Experimentation with Drop Dosing
Notes from sessions during a clinical level herbal apprenticeship in 2018.
Tanned skin.
Summer sun on tanned skin.
Layer of sweat. Delicious feeling.
A motorcycle. Riding on a desert highway.
A long stretch.
A vast expanse of sky. Mountains/sky/earth
Reds/ browns/yellows and creamsYUM. Effervescent. YES. I need this in my life. Joyful peace. A ripple of giddiness. All delight.
Loving arms around me.
Leaning back into these arms.
Being held.
Can you guess the plants?
What is drop dosing?
Drop dosing is a profound yet simple test to determine whether a plant is a good fit for a client. This method was taught to me by one of my herbal teachers, Leslie Lekos, who learned it from her herbal teachers. The client or student is given 1 drop of an herbal extract (alcohol extract, or tincture), without knowing ahead of time which plant it is, and then the teacher or practitioner records the impressions the student/client gives them. The drop is typically placed on the crook of the hand between pointer and thumb, so there is a skin sensation first, a scent experience, and then the drop is licked off that spot.
When working with clients drop dosing never fails to amaze me and affirm my belief in the powerful connections between plants and humans. The plants and humans choose one another to work with, and often the plants know what the human needs, even when a human resists it. One client of mine, upon tasting Yarrow, had a strong reaction, and felt very called to it, even as they were put off by Yarrow’s pungent taste. After I revealed who it was to the client and talked about Yarrow’s affinity for wounds and the liver, as well as energetically being known as a boundary support ally, this client of mine nodded enthusiastically, as they told me about their issues with their own “blood” kin, and establishing healthy boundaries. We put Yarrow in the custom formula, and month’s later when I followed up with this client, they noted a definite shift in their life!
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The above impressions are mine from three different herbal medicines, none of which I knew who they were, before I was administered the drop dose.
The answers are:
Kava
Mimosa
Motherwort
Who guessed them all correctly?
fascinating!