پروبائیوٹکس · psychobiotics, gut bacteria
Weak evidence
A real and interesting field of research that has not yet produced a reliable product.
This is information, not medical advice. This page is information, not medical advice. Nothing here is a prescription, a diagnosis or a recommendation to take anything, and none of it replaces a doctor who knows your history. Supplements are not harmless because they are natural: they interact with prescription medicines, some are unsafe in pregnancy, and a few can cause real damage. Talk to a doctor or pharmacist before starting anything here, especially if you are pregnant, breastfeeding, under 18, have a liver, kidney or heart condition, or take any regular medication. Never stop a prescribed antidepressant to try a supplement instead.
Live bacteria taken by mouth, meant to shift the balance of the gut population. The gut and brain do genuinely communicate.
Some trials of specific strains report small improvements in mood and anxiety, others find nothing, and strains, doses and durations differ so much the results cannot really be pooled. The science is legitimate and moving; the shelf product is far ahead of it. Anyone promising a "mood strain" is selling beyond the evidence.
No dependable protocol. Trials have used multi-strain products in the billions of CFU daily for four to eight weeks.
Recorded because a person who has decided to try something will find a number somewhere, and a forum's number is worse than a trial's. It is not a recommendation, and the right amount for you depends on things only a doctor who knows your history can weigh.
Safe for most people. Not for anyone seriously immunosuppressed, critically ill, or with a central line, where probiotic infections have occurred. Bloating in the first days is common.
Yoghurt and lassi are traditional, cheap and carry live cultures - a reasonable start before an expensive imported capsule. Live products need refrigeration and many sold here have not had it.
Tell your doctor or pharmacist about everything else you take, prescription and herbal both. If you are pregnant, breastfeeding, under 18, or have a liver, kidney, heart or thyroid condition, ask first. And if what brought you here is that you have been feeling low or frightened for weeks, that deserves more than a supplement — ask us anything, anonymously, or talk to us on WhatsApp.