APPENDIX A

CHILDREN’S DOSAGES

If you want to learn about which herbs are appropriate for children’s minor ailments, I recommend reading Kids, Herbs, and Health: A Parent’s Guide to Natural Remedies by Linda B. White, M. D., and Sunny Mavor and Rosemary Gladstar’s Herbal Remedies for Children’s Health by Rosemary Gladstar. As I mentioned earlier in the book, not all herbs that are safe for adults are gentle enough for children, so be sure to gather information before your trip.

There are a number of different ways to determine appropriate dosages of remedies for children. The following guidelines are specifically for the administering of herbal formulations. Young’s Rule uses age to determine dosage, while Clark’s Rule uses weight. Since a child’s weight is so individual and often seems to have little to do with age (one child may weigh 65 pounds at the age of eleven and another may weigh 110), weight is probably the more accurate yardstick. Supplement dosage should be determined in consultation with your health care practitioner.

• Young’s Rule. The child’s age divided by 12 plus the age will give the approximate child’s dose. Example: A six-year-old child.
  6 ÷ (12 + 6) = 6 ÷ 18 = .33 or 1/3 of the adult dose
• Clark’s Rule. The child’s weight (in pounds) divided by 150 (average weight in pounds for an adult) will give the approximate child’s dose. Example: An 80-pound child.
  80 ÷ 150 = .53 or 1 ÷ 2 of the adult dose
• If you’re using kilos, Clark’s Rule can be restated: The child’s weight (in kilos) divided by 70 (average weight in kilos for an adult) will give the approximate child’s dose. Example: A child weighing 25 kilos.
  25 ÷ 70 = .4 or 2 ÷ 5 of the adult dose.