The severity, internal and external differences, and the distinction between deficiency and excess determine the classification of diseases. There are also upper, middle, and lower jiaos. Only by accurately diagnosing can we determine the dosage of medicine and achieve the desired therapeutic effect.
In clinical treatment of traditional Chinese medicine, medication and dosage are determined based on the principles of diagnosis and treatment. The amount of medicine must be appropriate, as excessive or insufficient dosage can affect the treatment. If the disease is severe but the medicine is too light, it would be like adding a cup of water to a burning cart, which is not enough to overcome the disease. If the disease is mild but the medicine is too heavy, it can deplete the body's vital energy or cause toxicity, even leading to death. Therefore, it is crucial to accurately grasp the dosage of Chinese medicine.
The dosage of selected Chinese herbal formulas should be determined based on the following four situations:
1. Determine the dosage based on the needs of the disease:
Generally, in the treatment of severe acute or febrile diseases, a higher dosage is often required. In the treatment of chronic diseases with mild symptoms or unclear febrile manifestations, a lower dosage is often used. The dosage of medicine should also be adjusted according to changes in the condition.
2. Determine the dosage based on the patient's constitution:
For children, the elderly, or patients with weak constitutions, the dosage should be lighter. Especially when using heat-clearing, fire-reducing, or purgative medicines for these individuals, the dosage must be light. Otherwise, excessive dosage can easily damage the vital energy and hinder the treatment. For patients with robust constitution and suffering from heat or excess conditions, a heavier dosage is appropriate to achieve the therapeutic goal.
3. Determine the dosage based on the properties of the medicine:
Some precious medicines such as ginseng, deer antler, American ginseng, saffron, seahorse, and cordyceps should not be used excessively. The dosage should be determined according to the needs of the disease to achieve therapeutic effects without causing waste. For some medicines with special therapeutic effects such as asarum, musk, and bezoar, the dosage should not exceed 1 gram. However, for commonly used and inexpensive Chinese herbs such as motherwort, cooked rehmannia, and mulberry leaves, the dosage can be as high as 20-30 grams.
4. Determine the dosage based on the texture of the medicine:
Minerals, plant roots and stems, animal shells, and bones that are heavy in texture often require a higher dosage. Examples include magnetite, cinnabar, gypsum, polygonum multiflorum, poria cocos, dragon bone, and oyster shell. Flower cores with lighter texture, such as safflower, chrysanthemum, sparganium stoloniferum, scutellaria barbata, and insect shells like cicada slough and snake slough, require a lighter dosage. Medicines with medium textures, such as fruits, root bark, stems, leaves, and whole plants of certain plants, often have moderate dosages.
