When to time prohibitive if taking herbs

When I took antibotics I took my probiotic 2 hours after my lunch meal. When I quit the antibiotics and did herbs, I just stayed with that same routine.

But about 3 months into my herbs I quit the probiotics supplements and began eating my probiotics as food (kefir, kombucha, sourdough bread, sour pickles, yogurts).

Because many of these herbs contain alcohol (which can disrupt gut flora) taking probiotics is a very good idea. According to Buhner there is no need to separate herbs from probiotics, however some people follow a 1-2 hour apart window. Or some just take the probiotic before bed each evening.

I meant to say I'm not sure it matters when you take it with herbs. We all suffer microbiome disruption from past dietary choices and environmental toxins as well as stress and so on. I think a probiotic is good for anyone who responds well to it. That said, i'm not sure the amount of alcohol in a tincture would be terribly problematic. I've only ever heard of microbiome disturbances from larger quantities of alcohol. Maybe it is, but I'm not convinced small amounts like that are particularly damaging

Since 70% (or more) of our immune system resides in our gut, I think regular probiotic intake (via foods optimally) is appropriate for everyone - not just us Lymies.

Psilociraptor said...
If i'm not mistaken that's about the size of a shot. I haven't looked into this in depth, but its pretty hard to quantify that sort of thing. Especially since the constituents of the herbs likely have dramatic effects on the microbiome as well. I don't have the energy to read it but this one seemed interesting if you want to look into it http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/95/6/1323.long I don't know if they talk about serving size but as you can see the other constituents of the red wine seemed to have a more dramatic effect on the microbiome than the alcohol itself. If you read it do report back anything interesting. I might get to it eventually but it's kind of low on my list. And I'm certainly not trying to say that alcohol is good for the microbiome, but in the context of medicinal herbs i don't know that I would be worried. But of course I would still recommend a probiotic to just about anyone

I am on the fence with this one as far as the tinctures and how or if it affects the microbiome. We just had a post earlier in the week discussing this. So my take is to be cautious and encourage a probiotic. That's the thing with all of this we are all so different. Like with all things, it's up to the person to decide their course.

Yes, I think one should definitely use probiotics, regardless of the treatment method.

I'm confident that the beginning of many of my GI issues stems from me not taking care of my gut, when I first started treating. I had many unsettling GI reactions to some of the herbs I was taking, when I first started. They scared me.

The alcohol factor could have been to play, but I do not think that's the case, as this was at a time when I was still drinking "regular" alcohol. I did for a number of years, because I was depressed, and was not sure why I was feeling the way I was, before I came up with the Lyme diagnosis.

I suffered from the "kill, kill, kill" mentality, not thinking about the support my body may have needed at the time. You may not have the money, whatever the reason, but you really want to do more than just focus on just killing, or even detoxing.

A lucky few may be able to get by that way, but most people's supplement lists usually end up about a mile long.

You take many of these herbs with the intention of eradicating bacteria, parasites, etc. Right? That's what I use a number of mine for. Why would the beneficial flora be safe from them? Nature's smart, in some ways, but I don't think they care about the difference.

Regardless, better safe than sorry, I'd say.