to know them well by learning to identify them, experience growing them when possible, communicate with them, discern when, where, and