Dear Stephen,
Is there a maximum dosage for smilax? I’ve worked up to 10 grams a day in a decoction and an unexpected benefit is that it seems to be clearing my lungs of congestion that I didn’t even realize was such a problem. I can now breathe deeper. I would like to go higher to see if I can get any more relief but thought I’d better check with what you consider to be a safe upper limit. I’ve read recently of a clinical study in China using 60-150 g in combination with scutellaria b, stephania t, and artemisia to treat syphilis and leptospirosis. Although I don’t plan on going that high, how high do you think I could safely go?
Stephen’s response:
I consider smilax a food grade herb and the Chinese do use large doses with safety and have for millennia. I don’t know what the upper limit would be—like anything, inching up on it is best and then decreasing the dose if you hit side effects.
Stephen
-
Stephen Harrod Buhner was an Earth poet and an award-winning author of twenty-four books on nature, indigenous cultures, the environment, and herbal medicine including the acclaimed book Healing Lyme: Natural Healing & Prevention of Lyme Borreliosis & Its Co-infections.
Stephen came from a long line of healers including Leroy Burney, Surgeon General of the United States under Eisenhower and Kennedy, and Elizabeth Lusterheide, a midwife and herbalist who worked in rural Indiana in the early nineteenth century. The greatest influence on his work, however, was his great-grandfather C.G. Harrod who primarily used botanical medicines, also in rural Indiana, when he began his work as a physician in 1911.
Stephen’s work has appeared or been profiled in publications throughout North America and Europe including Common Boundary, Apotheosis, Shaman’s Drum, The New York Times, CNN, and Good Morning America. Stephen lectured yearly throughout the United States on herbal medicine, the sacredness of plants, the intelligence of Nature, and the states of mind necessary for successful habitation of Earth.
He was a tireless advocate for the reincorporation of the exploratory artist, independent scholar, amateur naturalist, and citizen scientist in American society – especially as a counterweight to the influence of corporate science and technology.
View all posts
0 Comments