Review: VH Essentials Probiotics with Prebiotics and Cranberry – what is it and what does it do?

This product is designed to bolster your natural defences, but doesn’t treat anything in particular. It’s sort of like taking a tonic. It contains a small amount of vitamin C, cranberry, probiotics (lactobacilli) with prebiotics (inulin) added. This product supports natural vaginal (and gut) microflora. It could be useful if you were at risk of infections.

You can find these ingredients in higher doses reasonably cheaply – a daily dose of vitamin C, for example, would be much more like 500mg than just 60. The cranberry is in a proper therapeutic dose (which is around 400mg per day of powder for UTI prevention). The probiotics are fed with inulin, however if you have yeast or other microbial imbalances, the inulin can actually cause those bacterial colonies to increase, causing gastric upset. Everyone is a bit different, so a test is the only way to know.

Dose: 2 capsules daily, with 30 caps per container – that is a two-week dose
Cost: US$8.99 (US$0.59c per 2-cap dose)

Ingredients

• Vitamin C – 60g (acidic, promotes acidic pH for vaginal microflora to survive)
• Cranberry powder (PACRAN) 500mg (known to inhibit adhesion of E.coli in the urethra and urinary tract, helping to prevent UTIs)
• Probiotic bacteria – 1 billion CFU Bacillus coagulans Lactobacillus acidophilus (common species in the vagina) Lactobacillus rhamnosus (common species in the vagina)
• Inulin fibre (prebiotic, feeds probiotic bacteria)
• Gelatin (capsule, non-vegan)
• Magnesium stearate (used in processing to keep powder malleable)
• Silicon dioxide (absorbs excess moisture, used in processing and packaging)
• Microcrystalline cellulose (refined wood pulp, used as an anti-caking agent and filler in capsules)

Who owns VH Essentials?

VH Essentials is a subsidiary of Wisconsin Pharmacal Co, a pharmaceutical company, which has a shop set up to sell their different branded products, Lake Consumer Products, also a subsidiary of Wisconsin Pharmacal Co. These products are commonly available at regular retailers and supermarkets in the United States.