Most herbal tinctures or extracts should be taken on a relatively empty stomach, up to 30 minutes before eating or between meals after 2 hours from the last time you ate anything substantial. This will allow for better absorption.
Why Tinctures? You’ll be ahead of the game by using a liquid tincture or extract instead of encapsulated powders. Absorption will begin right away instead of beginning the process in the gut or small intestine where slow digesting foods, like dairy products, may partially block absorption.
Regarding Sleep If the herbal tincture offers the benefits of improving energy, endurance, stamina, and mental clarity, such as Eleuthero, Rhodiola, or Cat’s Claw, it makes sense to take it in the morning and never before bedtime.
Conversely, if the herbal tincture offers sedation effects that include skeletal relaxants such as Elephant Head Betony; nervines such as Skullcap; or smooth muscle relaxants such as Valerian Root, you should definitely plan to take them when you are not operating a vehicle and most reasonably at bedtime.
Multiple Times Per Day Herbals that need to be taken more than once a day to keep working in the system, such as immunomodulators, antibacterials or antivirals, should be dosed as regularly as possible. If you find you have to take your dosage with food rather than between meals, then take it when you are able in order to stay on a regular schedule.
How Much Should I Order? To help you determine in advance how much to order so you will be able to stay on schedule, based on the dosages for specific use, be sure to read the Use/Dosage section on each Beneficial Botanicals product page –scroll down to see it. For tinctures with partial or whole teaspoon dosages, here’s a helpful tip: One 2 ounce bottle contains approximately 12 teaspoons. You can find a chart of dosage equivalents in our section called Reference Info.
Time To Work Plant based medicines are very different from pharmaceuticals that are made by chemical synthesis. Our bodies work with them in alliance, and sometimes this means taking longer periods of time to see the benefits. Dosages may seem small, but duration of use may be longer than what you are expecting. With that said, never underestimate the power of herbals and always respect the guidelines for their use.