Garden of LifeWhole Food Probiotic Supplement - Primal Defense HSO Probiotic Dietary Supplement for Digestive and Gut Health, Shelf Stable, 180 Vegetarian Caplets

I've been taking these for 20 years they work wonderful

Update:I've been using Primal Defense over a year and I believe it has been immensely helpful to my GI health. I'm now taking it twice a day (morning and night) as it's quite pricey for a probiotic and it works sufficiently in that dose. Since my original review I've been diagnosed with a rare affliction. Most who have it experience problems with constipation. Not me. I'm convinced this probiotic keeps me regular and free of painful elimination issues.June 30, 2016:Six months ago I had a lot of GI problems (diagnosed as IBS-D), including very painful, um, movements. Drugs prescribed by my doctor didn't work for the pain and the side effects caused me even more trouble. I scoured various internet forums and found someone who had found relief for their IBS-D with Primal Defense. I thought, what the heck, it's worth a shot and bought some, in powder form as it was cheaper. OMG, after only a couple of days of use it worked for the pain (I still have some D but usually to a lesser extent). I don't think it was a placebo effect, it truly took away the horrible cramping pain. I'm now buying the caplets as they are a whole lot easier to get down -- when mixed with water the powder tasted kind of like a combination of matcha tea (good) and dirt (yuk).Normally stomach acid kills bad bugs that enter the body in food. As I have little/no stomach acid due to pernicious anemia, Primal Defense helps keep my gut microbes in better balance, or at least I think it does. I am continuing to take a Primal Defense tablet 2 - 3 times a day as I don't want to experience that intestinal pain ever again.

My gastroenterologist likes me to take probiotics (VSL3) for my Crohn's disease. However that product is very expensive, even with insurance. So, I decided to give this one a try because of the large variety of bacteria it has in it. I am convinced that good probiotics mostly work because they have a balance of many different mutually supporting bacteria, each doing a different job. This one looks like it has that.I have been very pleased with the outcome. For me, it works as well as VSL3 and much better than many other probiotics. I did not have any significant bloating or other problems.If you are a Crohn's/UC sufferer, you know that probiotics are hit-and-miss. What works for one patient may or may not work for another. However, some probiotics seem to be more broadly effective and I'm betting this is one of those.Pro'sWide variety of friendly bacteria in decent numbersCons:Pills are fairly large, so they may be hard for some to swallow. However, I believe there is no problem crushing or chewing them.Pro/Con? As a matter of taste, particularly if you chew them, they have a strong alfalfa pellet taste. I personally do not mind this. The alfalfa is supposed to provide food to kickstart the badcteria. I think it works.GROSS STUFF ALERT (don't read further if you don't want frank talk about poop and Crohn's disease)Okay, so probiotics alter your gut flora so they affect your feces... It was clear to me that this product really has an affect because 1) My fecal bulk was greater 2) I went from floaters to sinkers and 3) The stool was more well-formed. I also have much less blood. I am just coming off of an extended 3 year flare-up in which doses of 100mg of prednisone had no effect. It was awful, with as many as 20 BM's a day and enough blood loss to require a transfusion. I did not start taking this product until after the flare-up was partially resolved. However, I was still bleeding noticeably when I started taking this product. My Crohn's generally affects the last 1/3 of the colon with the most active disease, including fistula, in the perianal region. As it resolves, the perianal portion with the most active disease does not fully resolve, so I continue to have small amounts of bright red blood. Now, I do not notice any blood as long as I am taking this probiotic. However, if I fail to take it for a few days I notice a return of blood. So, it appears as if this probiotic is definitely doing the job. I just hope it continues to work!

Would buy again

I've been taking Primal Defense for years. Garden of Life, the manufacturing company, was founded by Jordan Rubin who himself was stricken with Crohn's colitis, had cured himself taking an original form of this product among others. Read his book, "The Maker's Diet," and place yourself on the path to health and wellness. I take 6 Primal Defense caplets daily for my struggle against arthritis. It has improved my immune function as well as my four big dogs.In 2003 my eight yr. old Rottweiler was sick with an open infection in his paw. His immune system was done as it refused to respond to copious amounts of an antibiotic with prednisone. After 6-8 weeks he lay exhausted on the floor that left me thinking he may not pull out of it. I then decided to give him four Primal Defense caplets with his meds. In two days, I was shocked as he got up and slowly walked to the front door. He was getting well. Eleven days later he was off all meds and his wound healed completely. Seeing a revival like this was unbelievable experience that I argued was a valid testimony to the efficacy of this probiotic. It fell on deaf ears with his veterinarian. My dogs now see a holistic vet who advocates natural or raw foods for dogs and a probiotic. My own diet reflects a natural approach with green foods (See review of "Perfect Food") and natural oils and Primal Defense. I feel better than I have in a long time and my arthritis is waning. Thanks Jordan.Amazon offers the best price I can find anywhere at $32, free shipping and two day delivery. At 6 caps/day, I go through the 180 every month so I save a lot. The auto shipping makes it so easy as it comes to my door after they give me a 5 day heads up. Good deal!