I have recently discovered the compelling argument for Cod Liver Oil and Butter Oil on westonaprice.org for it's treatment for inflammation. (Thanks, Ed.) I picked up some Carlson's Cod Liver Oil today and plan on getting some butter oil from Jini's site but I'm a little confused on the dosage. On the westonaprice site it's recommended that one consumes a dose of cod liver oil that will provide 10,000 IU of Vitamin A for health maintenance and up to 90,000 IU a day for people wishing to treat disease with it. The Vitamin D should be at least 1,000 IU per day.
My bottle reads that one teaspoon (the recommended daily dosage) only contains 700 – 1,200 IU of Vitamin A and only 400 IU of Vitamin D. Does this mean that I really need to consume nearly 3 tablespoons a day for a MAINTENANCE dose? And with a disease-treating dose at 90,000 IU of Vitamin A wouldn't that work out something like 25 tablespoons a day??? This is so confusing to me. Are my calculations wrong? Am i missing something? What dosage should I be taking of this if I'm wishing to see results in regards to my Crohn's?
Also, in the case of the butter oil- I see from the Health Shoppe that 1/2- 1 teaspoon of the butter oil is recommended. Is this a sufficient dosage for helping my inflammation?
Thanks for any help! I really want to start implementing these supplements.

Tara

Oops. I forgot that I also wanted to ask how the gelcaps compare to taking the liquid Cod Liver Oil. Like I said above, I bought the Carlson brand in liquid form, but in addition I also bought some gelcaps (same brand) for instances when I'm away from home or traveling. Common sense tells me that the liquid form would probably have better results, but I know from past experience it can be more inconvenient and messy. I would love to just take the gelcaps but I will only use them as needed if the liquid form is indeed better for me. The bottom line is results. What is the consensus?

Thanks!

Tara

Thank you for your reply. Here is a link to the article on westonaprice.org that talks about the benefits of cod liver oil for inflammation:

http://www.westonaprice.org/basicnutrition/codliveroil.html

This article discusses daily dosages:
http://www.westonaprice.org/basicnutrition/clarifications.html

And here is the butter oil I am talking about that is sold at the Holistic Health Shoppe. X-Factor Gold High Vitamin Butter Oil. (You have to scroll down a bit to find it):

http://www.holistichealthshoppe.com/astragalus.php?id=55#205

This should give you more information. Thanks again!

Hi, Tara.

I'm going to give you my opinion and what I do personally, but I'm also going to ask Jini to check out your question so you have a consensus from both of us.

One thing I noticed is that the webpage on the Weston A. Price website that discusses dosages says that you may take up to 90,000 IU of Vitamin A for a period of several weeks...not that you necessarily have to do so to see results. My own belief is that the majority of us are going to see the best results from a combination of many factors being addressed, versus taking a single vitamin or a single supplement of any kind. (Of course I know from other posts you've submitted that you ARE addressing many things at once.)

For the most part, I used Udo's Oil in Absorb Plus when I was in a disease state. At that time, I was taking between four and six tablespoons of Udo's Oil each day (1 tablespoon/shake). That was it at the time for my Omega-3 EFA supplementation.

I continue to use 1 tablespoon of Udo's in a raw milk milkshake for breakfast most mornings and I usually have a tablespoon of Nordic Naturals cod liver oil and about three-quarters of a teaspoon (I'm guessing here, because I really use a regular teaspoon, not a measuring spoon) of high-vitamin butter oil with my supper each day. That's it for my oil supplementation.

I would not take 25 tablespoons of cod liver oil in one day. I don't think it would hurt you (although that much oil could tend to provoke loose stools in some people), I just can't imagine HOW you would manage to take that much.

I'm always a fan of starting things gradually, so I'd suggest starting with a teaspoon of cod liver oil and 1/4 teaspoon of butter oil three times per day (with meals) to make sure that you tolerate them well and move up from there to the maximum dosages recommended in Listen to Your Gut as you wish to. I'd probably top out at 1-1/2 teaspoons of butter oil/day just because it's costly, but more wouldn't hurt you.

I've used both the liquid cod liver oil and the capsules. I found them to be equally effective. The capsules are much more convenient. The liquid is more cost-effective in a dosage-by-dosage comparison. As long as the cod liver oil was flavored (I like lemon and orange equally well), I didn't find it objectionable to take the liquid but some people still "gag" on it.

All the best,
Nicole

Hi Tara,

I agree with what Nicole wrote. In his experiments with children, Dr. Price gave them 1 tsp of cod liver oil and 1 tsp of high vitamin butter oil per day (with a highly nutritious meat stew and 2 glasses of raw milk) and that was enough to produce quite amazing results.

As Nicole pointed out, cost is also a factor. So start slow as she recommended, but what I would do was build up to a mix of beneficial fats/oils, from a variety of sources, so that you get the full-spectrum of good fats/oil and so that you are eventually taking this per day:

- 2 tsp cod liver oil, or 6-8 capsules (I prefer the lemon-flavored capsules and I just chew them and then spit out the empty gelcaps)

- take extra vitamin D on its own to get 3000 - 4000 IU per day during the winter. See the Holistic Health Shoppe for the Carlson brand I recommend.

- 1 tbsp of unrefined coconut oil (taken straight, with a smoothie, or cook with it on low to medium heat)

- 1 - 2 tbsp of Udo's Oil. Again, take in a smoothie, or salad dressing, add to guacamole or other cold dips, drizzle over cooked, warm (not hot) veggies, or swallow straight - but with food.

- 1 or 1.5 tsp high vitamin butter oil

- ideally if you can use 1/4 pound of organic (preferably raw) butter per day just in your cooking, toast, etc. that is preferred.

Don't forget that the cell membrane is 40% fat. So in addition to anti-inflammatory needs, your body - skin, hair, connective tissue, cells, etc. need a LOT of GOOD fats to maintain optimum health.

You will notice a difference within 2 months of this intake.

all the best,
Jini

Thank you so much for your very detailed responses! These give me very good guidelines and a much better idea of what to work towards. I greatly appreciate your help.

Tara

Sorry- one last thing for Jini. I'm so appreciative for this detailed list for essential oil intake. Once I've worked up to the full dosages, are these maintenance dosages that should always be taken regardless of whether one is in disease or remission state?
Also, and this is just something as a woman I just can't help asking- I know how much of these "good fats" are needed for optimal health. But it still seems like a LOT of fat. Do these oils have the potential to actually make one fat? Or are they metabolized differently? Silly question, I know- but I have to admit that I'm wondering about it.