In this podcast episode, a practitioner friend asked about a probiotic formula that contains soil organisms. She wanted to know if those tracks were safe. Many well-intentioned people in the alternative health care field recommend these products without realizing the risks.
I discussed this with Natasha Trenev, the founder of Natren probiotics with a 750-year family history of growing probiotics (supplied to royal families across Europe) and its probiotic standards were read into the Congressional Record in the US. Natasha explains that soil organisms love it Bacillus coagulans produce toxins to eliminate competition, which can damage human cells.
Here is the ingredients list of the product my friend asked about:
Now, for those of you who have read my books… WHAT are the problems with this ingredient list?
Perhaps the first thing you recognize is that it contains a bacterial soil organism – which you know is not safe for human consumption, especially for people with compromised immune systems.
In addition, they have mixed the safe, recognized probiotic strains with the soil organism and 8 powerful medicinal mushrooms. And the whole mixture is at room temperature – all together in one capsule or one powder sachet.
Instead of spending pages writing about the problems with this – and most of them! – probiotic products, I hopped on a zoom with Natasha to clearly and quickly explain WHY these practices are not beneficial to humans.
The short answer is no. Mixing probiotics with other substances almost always destroys their effectiveness.
You can watch our video:
Or listen to the podcast:
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What we discussed in this episode
Here are the main points Natasha and I discussed:
- Why mix probiotics with mushroom extracts kills the beneficial bacteria.
- How different probiotic strains attack each other when placed in the same capsule.
- Why soil organisms like Bacillus coagulans surpass traditional (food-grown) probiotics.
- Why prebiotics such as inulin or FOS can feed the wrong bacteria.
- The importance of including the culture medium with probiotic bacteria.
- How real formulation requires deep expertise, not random combinations.
We have already made a video about why bacterial soil organisms (such as Bacillus coagulans, Sporogenes, Lichenoformis – found in the feathers of ground-dwelling birds, aquatic species and soil) are NOT probiotics. But we also provide some more information about WHY they are not safe for humans, and some possible consequences of spore formation in the intestines (latent infection, etc.).
Probiotics and mushrooms do not belong together
The formula we reviewed combined eight mushroom extracts with three probiotics:
- Bacillus coagulans (a soil organism)
- Bifidobacterium bifidum
- Lactobacillus acidophilus
This looks impressive on the label. In reality, the beneficial probiotic species cannot survive. Mushrooms often contain substances that are fatal lactobacilli. And when bifidobacteria And acidophilus mixed with an aggressive soil organism, they die.
Consumers continue to swallow mainly dead bacteria. Money wasted.
Probiotics compete with each other
Even if only food-based probiotics are mixed, the problem remains. When acidophilus and bifidobacteria are allowed to touch each other, their primary directive takes over: survival and domination.
They release substances to kill each other. One may dominate, but the rest die out. This means that by the time you swallow the capsule, you no longer have the balanced formula you thought you bought.
This is why Natasha created the Healthy Trinity capsule. Each species is placed in its own oil bubble so that each species cannot touch each other or compete for dominance.
Prebiotics: feeding the wrong intestinal inhabitants
Another common mistake is mixing probiotics with prebiotics such as inulin or FOS. These are indigestible sugars. They feed bacteria in the intestines, but not selectively.
If your microbiome is out of balance, prebiotics can feed yeast or harmful bacteria just as easily as the good ones. For people with intestinal disease, this often worsens symptoms.
The role of the culture medium
A true probiotic comes with the culture medium: the food it is grown on. This medium contains natural antimicrobials, peptides, amino acids and vitamins. These compounds support both the beneficial bacteria and the human host.
Removing the culture medium or mixing bacteria with unrelated ingredients removes these benefits.
Final thoughts
Too many companies create probiotic formulas without the necessary knowledge of microbiology or immunology. They throw ingredients together, assuming that more is better.
But probiotics are living organisms with their own survival instincts and their own agenda to thrive. Unless handled with expertise, they will kill each other, die in the capsule, or cause unintended damage.
If you want real benefits, probiotics should never be mixed with mushrooms, prebiotics, or even each other unless they are carefully separated.
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