Terraflora - Enviromedica's Soil-Based Probiotic

Which part of your body is called your “second brain”? It has also been called the “future of medicine”. If you guessed your gut (intestines), then you are right! Your small and large intestines hold trillions of cells that DON'T belong to you. Those trillions of cells belong to the bacteria, both good and bad, that live inside your gut. Your gut bacteria (microbiome) hold the keys to your health and happiness. When you are born you receive 22,000 genes from your parents. In comparison, your gut bacteria have about 8 million genes that affect you.

Prior to the age of hand sanitizer and bleach wipes, we humans had a wide variety of probiotics in our guts. In theory, your gut should have over 10,000 strains of probiotics. Each of those strains influences your health. These bacteria create nutrients such as B vitamins, glutathione, and carotenoids.

Enviromedica Terraflora

Terraflora is a unique probiotic supplement that includes both probiotics and prebiotics. It is a broad spectrum probiotic and is a functional food that introduces good bacteria and feeds your gut microbiome. It is synbiotic because it contains both probiotics and prebiotics. Probiotics are live bacteria (in capsule form) that you take as a supplement. Keep in mind that probiotics are living microscopic organisms. Just like every living thing on earth, they must have food in order to stay alive. Prebiotics are their food source.

Probiotics Then vs Now

In general, the human gut (microbiome) is terribly depleted and we lack the helpful bacteria we once had. In ancient times, we would eat these probiotics on the food we grew in our gardens or picked from the wild. We would also be exposed to bacteria by working outside in the earth, touching nature, and walking barefoot. But our modern-day lifestyle does not leave us time for gardening or spending time in nature. Most of us have very poor diversity in our gut bacteria.

In our current time, many people don’t even eat vegetables on a regular basis.  And when they do happen to eat some vegetables, the quality is very poor. Instead of eating vegetables that have been freshly picked, we often eat canned vegetables that have been triple washed and overheated. Probiotics can’t survive triple washing, detergents, and the canning process. Freshly picked vegetables, either from your garden or farmer’s market, will still have live soil-based probiotics on them. A gentle wash with cold water will clean off dirt and leave helpful SBO probiotics.

How To Get More Probiotics In Your Gut

If you want to significantly change the bacteria living in your gut, you have two main options. First, you can start walking barefoot everywhere you go and eat only wild or home-grown vegetables. Your other and more convenient option is to take a soil-based organism probiotic. Soil-based probiotics (SBOs) are also known as spore-form probiotics. These are specific types of probiotic strains that are usually found in the earth. But when they are offered as supplements, they are produced in a laboratory to ensure safety and efficacy.

Probiotic supplements are everywhere, populating the shelves at Walmart and digital aisles on Amazon. If you are taking a discount brand, it is highly unlikely those little bacteria are making it past your stomach acid. Probiotics cannot survive your stomach acid. If you want your probiotic to actually stay and grow in your gut, you have to take a spore-form supplement. Your other option is to use a supplement that uses specialized encapsulation to protect the bacteria from your stomach acid.

Your Best Bet is a Spore-form Probiotic

Spore-form probiotics (also known as SBOs) are the easy answer to getting good bacteria into your digestive system. These strains of bacteria have three stages in their lifecycle: growth, sporing, and germination. While in the spore stage, the bacteria are dormant and hibernating.  They are safe from your stomach acid. Once they reach your large intestines, the temperature and conditions are perfect for them to germinate and grow.

Traditional probiotic supplements and yogurt contain bacteria from the lactobacillus and bifidobacterium families. While they are helpful for health, they are transient. When you take them as a supplement, they may or may not survive your stomach acid. If the bacteria do make it to your gut, they only stay for a short time and die off. In comparison, studies have shown that spore-form bacteria strains easily travel to your gut and colonize. They stay and reproduce in your gut while contributing to your health and wellness.

The other benefit of SBOs is convenience. As long as I have recommended probiotics, my clients have told me that it is too easy to forget to take them when they are in the refrigerator. A bottle of probiotics stored in the fridge can also be compromised by moisture. Soil-based probiotics (SBOs) are much more convenient than other probiotic supplements because they are shelf stable. You do not need to refrigerate them. In fact, it is not wise to refrigerate an SBO because it may create moisture within the bottle. This could cause damage to the supplement.

Terraflora is a spore-form supplement that has been crafted with two novel strains and ancient prebiotic foods. It is a synbiotic supplement which includes both probiotics and prebiotics. Prebiotics are types of fiber such as FOS or inulin. These fibers are the food source to keep the probiotics alive and happy in your digestive system.

What Sets Terraflora Apart From Other Soil-Based Supplements?

Here is what sets Terraflora apart from other soil-based supplements: Ribospore and Bacillus megaterium EM144. Terraflora is the only soil based organisms probiotic supplement that utilizes DNA testing to ensure potency and no contaminants. Ribospore (bacillus pumilus) is a bacteria that generate vitamin B2 (riboflavin) once in your digestive system. There are other strains of probiotics that produce riboflavin, but Ribospore outperforms them. Ribspore generates 300-500 times more vitamin B2.

Terraflora is manufactured by Enviromedica. I have worked closely with them for several years. They previously offered the well-known formula called Prescript Assist. They did not manufacture Prescript Assist. The manufacturing company recently changed their formula and manufacturing procedures.

GRAS (Generally Recognized as Safe) Ingredients

Enviromedica’s attention to safety and quality are evidenced in their new formulation and certifications. Every strain in Terraflora has been designated as GRAS (Generally Recognized as Safe). This is an important distinction between Terraflora and other spore-form supplements. There are thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of probiotic strains on earth. But not all of them have received GRAS designation. If you are taking a probiotic that does not have GRAS designation, you have no guarantee that strain is safe or beneficial for health.

Enviromedica takes the extra step of testing each strain by DNA sequencing. That means each ingredient has been DNA tested to make sure it is not tainted with other ingredients or pathogenic bacteria. Terraflora is vegan and non-GMO.

Are You Taking A Probiotic?

Probiotics are an integral part of your health. Humans have always shared their body with bacteria. Scientists and researchers are just starting to discover the ways in which your gut microbiome influences your health. Probiotics are much more important than we previously realized.

If you are in excellent health, then consider a probiotic supplement as an insurance policy. If you have any disease state, remember that your gut is the epicenter of your immune system. Strengthen your gut microbiome by taking a high-quality spore-form probiotic supplement.

If you would like to consult with me, Carly, please set up an appointment or call our office to reserve a time 1-800-626-7510.

In health,

Carly Neubert BA, NC

For additional recipes, biohacking tips and lifestyle hacks -- check out my other blog on my coaching site www.cleancoachcarly.com! I post weekly about nutrition and lifestyle topics, all backed by science. Happy Reading!