How to Take Herbs

Sadly, many of the herbs we sell here at Lost Empire Herbs are a bit on the weird or unknown side for the average man and woman. Just what are you supposed to do with these often-times-bad-tasting powders and tinctures?

That’s what this video is about…to give you the basic rundown on how you should use your Lost Empire herbs.

General Key Points:

We have a few of our products in capsules (and more coming in the future). We live in a pill and capsule world. You know how to take capsules, so that is not really what this video is about. 

Dosage varies widely amongst different herbs. For instance, Tongkat Ali is just 100mg twice per day. Meanwhile, a megadose of Pine Pollen can be three tablespoons or ten grams. That’s a hundred-fold difference!

* Every herb has a recommended dose on the label. This is often a range too. It is recommended to start on the low end of the range. Notice any benefits or lack thereof then feel free to increase the dosage. You can also go outside of this range too.

For Tinctures:

The preferred delivery method is sublingual. This means squirting the tincture under your tongue and holding it there for approximately 30 seconds. As the cell walls are thin in this area, it allows the tincture to absorb straight into your bloodstream. Note that Pine Pollen tincture specifically is a high alcohol percentage (70%!). It is going to burn a bit so be forewarned. The reason for this is that high alcohol is best for extracting the hormonal components. All other tinctures are a lower alcohol percentage so they won’t burn as much.

While not preferred, tinctures will still work if you squirt them into water or other liquids. If you are sensitive to alcohol you can squirt the tincture into boiling water. Alcohol has a lower boiling point than water so much of it will evaporate off.  * We often use the term a “dropperful”. This refers to really half of the pipette being full and is equal to approximately 30 drops or 1.5 mL. It is a dropperful in the sense that when you squeeze the bulb that is how much liquid is drawn into it. Typically you can’t actually fill the entire thing no matter how you try.

For Powders:

If you are taking a small dose (a half teaspoon or under) you can throw the powder straight into your mouth and then wash it down with water or another liquid. If you take a larger dose, this is not recommended as the powder can become a choking hazard (not that you’ll choke so much as end up coughing the powder everywhere). 

A trick that works for bitter tasting powders such as Tongkat Ali, or anything else a half teaspoon or less, is to get water in your mouth first, throw the powder on top of this, then swallow it down similar to a capsule. Water, powder, water.

The simplest way to take powdered herbs, including in bigger doses, is to mix them in water and then drink. Note that some herbs are more soluble in water than others, meaning they dissolve better. Others will clump up to some degree. Stirring vigorously and then drinking quickly helps with this. Besides water, herbs can also be added to juice, tea or coffee.

* You can use a blender to make a shake or smoothie and add in one or more herbs to this. In general, having food with herbs, especially a fat source, tends to help aid in absorption.

For Combinations:

Unless otherwise noted all herbs can be combined! (At the current time as of writing this there are no notes that say otherwise). When combining herbs it is good to know their tastes. Some tastes go well together. Other tastes go poorly together. Sometimes one taste can help mask another.

* It is useful to note the good tasting herbs such as Goji Berry Juice Powder, Seabuckthorn, Beet Juice Powder, and Black Maca Powder. These can be used to make various herbal combinations tastier.

For more information about the specific herbs you’ve purchased from us, you can refer to the product detail pages. Tips on dosage, taste, and use are usually found near the bottom of the page. In addition, we usually have a video discussing the herb that offers similar tips.