The Tincture Dose Trick Most People Miss (AKA: the one tiny bit of math that saves your whole night)

If tinctures have ever made you feel like you’re playing “Guess Who?” but with your nervous system, you’re not alone. I swear everyone starts out doing some version of: “Uh… a squeeze? Two squeezes? A heroic squeeze??” and then wonders why the results are inconsistent.

Here’s the trick: once you calculate your tincture’s mg per mL one time, dosing stops being a vibe and starts being a plan. A boring little plan, sure. But boring is exactly what you want when you’re trying to sleep and not accidentally attend a 3 hour anxiety seminar in your own head.

(Quick note: I’m not your clinician, cannabis legality varies, and if you take daily meds or have health conditions, ask a medical pro before you experiment. This post is general info + harm reduction, not medical advice.)

Step 1: Do the only math you need (promise)

Grab your bottle and find these three things:

• Total mg in the bottle (THC, CBD, or both)
• Total mL in the bottle (often 30 mL)
• Dropper size (usually 1 mL…but not always)

The formula

Total mg ÷ Total mL = mg per mL

Example: 300 mg ÷ 30 mL = 10 mg per mL

So if your dropper is 1 mL, then:

• 1 full dropper = 10 mg
• ½ dropper = 5 mg
• ¼ dropper = 2.5 mg

That’s it. That’s the whole secret. Everything else is just you being a responsible adult about timing.

Don’t get betrayed by your dropper

Some droppers hold 0.5 mL or 0.75 mL. If you are following a mullein herbal extract guide and you assume it’s 1 mL and it isn’t… congratulations, you’ve invented a brand new dosing problem.

Want tiny doses? Count drops (like a gentle weirdo)

A typical dropper is roughly 20 drops per 1 mL.

So if your tincture is 10 mg/mL, then:

• 1 drop ≈ 0.5 mg

If you’re trying to microdose or you’re brand new, this is way easier than squinting at the little dropper lines like you’re defusing a bomb.

Also: shake the bottle

Yes, every time. Cannabinoids can settle, and inconsistent mixing is how people end up saying, “This tincture is random.” It’s not random. It’s just… not stirred.

Step 2: Pick a starting dose (start lower than your ego wants)

I’m going to be that person and say it: start low. You can always take more tomorrow. You cannot untake it once you’ve launched into outer space.

THC (general starting ranges)

• 1-2.5 mg: microdose / very sensitive / new to THC
• 2.5-5 mg: low dose / occasional use
• 5-15 mg: moderate (noticeable impairment do not drive, do not “just run to Target real quick”)
• 15 mg+: higher tolerance / stronger effects (sleep is a common reason people land here)

If you’ve never used THC (or you’ve only smoked a couple times years ago), 1-2.5 mg is a totally respectable start. Anyone who tells you otherwise is not the one who has to live in your brain if it goes sideways.

What about 1:1 THC:CBD?

If THC sometimes makes you anxious, or you’re just nervous about it (fair), a balanced 1:1 product is often a kinder entry point. CBD can take the sharp edges off THC for a lot of people.

CBD (a practical way to start)

CBD isn’t intoxicating, but more isn’t automatically better.

A simple estimate some people use for a daily total:

• General wellness: 0.1 × body weight (lbs) = mg/day
• Moderate symptoms: 0.3 × body weight (lbs) = mg/day
• Heavier therapeutic use: 0.5 × body weight (lbs) = mg/day

Example for 160 lbs:

• ~16 mg/day (wellness)
• ~48 mg/day (moderate)
• ~80 mg/day (higher)

If you’re adjusting CBD, many people increase by 5-10 mg every few days until they notice a benefit.

Step 3: Take it the way it actually works (and wait long enough)

The “under the tongue” part matters

If you want a tincture to behave like a tincture (not an edible in disguise), do this:

1. Measure your dose.
2. Put it under your tongue.
3. Hold it there for 60-90 seconds.
4. Swallow.

Then try not to eat or drink for about 15 minutes. (Yes, it’s mildly annoying. Yes, it helps.)

How long it takes (roughly)

• Sublingual: effects often start 15-45 min, peak around 60-90 min, last 4-6 hours
• Swallowed (like an edible): starts 30-120 min, can last 4-8 hours and can feel stronger/less predictable for some people

So if you dose at 7:00 PM sublingually, you might feel it around 7:20-ish, peak closer to 8:30-9:30, and fade toward late evening. Swallowed? Buckle up it can be a slower, bigger ride.

The Two Hour Rule (this is how you avoid a bad night)

I want to tattoo this on every tincture bottle:

Do not redose for at least 2 hours.

Most “oops” experiences come from someone dosing, waiting 25 minutes, feeling nothing, dosing again… and then both doses show up to the party at the same time.

If, after two full hours, you truly need more:

• take the same amount or less, not more
• and don’t keep stacking doses all night like you’re building a Jenga tower of regret

How to dial in your dose without spiraling

If you want predictable results, do what boring successful people do: change one thing at a time.

Here’s a simple approach:

• Take the same dose at the same time for 3-4 days
• If it’s not enough, increase by:
  • THC: usually +2.5 mg (and then hold steady again for several days)
  • CBD: often +5-10 mg (can be adjusted a bit faster)

You’ve found your dose when you get the benefit you want without side effects you hate.

And if you overshoot?

• Drop back 2.5-5 mg (THC) and sit there for a week. No drama. Just information.

The stuff that makes the same dose feel totally different (because bodies are chaotic)

If your dose feels different from day to day, it might not be the tincture “being weird.” It might be:

• Food: empty stomach = faster/stronger onset. A meal (especially fatty) can change intensity and duration
• Stress + sleep deprivation: THC can hit harder when you’re already wrung out
• Metabolism: some people feel it fast and fade fast. Others are slow burners
• Product type: full spectrum can feel stronger/different than isolate at the same mg if you switch, restart low

Basically: your nervous system is not a spreadsheet. But you can still be smart about it.

If you took too much: what it looks like + what to do

Signs you may have overdone it:

• anxiety/panic, racing thoughts, paranoia
• nausea, dizziness
• feeling too sedated
• noticeably higher heart rate

It can feel scary. In healthy adults it’s usually not dangerous but it’s miserable.

What helps:

• stop dosing (obviously)
• go somewhere quiet, dim lights
• sip water
• have a light snack (carbs can help some people)
• cool water on your face/wrists, slow breathing
• remind yourself: this will pass (often within a couple hours, though swallowed doses can last longer)

Next time: start way lower. Your goal is “better,” not “apocalyptic.”

Medication interactions (please don’t skip this part)

Cannabinoids can interact with medications, especially ones metabolized by liver enzymes (often discussed as CYP450). Be extra cautious if you take things like:

• blood thinners (ex: warfarin, apixaban)
• sedatives/sleep meds (added sedation)
• blood pressure meds (more dizziness possible)
• opioids (more sedation + effects)

Also: while you’re figuring out your baseline, don’t mix THC with alcohol. That combo is famous for turning a reasonable dose into a bad time so alcohol free extraction options are worth considering.

If you’re on daily meds, talk to your clinician/pharmacist before experimenting. Not because I’m trying to ruin your fun because I’d like you to remain upright.

My favorite “make it easy” tip: track it for one week

You don’t need a fancy journal. Just jot down:

• dose (mg and/or mL)
• time taken
• empty stomach or not
• when you felt it
• how strong it felt (1-10)
• side effects

You’ll spot patterns fast like “I cannot do this on an empty stomach,” or “5 mg is fine unless I’ve slept four hours and my boss is annoying.”

Wrap up: do the math, go slow, be smugly consistent

If you do nothing else, do this today: calculate your mg per mL. That one number turns tinctures from random to repeatable.

Then: start low, use the under the tongue method, wait the full two hours before changing anything, and keep a few notes. In a week or two, you’ll stop guessing and your tincture will finally feel like the helpful little tool it’s supposed to be, not a nightly game of “surprise.”