Gut bundle: bacterial cultures, enzymes, bitter herbs & liver tea

The bundle contains four products that are also sold individually:

• Flora Plus: 60 capsules. Two capsules contain nine Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium strains (200 mg bacterial cultures), 270 mg each of L-glutamine and L-carnosine, 200 mg acacia fibre and 10 mg zinc (100 % of the reference intake).
• Enzym Komplex: 60 capsules with digestive enzymes such as alpha-amylase, pancreatin, bromelain, papain and lactase, plus extracts of dandelion, peppermint and turmeric.
• Herbal Extract: 60 capsules with ten bitter herbs, including olive leaf, milk thistle, wormwood, gentian root and artichoke.
• liver tea (Lebertee): 60 g herbal tea blend of milk thistle seeds, dandelion, chamomile, yarrow, peppermint and wormwood, from certified organic farming.

The full composition is on each product page.

Each product is taken according to its own recommended intake; there is no combined course dosage.

• Flora Plus: 2 capsules a day with plenty of fluid, ideally with a meal. Lasts 30 days.
• Enzym Komplex: 1 capsule a day with plenty of fluid, usually with a meal. Lasts 60 days.
• Herbal Extract: 2 capsules a day with a meal. Lasts 30 days.
• Liver tea: 1–2 teaspoons per cup with water at 80 °C, steep for 5–8 minutes.

Flora Plus and Herbal Extract are used up after 30 days; half of the Enzym Komplex is then still left. Do not exceed the recommended daily amounts.

Bought individually, the four products cost €138.40 together (Flora Plus €49.50, Enzym Komplex €49.50, Herbal Extract €29.90, liver tea €9.50). The bundle costs €131.50, so you save €6.90 or 5 %. Everything comes in one delivery; shipping within Germany is free from an order value of €50.

In this bundle, authorised claims exist only for zinc from Flora Plus. Two capsules provide 100 % of the reference intake; at least 15 % is required. Among others:

• Zinc contributes to the normal function of the immune system.
• Zinc contributes to the protection of cells from oxidative stress.
• Zinc contributes to normal cognitive function.
• Zinc has a role in the process of cell division.

The EU has not authorised any claims for bacterial cultures, digestive enzymes, bitter herbs or the tea herbs, including on digestion, gut flora or gut health. The bundle as a whole therefore has no effect claim of its own.

Gut cleanse and gut restoration (Darmkur, Darmsanierung) are not defined medical terms. They usually mean taking bacterial cultures for several weeks, often together with fibre or herbs. There is no standard procedure, no tested duration and no proven benefit for healthy people.

This bundle contains products that often appear in such plans. It is not a treatment programme, however, and does not replace having complaints assessed.

No claim about this is authorised for foods, and the evidence is mixed. A systematic review of seven trials in healthy adults found no robust evidence that bacterial supplements change the composition of the stool flora (PubMed 27159972). In a small study after antibiotics, the gut flora even recovered more slowly with a bacterial supplement than without (PubMed 30193113).

For diarrhoea during antibiotic therapy, a meta-analysis of 36 trials found less diarrhoea with certain supplements (PubMed 33234881). Results depend on strain and amount and do not automatically apply to Flora Plus. Diarrhoea with fever, blood or severe abdominal pain should be assessed by a doctor.

The products have not been studied together for simultaneous use. When combining them, you should know the following:

• Several ingredients belong to the daisy family (dandelion, chamomile, yarrow, milk thistle, artichoke, wormwood, elecampane). If you are allergic to the daisy family, pineapple or papaya, the bundle is not suitable.
• Enzym Komplex and Herbal Extract: with gallstones or bile duct disease, only after speaking to a doctor.
• Bromelain, papain and turmeric can alter the effect of anticoagulants.
• Zinc can reduce the absorption of certain antibiotics and osteoporosis medicines; a gap of a few hours is then usual.
• Flora Plus contains live bacteria: with a severely weakened immune system or serious illness, only after speaking to a doctor.
• Enzym Komplex contains traces of lactose and sulphite.

If you take medicines, are pregnant or breastfeeding, talk with the ORY expert team or with your doctor or naturopath beforehand; you can also ask your pharmacy.

Yes, for zinc. The German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) proposes a maximum of 6.5 mg zinc per day for food supplements. Two capsules of Flora Plus contain 10 mg and are therefore above it. EFSA has set a tolerable upper intake level of 25 mg per day for total intake from all sources.

Persistently high zinc intake can reduce copper absorption. If you take other zinc-containing supplements, add the amounts together. There are no proposed maximum amounts for the other ingredients.

The gut microbiome basic profile shows from a stool sample which bacterial groups are present in your gut. The digestive check-up measures digestive residues as well as inflammation and barrier markers, among other things. A lab report is not a recommendation; whether and what you supplement is something you discuss with the ORY expert team or with your doctor or naturopath.

Unintended weight loss, blood in the stool, persistent diarrhoea, symptoms at night or fever should always be assessed by a doctor.