Overgrowth, dysbiosis & antimicrobials
One of 5 mechanistic pathways to 🦠 Gut health & digestion · 21 options
SIBO, SIFO and H. pylori all involve organisms in the wrong place or in the wrong numbers. This is the pathway where prebiotics make things worse and where the sequence — kill, then clear biofilm, then re-establish motility — determines whether it comes back.
SIBO's signature is a HIGH folate with a low B12 — the overgrown bacteria produce folate and consume B12. That combination on a standard panel is a genuine clue and almost nobody reads it.
Complete Blood Count (CBC) with Differentialhs-CRP (High-Sensitivity C-Reactive Protein)Vitamin B12Folate, SerumComprehensive Metabolic Panel (CMP)🌱 Gut Health & Absorption covers these in one panel →
What engages this pathway
Ordered by how directly each one acts on the mechanism above — never by how much trial evidence exists. Each links to its full breakdown with dosing, half-life and vendor.
🧬 Oregano Oil
Carvacrol has broad antimicrobial activity, and one trial found herbal antimicrobials non-inferior to rifaximin in SIBO. Non-selective, so it hits commensals too.
🧬 Berberine
Antimicrobial as well as metabolic — a component of most herbal SIBO protocols.
🧬 Allicin
Stabilised allicin has particular activity against methane-producing archaea, which is the hardest SIBO subtype to treat.
🧬 Neem
Traditional antimicrobial used in the same protocols.
🧬 Caprylic Acid
Disrupts fungal cell membranes; used for Candida overgrowth.
🧬 Undecylenic Acid
Antifungal fatty acid with better mucosal persistence than caprylic acid.
🧬 Monolaurin
Disrupts lipid-enveloped organisms — viruses and some bacteria.
🧬 Wormwood
Traditional antiparasitic; thujone content means duration limits matter.
🧬 Black Walnut Hull
Traditional antiparasitic, usually combined with wormwood and clove.
🧬 Grapefruit Seed Extract
Broad claims, and a long documented history of products being adulterated with synthetic preservatives that were doing the actual antimicrobial work.
🧬 Mastic Gum
Direct anti-H.-pylori activity in controlled trials, plus symptomatic improvement in dyspepsia.
🧬 Olive Leaf Extract
Oleuropein with broad antimicrobial activity in vitro.
💉 LL-37
An endogenous antimicrobial peptide that also disrupts biofilm — the reason resistant overgrowth persists through antibiotics.
🧬 Saccharomyces boulardii
Competitively excludes pathogens and is unaffected by antibacterials, so it can run throughout.
🧬 Bismuth Subsalicylate
Biofilm disruption and antimicrobial activity; a standard component of H. pylori regimens.
🧬 Serrapeptase
Proposed biofilm disruptor. The rationale is better than the evidence.
🧬 D-Mannose
Binds E. coli fimbriae so bacteria are flushed rather than killed — genuinely elegant, and it has trial evidence for recurrent UTI without driving resistance.
🧬 Cranberry (PACs)
Proanthocyanidins prevent E. coli adhesion to the urothelium. Meta-analysis supports prevention of recurrent UTI — prevention specifically, not treatment of an active one.
🧬 Pau d'Arco
Lapachol and naphthoquinones with antifungal and antibacterial activity in vitro. Traditional use is long; human trials are absent and high doses are toxic.
🧬 GI Relief
A formulated blend for acute gut irritation — demulcents plus anti-inflammatories.
🧬 Diatomaceous Earth
Food-grade amorphous silica marketed as a parasite treatment on a mechanical-abrasion theory that has no human evidence behind it. Inhalation of the powder is a genuine lung hazard.
The other 4 routes to gut health & digestion
Pick the pathway that matches where you are actually stuck. An appetite drug does nothing for someone who already undereats.
Want the protocols behind these?
Dosing schedules, stacking, cycle timing and Coach Cam's notes live inside the Academy — plus the full interactive Vault.
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Frequently asked questions
SIBO, SIFO and H. pylori all involve organisms in the wrong place or in the wrong numbers. This is the pathway where prebiotics make things worse and where the sequence — kill, then clear biofilm, then re-establish motility — determines whether it comes back.
21 options are mapped to this pathway in the Vault, including Oregano Oil, Berberine, Allicin, Neem. They are grouped by the mechanism they act through rather than ranked by how much trial evidence exists — 9 carry clinical validation and 12 are mechanistic predictions.
SIBO's signature is a HIGH folate with a low B12 — the overgrown bacteria produce folate and consume B12. That combination on a standard panel is a genuine clue and almost nobody reads it. The markers worth checking are Complete Blood Count (CBC) with Differential, hs-CRP (High-Sensitivity C-Reactive Protein), Vitamin B12, Folate, Serum.
Unproven is not the same as ineffective. Of the 21 options on this pathway, 9 have clinical validation and 12 are graded theoretical — meaning the mechanism is sound but the specific human trial has not been run, which is true of a great deal of what works in this space. Nothing on this page is ordered by evidence tier, because sorting by trial count would bury the compounds you came looking for.