calliecritturs
Posted : 10/14/2012 12:28:09 AM
How many mg of basil do you put in your spaghetti sauce??
I'm joking but I'm serious. The amounts are only weights. Milk thistle is an herb -- meaning it's a plant. There is nothing in "nature" that says "however much fits in that little capsule is a dose". The capsules are for OUR convenience.
In total honesty -- what truly matters is that it's a good quality milk thistle. There is only about 1/4 tsp in a regular sized capsule. Milk thistle is not a "strong" herb -- it requires quite a bit of it to protect the liver and aid liver function as well as 'detox' the liver. I typically buy mine in bulk (no capsules) so I would tell you to give him a teaspoon of milk thistle twice a day for a week. (that's 4 capsules - but if you can take it out of the capsules and mix it in something like yogurt, meat baby food or something kinda yummy to add to his food.
Milk thistle isn't bitter -- mine will lick it up off the floor if it spills.
If you were asking me about a different herb -- like white willow bark (that's an NSAID similar to aspirin) -- I'd tell you "less than half a capsule" even for a dog Gibby's size. It's potent stuff. But if you looked on the label it would probably say the same exact thing that the milk thistle says -- the "dose" is typically not realistic at all.
My point is -- "how much" needs to be determined by how much of that particular herb will it take to accomplish what you want to do. Just like you wouldn't add the same amount of chopped garlic to that spaghetii sauce as you would basil. And you'd use less FRESH basil than you would dried basil. So it depends on what "form" the herb takes.
If you think Gibby won't take the powder you can leave the capsules intact -- it doesn't work as easily (the cellulose capsule itself is a bit more difficult to digest)
How much it "weighs" will depend on a lot -- it will depend on what quality the herb itself is and what parts of the plant were harvested.
You CAN use tincture rather htan the dried herb. A tincture is a liquid -- but typically it's decocted in alcohol. It's more potent than the dried herb so you'd only need like a dropperful rather than four capsules.
I always kinda sigh when someone mentions "mg" and "herb" in the same sentence. Simply because it's mis-leading. Quality is such a huge deal with herbs -- and price doesn'st ensure quality -- higher quality is stuff that is organic or wildcrafted (that's another whole long post).
I hope I answered you without confusing you.
[edited because I can't spell]