If you have “tried everything” and are still having regular IBS symptoms, seriously consider SIBO and Candida as being a potential cause. There are natural solutions for SIBO and Candida.

How do I know if I have SIBO and Candida?

SIBO and Candida are both directly related to bacterial overgrowth.

SIBO stands for Small Intestine Bacterial Overgrowth.

Candida is a specific type of bacterial overgrowth. It can occur in the intestines, but also in the stomach, the mouth and other body areas too.

If you’re wondering if you have SIBO and Candida (or either one), check out the commonly associated symptoms, and see if they match what you are experiencing.

You can ask your doctor for a hydrogen and methane breath test to confirm your conclusions. 

Your doctor will probably prescribe you medicines like Rifaximin to help get rid of the “bad” bacteria.

Prebiotics or probiotics may help too. I had a bad reaction to probiotics as many contain lactose. As I am lactose-intolerant, I had to find a different solution.

Why not use natural solutions for SIBO and Candida?

By having to look for an alternative, I came across HERBAL MICROBIALS (also known as herbal antibiotics). They are generally less expensive, can be better digested and can do the job just as well.

There are several medical studies to show that herbs can have a very beneficial effect on gut flora, and even as good as Rifaximin for treating SIBO.

Treating Candida

I was successful with a product called ERGYPAR by the Laboratories Nutergia.

This product is in liquid form and contains herb extracts. My local pharmacist stocks it, but it is not widely available outside France. I have found a supplier that delivers Ergypar to the UK, but not to the US. (This is NOT an affiliate link).

This is a list of what the product contains, so you can look for a similar solution where you are: extracts of ginger (which I cannot digest as a food), walnut, gentian, alder, thyme and mallow, and trace elements of selenium and chrome.

I added a 20 ml capful to the bottle of water I keep on my desk every day for a nearly a month (I used 2 bottles doing this) You can take the 20 ml in a glass of water in one go, preferably between mealtimes, but the taste is not particularly pleasant.

After that I felt better all round, with less bloating and wind, and had more energy.

I repeated this treatment a couple of months later to maximize its effect.

This treatment really soothed IBS symptoms and helped me improve digestion.

Then I went a step further and found and released my IBS triggers. To my great surprise I found that all my IBS flare-ups and long-term digestive problems fell away. I believe that this is the key to long-term recovery.

Treating SIBO

For best results (and in case I also had SIBO) my pharmacist told me I should I was should follow ERGYPAR with a product called MY’COKYL (by Laboratoires Nutergia).  But I couldn’t digest this one at all, probably because of the garlic. However, I found I had sufficient results without it. But if you can digest it, it would be best to complete the treatment. There are 90 tablets, and they say to take 3-6 tablets per day, in between meals.
This product contains garlic that helps maintain the microbial balance in the gut and defense against harmful microorganisms. It contains essential oil of cloves, cinnamon, oregano, with garlic, thyme, rosemary, grapefruit and olive extracts.

Dr. Allison Siebecker is a SIBO researcher and specialist. she says that to treat it, her team commonly use “1-3 of the following herbs x 4 weeks per course, at highest levels suggested on product labels.
Allicin (extract) from Garlic
Oregano
Berberine- found in Goldenseal, Oregon Grape, Barberry, Coptis, Phellodendron
Neem
Cinnamon”

You can see that that MY’COKYL and this next product both contain at least 3 of the herbs she is recommending.

New Nordic DIDA is a similar product to MY’COKYL that you could try which is available in the UK and in the US, and elsewhere I personally did not get along well with these tablets.

This was probably because of lactose or maybe the garlic, but other IBS sufferers find them helpful. They contain oregano, olive leaves, marigold, thyme, cardamom, cloves, garlic, cinnamon oil, peppermint oil and fennel oil.

SIBO is known to be particularly difficult to treat. Some people will need to retreat a second time, or try other methods like the specific SIBO diet, Elemental diet or antibiotics (1). Ask your doctor for guidance.

If you find that you treat SIBO successfully, but that it comes back, it would be wise to look at the root causes behind it being there.

Sugars and refined processed foods are thought to encourage SIBO and Candida.

Remember to EXCLUDE them from your diet while you are taking treatment