The Gut-Brain Connection
Start here
Four places to begin, written in plain English for parents.
- Saffron and children: what the research covers, and the amount that mattersWhat saffron research covers for children and teens: one standardised extract, eleven placebo-controlled trials, the only teen trial, and why 28 mg matters.
- What MGO 250+ actually means, and how to check itMGO 250+ means at least 250 mg of methylglyoxal per kilogram of honey, confirmed by lab analysis. What the number measures and how to check it on a label.
- How the gut talks to the brain: the gut-brain axis in plain EnglishThe vagus nerve, serotonin made in the gut, and the bacteria that join the conversation. What is established, what is animal work, and what is still open.
- Gummies, powders, pills or sachets: what children actually take every dayGummies, powders, pills or sachets? An honest comparison of the four formats for children, what each trades away, and why the one taken every day wins.
Every article
Saffron side effects: what the trials actually recorded
At the amounts used in the research, around 28 to 30 mg a day of a standardised extract, saffron trials have recorded few side effects and no serious reactions.
Saffron side effects: what the trials actually recorded
At the amounts used in the research, around 28 to 30 mg a day of a standardised extract, saffron trials have recorded few side effects and no serious reactions.
Do probiotics need to be taken every day? What happens in the gut when you stop
Most probiotic bacteria are visitors, not residents. They are found in the gut while they are being taken and fade out within days to a couple of weeks of stopping.
Do probiotics need to be taken every day? What happens in the gut when you stop
Most probiotic bacteria are visitors, not residents. They are found in the gut while they are being taken and fade out within days to a couple of weeks of stopping.
How long does saffron take to work? What the trials measured, week by week
Saffron's compounds are absorbed within about an hour, but the differences the trials measured took weeks: from four weeks at the earliest, at eight weeks in teenagers, and at twelve weeks in the two largest trials, all at 28 mg a day of a standardised extract.
How long does saffron take to work? What the trials measured, week by week
Saffron's compounds are absorbed within about an hour, but the differences the trials measured took weeks: from four weeks at the earliest, at eight weeks in teenagers, and at twelve weeks in the two largest trials, all at 28 mg a day of a standardised extract.
Stomach pain and constipation in autistic children: what the research shows
Gut problems are several times more common in autistic children, and they travel with harder days, worry and poorer sleep.
Stomach pain and constipation in autistic children: what the research shows
Gut problems are several times more common in autistic children, and they travel with harder days, worry and poorer sleep.
What a certified honey grade actually proves
A number on a jar is only worth what the testing behind it is worth. What MGO grading measures, what UMF adds, and the study that checked whether the labels tell the truth.
What a certified honey grade actually proves
A number on a jar is only worth what the testing behind it is worth. What MGO grading measures, what UMF adds, and the study that checked whether the labels tell the truth.
Why one Manuka honey is stronger than another
Two jars of Manuka can differ by a factor of ten, and the reason starts in the flower rather than the hive. Where the number comes from, why species and place matter, and how well it keeps.
Why one Manuka honey is stronger than another
Two jars of Manuka can differ by a factor of ten, and the reason starts in the flower rather than the hive. Where the number comes from, why species and place matter, and how well it keeps.
Why honey and not syrup
Anything you take daily needs something to carry it. Honey and glucose syrup look interchangeable on an ingredients list and behave very differently in laboratory studies of gut bacteria.
Why honey and not syrup
Anything you take daily needs something to carry it. Honey and glucose syrup look interchangeable on an ingredients list and behave very differently in laboratory studies of gut bacteria.
Acerola: the cherry that is mostly vitamin C
Acerola is a small tropical cherry used as a vitamin C source rather than eaten as fruit. What it is, why it is picked green, and what whole-fruit vitamin C brings that a synthetic powder does not.
Acerola: the cherry that is mostly vitamin C
Acerola is a small tropical cherry used as a vitamin C source rather than eaten as fruit. What it is, why it is picked green, and what whole-fruit vitamin C brings that a synthetic powder does not.
Is Australian Manuka real Manuka?
New Zealand tried twice to make Manuka a name only its own producers could use. It lost both times, in the country that raised the argument.
Is Australian Manuka real Manuka?
New Zealand tried twice to make Manuka a name only its own producers could use. It lost both times, in the country that raised the argument.
How to judge a supplement's evidence when your child is neurodivergent
Five questions you can answer from the label and ten minutes of searching: was the ingredient tested on its own, is the extract standardised and to what, was it placebo-controlled and how often, was it tested in anyone your child's age, and does the amount on the label match the amount in the study.
How to judge a supplement's evidence when your child is neurodivergent
Five questions you can answer from the label and ten minutes of searching: was the ingredient tested on its own, is the extract standardised and to what, was it placebo-controlled and how often, was it tested in anyone your child's age, and does the amount on the label match the amount in the study.
What a saffron extract is tested for before it reaches you
Four heavy metals, four aflatoxins, plant alkaloids, pesticide residues and seven microbiological limits. What is on an ingredient specification sheet, which tests run on every batch, and the difference between a specification and a certificate of analysis.
What a saffron extract is tested for before it reaches you
Four heavy metals, four aflatoxins, plant alkaloids, pesticide residues and seven microbiological limits. What is on an ingredient specification sheet, which tests run on every batch, and the difference between a specification and a certificate of analysis.
The most studied saffron extract: what that actually rests on
Most saffron reviews pool a dozen different preparations made in different ways. Eleven randomised, placebo-controlled trials have tested one standardised extract, in more than 1,000 people aged 12 to 77, and two of them are missing from the databases most people search.
The most studied saffron extract: what that actually rests on
Most saffron reviews pool a dozen different preparations made in different ways. Eleven randomised, placebo-controlled trials have tested one standardised extract, in more than 1,000 people aged 12 to 77, and two of them are missing from the databases most people search.