Before Probiotics Prebiotics and Postbiotics - Was Nature Already Doing the Work?
Why supporting the gut environment may matter more than simply adding bacteria
And now. it's postbiotics … another “kid on the block” ... we are told we need to add?
Today we hear a lot about probiotics, prebiotics, and now postbiotics. For many people, it can quickly become confusing. Every few years, it seems there is something new we are told we must add to support our gut.
Yet what feels reassuring to me is that what I learned more than 30 years ago about supporting the colon and the gut with herbal formulas still holds true today — and modern microbiome science is now confirming much of it.
Over the years, I have learned something important: when a principle is grounded in nature, it tends to remain true even as new scientific terms appear.
Before we spoke about prebiotics or postbiotics, nature was already doing this work.
The question is not always what we should add — but why the system is still imbalanced, even when we are doing what we’ve been told.
Rather than only adding probiotics or postbiotics, I prefer supporting the gut environment itself.
It is also important to remember that having one bowel movement a day does not necessarily mean the gut environment is optimal. Many people eliminate regularly but still have an imbalance in the microbial terrain of the colon. Supporting elimination, microbial balance, and the intestinal environment together is what truly creates a healthy foundation.
The gut is not just a collection of bacteria — it is an ecosystem.
When the colon is functioning well and beneficial bacteria are properly nourished, the body naturally produces the postbiotics it needs. The goal is not simply to add bacteria, but to support the environment in which beneficial bacteria can thrive.
Why I prefer colon herbal formulas
Our gut bacteria naturally produce beneficial compounds called postbiotics when they are well nourished. Instead of only adding bacteria (probiotics) or isolated postbiotics, colon herbal formulas work differently.
They help by:
- nourishing beneficial bacteria with plant fibers and phytochemicals
- discouraging harmful bacteria
- supporting the intestinal lining and barrier integrity
- improving elimination and colon function
- encouraging greater microbial diversity – one of the strongest markers of gut health
Colon herbs help nourish the microbiome ecosystem by providing fibers and plant compounds that beneficial bacteria can use.
When beneficial bacteria digest these fibers and plant compounds, they produce important substances such as short-chain fatty acids — some of the most important postbiotics for gut and metabolic health.
In other words ... when the environment of the gut improves, beneficial bacteria naturally produce the postbiotics the body needs.
Postbiotics are not necessarily something we need to supplement directly when the gut ecosystem is functioning well. Rather than focusing on only one piece, herbal formulas support the whole gut ecosystem, which is often a more sustainable approach.
What research now confirms
What is so exciting to me is that modern microbiome research increasingly shows that plant compounds can influence the microbiome as much as — and sometimes more than — probiotics themselves.
Large microbiome studies suggest that dietary plant diversity plays a major role in shaping the microbiome. You can read more about this here ...
Instead of trying to control the microbiome with isolated additions, supporting the gut environment allows beneficial microbes to flourish and naturally produce the compounds our body needs.
What I have learned over the years is that with natural health – and especially through herbal approaches - instead of simply adding more, we support the conditions that allow the gut to do what it was designed to do.
Probiotics can still be helpful in certain situations, such as after antibiotics or significant disruptions of the microbiome. However ... restoring the environment of the gut is the foundation for long-term balance.
Over the years, I have used many herbal colon formulas that combine these types of plant compounds. Formulas that include fiber, bitters, antimicrobial herbs, and mucilaginous plants tend to support the gut ecosystem from multiple angles.
For example, herbal formulas such as Body Detox, BWL-BLD, LBS II, and Fiber Boost combine several of these mechanisms.
By supporting elimination, nourishing beneficial bacteria, and helping maintain the intestinal environment, they illustrate the kind of multi-mechanism approach that often works best for long-term gut balance.
Summary
When we support the environment of the gut, the body often has an amazing ability to restore balance.
Good colon herbal formulas → healthier gut environment → balanced microbiome → thriving beneficial bacteria → natural postbiotic production
Decades ago, Dr. Bernard Jensen, a beloved mentor, described this insight beautifully:
“In the 50 years I’ve spent helping people to overcome illness, disability and disease, it has become crystal clear that poor bowel management lies at the root of most people’s health problems. In treating over 300,000 patients, it is the bowel that invariably has to be cared for first before any effective healing can take place.”
I feel very privileged to have attended Dr. Jensen’s seminars and many decades ago to have learned about colon herbal formulas from another of my great mentors, Gail Pyke.
It has truly made a difference in my own health, in my practice, and in the results I have seen with clients. It continues to remind me that when we support the body in the right way, it knows exactly what to do.
With love, light and gratitude