Quick answer: Gut Cleanse & Microbial Balance is a structured protocol that supports a cleansing reset of the gut environment. It gathers the traditional herbs and supportive products I commonly use to support microbial balance, regular elimination and a healthy gut lining.
Key takeaways
A balanced gut depends on beneficial bacteria, a strong lining and regular elimination.
Herbs such as artemisia have a long history of traditional use for intestinal cleansing, and they are often paired with binders and probiotics.
The binders help unwanted compounds leave through the gut, while probiotics help beneficial bacteria settle back in.
The mechanisms this protocol supports
A balanced gut environment depends on beneficial bacteria, a strong lining and regular elimination. Herbs such as artemisia, also called wormwood, have a long history of traditional use for intestinal cleansing.
Binders and probiotics are often paired with cleansing herbs so that unwanted compounds can leave through the gut and beneficial bacteria can repopulate.
Research has linked intestinal parasites and other microbial imbalances with digestive discomfort and fatigue. Stool testing with your provider is the best way to understand what is going on before starting a cleanse.
What is in the protocol
The exact products and directions are listed in the Fullscript plan, and here is what each one is commonly used to support.
Artemisia Trinity is an herbal blend featuring artemisia, an herb with a long history of traditional use for intestinal cleansing. G.I. Detox+ is a binder blend that is commonly used to support the gentle removal of unwanted compounds through the digestive tract. Biocidin is a broad-spectrum botanical blend that is commonly used to support a healthy balance of microbes throughout the digestive tract.
Proflora4R is a restorative probiotic formula that pairs beneficial bacteria with prebiotics and botanicals to support a balanced microbiome and a healthy gut lining. Biotonic from Biocidin Botanicals is an herbal elixir based on two traditional Chinese formulas, with astragalus, eleuthero, sweet wormwood, codonopsis, ginger and other herbs that are commonly used to support digestion, energy and immune resilience.
Related protocols you may find helpful include Yeast & Microbial Balance.
How to use it thoughtfully
Please talk with your provider before starting, especially if you take medications, are pregnant or nursing, or have a health condition. This page does not list amounts, so follow the label or the specific guidance your provider gives you. When you can, add one product at a time so it is easier to notice how you feel.
Sleep, nourishing food, daily movement and stress care are the foundation, and supplements are meant to build on them. Artemisia is not appropriate during pregnancy or nursing, and cleansing herbs are generally used for a set period with your provider’s guidance.
Questions to bring to your clinician
These questions can help you get the most out of your next visit.
Is a structured gut protocol like this a good fit for my symptoms right now?
Could anything in the Gut Cleanse & Microbial Balance protocol interact with my current medications or supplements?
Which labs or symptoms would be worth tracking while I follow the Gut Cleanse & Microbial Balance protocol?
How long would it make sense for me to follow the Gut Cleanse & Microbial Balance protocol before we review how it is going?
What the research shows
No clinical trial has tested this cleanse protocol as a whole, and artemisia blends in particular have little human research for gut balance.
Herbal blends have been compared with an antibiotic for small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO). In a 2014 Johns Hopkins clinic study by Chedid and colleagues, 104 adults with a positive breath test took either the antibiotic rifaximin or commercial herbal blends for four weeks. The follow-up breath test was negative in 46% of the herbal group and 34% of the rifaximin group, a difference that was not statistically significant. The study looked back at records rather than randomly assigning people, and it used herbal products other than the ones in this protocol.
Broad herbal blends can interact with medicines. In a 2008 study by Gurley and colleagues, 14 days of goldenseal, an herb found in some antimicrobial blends, raised blood levels of the test drug midazolam by about 60% in 16 healthy volunteers by slowing a liver enzyme. It was a small study, but it is a good reason to review your medications first.
For the probiotic step, a 2010 meta-analysis by McFarland of 27 trials in 5,029 adults found that Saccharomyces boulardii roughly halved the risk of antibiotic-linked diarrhea. Evidence for other gut concerns was promising but less certain.
Frequently asked questions
Why test before a gut cleanse?
Stool testing helps you and your provider understand what is happening in the gut so the protocol fits your situation.
Why are a binder and a probiotic included?
A binder supports the removal of unwanted compounds through the gut, and a probiotic supports beneficial bacteria during and after the cleanse.
Sources
- Hanevik K, et al. Irritable bowel syndrome and chronic fatigue 6 years after giardia infection: a controlled prospective cohort study. Clin Infect Dis 2014. PMID: 25115874. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4207419/
- Ghoshal UC, Shukla R, Ghoshal U. Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth and Irritable Bowel Syndrome: A Bridge between Functional Organic Dichotomy. Gut Liver 2017. PMID: 28274108. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5347643/
- Halliez MC, Buret AG. Extra-intestinal and long term consequences of Giardia duodenalis infections. World J Gastroenterol 2013. PMID: 24379622. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3870550/
Educational purposes only. This page shares general information and is not medical advice. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration, and these products are not intended to replace care from your own healthcare provider. Please talk with your provider before starting any supplement, especially if you take medications, are pregnant or nursing, or have a health condition.
Sources
- Chedid V, Dhalla S, Clarke JO, et al. Herbal therapy is equivalent to rifaximin for the treatment of small intestinal bacterial overgrowth. Glob Adv Health Med 2014. PMID: 24891990. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24891990/
- Gurley BJ, Swain A, Hubbard MA, et al. Supplementation with goldenseal (Hydrastis canadensis), but not kava kava (Piper methysticum), inhibits human CYP3A activity in vivo. Clin Pharmacol Ther 2008. PMID: 17495878. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17495878/
- McFarland LV. Systematic review and meta-analysis of Saccharomyces boulardii in adult patients. World J Gastroenterol 2010. PMID: 20458757. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20458757/
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