Dose is the numeric amount of an active compound taken at one event, expressed in the unit that the label and the evidence base actually share. A "1 capsule" dose is not a dose in that sense, it is a serving count. A 300 mg ashwagandha dose, a 2,000 IU vitamin D3 dose, or a 200 mcg selenium dose each carry a specific expected effect size and a specific safety ceiling tied to that number.
Why the unit matters more than the count
Capsules, gummies, scoops, and drops are delivery formats, not doses. The same 2-capsule serving can carry 250 mg or 1,000 mg of active compound depending on the brand. A user tracking "2 capsules of magnesium" has no way to compare their response to trial data, to a peer's stack, or to their own past dose. Tracking in mg, mcg, IU, or g is the only way dose windows and trend analysis produce a fair comparison across brands.
Common dose units and when each applies
| Unit | When it applies | Example |
|---|---|---|
| mg | Most herbs, amino acids, minerals in elemental form | 300 mg ashwagandha KSM-66, 200 mg L-theanine |
| mcg | Fat-soluble vitamins and trace minerals at low physiologic dose | 400 mcg folate, 200 mcg selenium, 100 mcg K2 MK-7 |
| IU | Legacy labels for vitamin A, D, E | 2,000 IU vitamin D3 (equal to 50 mcg) |
| g | Bulk amino acids, protein, creatine | 5 g creatine monohydrate, 3 g glycine |
| mL | Tinctures and liquid herbals | 2 mL rhodiola tincture at 1:3 extract ratio |
| % yield | Standardized extracts where the active fraction is named | 600 mg curcumin at 95% curcuminoids equals 570 mg curcuminoid |
When the label lists a proprietary mixture total without per-ingredient breakdown, the dose for any single ingredient is unknown and should be logged as such.
Label math that catches most errors
Serving-size confusion is the most common dose-logging mistake. Three checks resolve almost all of them:
- Read the serving size (for example, 2 capsules) and divide the listed amount by that count to get the per-capsule dose.
- Check whether "magnesium" means elemental magnesium or the salt weight. 400 mg magnesium glycinate is roughly 40 mg elemental, not 400.
- Confirm the extract ratio for botanicals. A 1:10 extract at 500 mg is not equivalent to a 10:1 extract at 500 mg.
Users who skip these checks routinely over- or under-dose by 2–10x without knowing. The ingredient form column on a label is the first place to catch it.
Dose-response is rarely linear
Doubling a dose rarely doubles the effect. Most compounds show a rising curve up to a personal threshold, a plateau, then diminishing or adverse returns. Caffeine past roughly 300–400 mg in a day, melatonin past 1–3 mg near bedtime, and vitamin D past a saturating serum level are common examples where more input shifts from "more effect" to "more side effect." The n-of-1 experiment framing and a stable baseline are how a user finds their own plateau instead of chasing upward by default.
Escalating a dose without guessing
A clean escalation moves one variable at a time:
- Hold the new dose for 10–14 days before judging it.
- Do not stack a dose change with a timing change in the same week.
- Log perceived effect, any side effects, and the objective proxy most relevant to the goal.
- Return to the prior dose if side effects appear in the first 3 days and do not resolve.
How this appears in Unfair
Unfair normalizes every logged entry to its active-compound amount and unit before trend, adherence, and overlap views are drawn. The library links each ingredient to a default unit, typical pilot range, and a practical ceiling, and the logger rejects ambiguous entries like "1 scoop" without a mg backing. Timing and dose are tracked as two separate fields so a user can change one without losing the history of the other.
Clinical safety note
A dose that exceeds the tolerable upper intake level for a fat-soluble vitamin, a stimulant, or an anticoagulant-overlapping compound is a clinical event, not a self-experiment. Stop and contact a clinician for chest pain, fainting, jaundice, unusual bruising or bleeding, severe GI pain, or mental-status changes that follow a dose change.