What you need to know about natural medicines and gut health...
With probiotics, fermented foods, essential oils and herbal medicines being all the rage in the gut health world, it’s easy to zoom in on the benefits, and keep the blinkers on when it comes to some of the risks and finer details.So, to cut to the chase, here are some gentle reminders about how to get the best out of these medicines:
- Strain-specificity is everything when it comes to probiotic supplementation.
Taking a probiotic that contains strain/s of bacteria that are NOT specific for your complaint, is like taking B6 for a B12 deficiency. They can either unhelpful, or in some cases, can actually worsen the symptoms. There are of course many instances when probiotics can be EXTREMELY helpful, but the strains must be specific to you and your particular need. An FYI - The Probiotic Advisor database is a game-changer for nailing strain specificity, and their microbiota tutorials are outstanding.
- Certain herbal medicines and essential oils (ingested) can impact the gut negatively and deplete/kill beneficial microbes, especially if they’re taken long term.
There are MANY herbal medicines and plants that are simply incredible for the gut and microbiota, and many of these I recommend regularly (Slippery Elm I’m lookin’ at you!).
There are however some ‘natural’ supplements and compounds that we need to be very wary of when it comes to gut health. Citrus (or grapefruit) seed extract is one of these. Worryingly, it’s actually more effective at destroying beneficial members of the gastrointestinal ecosystem than potentially pathogenic members! Basically, it’s super non-selective and can decimate both beneficial and pathogenic microbes.
On top of this, citrus seed extract is often contaminated with nasties like benzethonium chloride and triclosan, and has NO naturally occurring antimicrobial compounds. It is most certainly something I would recommend avoiding.With essential oils (in enteric-coated capsules), we have to bear in mind that they are incredibly concentrated plant extracts, and due to their potency, they can have a powerful impact on the gastrointestinal ecosystem.We also have to remember that using the volatile oil component of a plant will not have the same effect as using the WHOLE plant. For example, clove essential oil is NOT the same as using clove as a herbal medicine tincture or using clove in cooking (which both use the whole plant).
When used in isolation from the rest of the plant, certain concentrated essential oils have the capacity to cause harm to the beneficial flora in our digestive system.
Before taking any essential oils (in capsule form or internally) or taking a herbal antimicrobial, always seek professional guidance so that you can be confident you're not going to wipe out your good bugs!
- The beneficial bacteria found in fermented foods don’t take up permanent residence in the gut, so you have to consistently eat them to gain benefit.
Fermented foods are of course a powerful food as medicine, and they generally offer a lot more in regards to microbial and species diversity then their fancy probiotic cousins. In addition to this, they’re often cheaper, don't contain excipients/fillers/binders, and often naturally contain prebiotics (which are types of fibre that selectively feed good bugs and have amazing gut healing properties).All this said, fermented foods aren’t for everyone (hello histamine intolerance!) and they aren’t ‘THE’ silver bullet for great gut health.
As Sammi Zjako from Fermenting Australia says, “fermented foods are PART of the gut healing journey, they’re not the start and the end of it”.
Importantly, after you eat or drink fermented foods like yoghurt/ kefir/ kraut/ kombucha, the beneficial bacteria that live within these foods don't take up PERMANENT residence in the gut. Within a week or two of consumption, these bacteria continue on their journey and pass through the gut, so you need to keep eating them to gain benefit. Your body will benefit much more from a small amount of fermented foods most days, then a big amount infrequently.
