Frequently Asked Questions
Thaena® is committed to providing people with the tools and resources to more effectively support health by restoring balance to microbial ecosystems. Our flagship product ThaenaBiotic®, along with our education platform, is the first step in leading an ecosystem revolution.
Our co-founders developed ThaenaBiotic® based on their work with fecal microbiota transplant (FMT) and treating patients through their functional medicine clinic Flora Medicine. Our co-founder’s unique approach to looking at an individual's whole health (including diet, lifestyle, and history) makes our stool-derived product truly special.
Most people tolerate ThaenaBiotic® well. The majority of what people report to us are mild, GI-related complaints: gas, bloating, cramping, nausea, or a change in stool. These are self-limiting: they settle on their own once the dose is lowered or stopped. Reports involving skin, mood, or energy are much less common.
We track every report as part of our ongoing safety monitoring, and we have not recorded a serious adverse event.
If you experience symptoms that are significant or interfere with your daily life, stop taking ThaenaBiotic® and let us know. Email info@thaena.com or call/text 503-506-8732. If you are working with a healthcare practitioner, let them know as well.
ThaenaBiotic® is a novel, whole biome derived postbiotic made via the patent-pending ThaenaKilled sterilization process. This process yields a complex mixture of molecules that represents a healthy microbial ecosystem. Typical probiotics and postbiotics on the market represent only a small fraction of the diversity found in our microbiome.
ThaenaBiotic is made from screened, healthy donor stool (containing live organisms) that is then sterilized, freeze-dried, and encapsulated.
- Heat sterilization using autoclaving of the stool assures that all viruses and bacteria are killed, but their active metabolites (i.e., postbiotics) are preserved.
- The addition of a pH adjustment step before freeze-drying via lyophilization allows for the retention of essential volatile short-chain fatty acids.
- Many of the active metabolites (e.g., short-chain fatty acids, bile acids, amino acid derivatives, ceramides, sphingosine, and more) found in ThaenaBiotic™ have been shown to play a role in supporting healthy microbiomes.
Postbiotics are the active substances our microbiome makes from the nutrients we eat (i.e., fiber and polyphenols, the colorful part of our foods), that can communicate with our body and help maintain health.
We define postbiotics as the molecular byproducts from ThaenaKilled microorganisms (bacteria, virus, fungi, and archaea sterilized with high heat + high pressure) present in our healthy, whole biome-derived material.
These metabolic byproducts (active metabolites) of live bacteria are derived from either metabolism of prebiotics or heat-inactivated cell lysis. And any of these molecules have global physiological effects on the host., Postbiotics have been evaluated in small studies and found to be potentially beneficial for the following clinical applications:
- Heat-killed probiotics have been shown to be effective at modulating human health (Depommier 2019, Jeong 2020)
- Postbiotics are active components in modulating the microbiome and human health (Wong 2019, Barros 2020)
ThaenaKilled is defined as a patent-pending process of blending, autoclaving and pH adjustment of screened, healthy human stool.
Whole biome derived refers to the robust and complex microbial ecosystem found in our screened, healthy donor stool we use as raw material to produce ThaenaBiotic™. Healthy human donors are interviewed and screened for baseline health measures and infectious disease markers using stool and serum testing. These donors prioritize health and wellness to create diverse microbial ecosystems worth sharing.
No. ThaenaBiotic® is a sterilized, stool-derived supplement. There is no live bacteria, meaning no risk of infection.
Start with 1 capsule a day, with food. If you want to ease in, take 1 capsule every 2 to 3 days for the first week, or open a capsule and take half. One capsule a day is our recommendation and where most people stay. If you tolerate it well, with no GI upset, you can take 1 capsule twice a day.
ThaenaBiotic® can get things moving. Changes like gas or bloating in the first days can be transient; if it is uncomfortable, drop back to every other day or half a capsule and build up again slowly. If you experience increased diarrhea or heartburn, discontinue and talk with your healthcare provider.
ThaenaBiotic® does not need to be tapered. You can stop and restart it as needed. Doses above 2 capsules a day are for people whose healthcare practitioner has recommended them. If you are working with a practitioner, they can help you find the approach that makes sense for you.
For providers: dosing protocols, including acute and post-procedure use, are in your provider portal.
Using stool and serum testing, healthy human donors are interviewed and screened for baseline health measures and infectious disease markers. To determine whether or not a donor represents a healthy microbiome, the following screening requirements must be met:
- A thorough medical history, lifestyle and nutrition interview, mental health assessment, and pass all infectious disease screening.
- Detailed instructions including recommendations for maintaining a healthy microbiome through diet and lifestyle practices are provided to donors.
These donors prioritize health and wellness to create diverse microbial ecosystems worth sharing.
Feel like you might be donor material? Apply today!
You can order ThaenaBiotic® directly from us here on our website or through our official store on Amazon.
You can also purchase ThaenaBiotic® through a Thaena Provider. We partner with integrative healthcare practitioners across the United States. Visit our Provider Directory to find a provider near you.
Have questions? Email info@thaena.com or call/text 503-506-8732.
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No. There are two ways people use it, and many move from one to the other.
Rebuilding: a daily stretch, usually 1 capsule a day for three to six months, while your ecosystem finds its footing. Most people who respond notice a shift within the first month. After that, many move to occasional use.
Support: keeping it on hand and taking it as needed. Some people find it useful around travel, a stressful stretch, a meal they know tends to bother them, a night with more alcohol than usual, or a short run of changes in their usual GI pattern. One capsule with the meal, or one a day for a few days, is how most people do this.
Neither is the wrong way. ThaenaBiotic® is one tool in the toolbox, and it does not need to be tapered, so you can stop and restart it as your life changes.
It can. Some people have experienced an increase in their baseline GI symptoms instead of improvement. In our observational cohort that was a minority, and people who started with more severe symptoms tended to see more improvement overall.
If your symptoms get worse, ThaenaBiotic® may not be the right fit for you. We recommend stopping, contacting your healthcare provider, and looking for another tool. It does not need to be tapered, so you can stop.
You absolutely can! Though, if you are taking ThaenaBiotic®, we do not believe it is necessary.
No. ThaenaBiotic® cannot be taken as a suppository. However, you can open the capsule and mix the powder in with a smoothie, yogurt, or food. Our team has done it, it adds a bit of a tangy flavor to whatever you are having.
No, you do not need to meet any specific medical qualifications to use ThaenaBiotic®.
Thaena partners with integrative medicine practitioners throughout the United States, see our Provider Directory to find a Thaena Provider near you.
If your doctor is not a Thaena Provider and would like to become one they can sign up HERE.
Yes! Customers who purchase ThaenaBiotic® can leave reviews, and you can read their experiences and see the full star-rating distribution on our product page.
Individual reviews reflect one person's experience and are not a guarantee of how ThaenaBiotic® will work for you. If you are working with a healthcare practitioner, they can help you decide whether ThaenaBiotic® is appropriate for your individual needs.
ThaenaBiotic® Reviews