The Simpler's Formula

The chart comes straight from Rosemary Gladstar’s Medicinal Herbs: A Beginner’s Guide.

The Simpler’s Formula is exactly what the name implies: a simplified approach to measuring that doesn’t require precise or specialized equipment. The term comes from historical herbalism, referring to practitioners who typically worked with only one or two plants at a time. Today, it’s still used—even when working with blends that include more than two herbs—because it remains, quite literally, simple.

Instead of relying on exact measurements, the Simpler’s Formula uses parts or ratios, making it easy to scale a recipe up or down without complicated math. You adjust the quantity based on what you need, not strict measurements, which offers flexibility and accessibility for beginners and experienced herbalists alike.

The chart below shows how Rosemary’s book compares parts to tablespoons to teaspoons:

PARTS	PARTS IN TABLESPOONS	PARTS IN TEASPOONS
3 parts Chamomile	3 tbsp. Chamomile	3 tsp. Chamomile
2 parts Oats	2 tbsp. Oats	2 tsp. Oats
1 part Lemon Balm	1 tbsp. Lemon Balm	1 tsp. Lemon Balm

The Simpler’s Formula defines the relationship among ingredients, rather than exact amounts, making it easy to tweak if you want to double or half the recipe you have.

The “part” is whatever measurement you want to use; you just have to apply it consistently throughout the recipe. You can decide to use teaspoons, making 1 part=1 teaspoon. The same works with any other measurement, even if it is larger amounts like cups. If 1 cup = 1 part, the chamomile listed above would be 3 cups, the oats would be 2 cups, and the lemon balm would be 1 cup.

NOTE: When choosing a part measurement, it is best to use either all dry or all fresh herbs to maintain the recipe's ratio.

The Simpler’s Formula pairs perfectly with the old saying, “a pinch of this and a dab of that,”—something many of us heard our grandmothers say while cooking. It isn’t a scientific approach to measurement, but it’s a wonderfully easy way to portion out remedies.

You don’t need exact measurements at all. If you have a small teacup your grandmother used for measuring, you can designate that as one part and build the recipe from there. You’ll get consistent results whether that “part” is a teacup, a tablespoon, or a standard measuring cup. Chances are, that’s exactly how she used it—whether she called it the Simpler’s Formula or not.