SynoGut Ingredients: What's in the Formula?

SynoGut is marketed for digestive health as a blend of fibers, a probiotic and several other ingredients. This page looks at the formula itself: which ingredients the seller lists, what the label does and doesn't tell you, and what independent sources say about each ingredient. For the seller's claims, price, refund policy and our overall assessment, see our full SynoGut review.

SynoGut Ingredients at a Glance

The order above groups ingredients by type. It doesn't reflect how much of each the product contains, which we couldn't verify.

What Does SynoGut Contain?

That page is the one our affiliate link leads to, through Digistore24. It doesn't show a Supplement Facts panel. Other SynoGut pages describe the formula differently:

• Another SynoGut sales page (synogut.com) lists the same 10 ingredients.
• A site that sells SynoGut as a "stocking partner" names only six: psyllium, bentonite clay, black walnut, oat, flaxseed and prune. It states that no Supplement Facts panel was supplied.
• Another site that calls itself the official SynoGut website (gutsyno.com) mentions a "1.5g proprietary blend." Its ingredient section lists apple pectin, aloe vera, glucomannan, flax seeds, L. acidophilus, psyllium and plums, and mentions bentonite elsewhere. It doesn't mention black walnut or oat.
• A third-party review describes a label with a serving of 2 capsules and a 1.5-gram proprietary blend of the same 10 ingredients, plus gelatin, magnesium stearate and silicon dioxide as other ingredients.

We could not resolve these differences. None of the sources we reviewed shows a Supplement Facts panel that we could verify. The different lists could reflect different product versions, or pages that name only some ingredients, but we couldn't confirm either. This article discusses all 10 ingredients on the seller's current list, without assuming that every bottle contains all of them.

SynoGut Supplement Facts and Formula Transparency

A Supplement Facts panel is the most reliable description of what's in a supplement. Here's what we could and couldn't verify for SynoGut:

How proprietary blends work. Under FDA labeling rules, a proprietary blend (opens in a new tab) must show its total weight, with the ingredients listed in descending order of predominance by weight. It doesn't have to show the amount of each ingredient. So even with the label in hand, you'd know which ingredient is present in the largest amount, but not how much of any single ingredient you're getting.

About "FDA approved." The SynoGut sales page describes an "FDA approved and GMP certified facility." The FDA states that it doesn't approve dietary supplements (opens in a new tab) for safety and effectiveness and doesn't approve manufacturing facilities independently. A facility's registration or inspection is not FDA approval of the product.

The Fiber Ingredients

Five of SynoGut's listed ingredients provide fiber. Fiber is part of standard guidance for constipation, but the type and amount matter, and adding a lot quickly can cause gas. Our guide to fiber and bloating covers this in more detail.

Psyllium

• What it is: fiber from the husk of Plantago seeds.
• Why it may be included: MedlinePlus (opens in a new tab) describes psyllium as "a bulk-forming laxative" used to treat constipation. It "absorbs liquid in the intestines, swells, and forms a bulky stool, which is easy to pass." NIDDK lists fiber supplements among the over-the-counter options for constipation (opens in a new tab).
• What to know: MedlinePlus advises drinking at least 8 ounces (240 milliliters) of liquid with each dose. In a small clinical trial summarized in American Family Physician, the psyllium dose was 1 tablespoon a day, providing 6 grams of fiber.
• Amount in SynoGut: not disclosed.

Glucomannan

• What it is: the NIH Office of Dietary Supplements (ODS) describes glucomannan as "a soluble dietary fiber derived from konjac root" that can absorb a large amount of water.
• What the evidence covers: ODS reviews glucomannan mainly as a weight-loss ingredient. Its summary of trials found that glucomannan doesn't have a significant effect on body weight compared with placebo.
• What to know: ODS notes that it can cause loose stools, flatulence, diarrhea, constipation and abdominal discomfort.
• Amount in SynoGut: not disclosed.

Oat and Apple Pectin

• What they are: oats and apples are common food sources of soluble fiber, and pectin is a fiber found in fruit.
• What to know: we didn't find research on these ingredients in a form or amount comparable to a capsule blend. As foods, they're part of the fiber-rich eating pattern that NIDDK recommends for constipation.
• Amount in SynoGut: not disclosed.

Flaxseed

• What it is: the seed of the flax plant, which contains fiber.
• What the evidence covers: NCCIH (opens in a new tab) notes that flaxseed was used to make laxatives in ancient Greece, but its page doesn't describe current evidence on flaxseed for constipation.
• What to know: NCCIH notes that higher doses of flaxseed supplements may cause digestive symptoms such as bloating, fullness and diarrhea, and that there are theoretical reasons to suspect interactions with blood thinners.
• Amount in SynoGut: not disclosed.

Prune

• What it is: dried plum, a fruit that contains fiber.
• What the evidence covers: in a randomized crossover trial of 40 adults with chronic constipation, eating 6 dried plums twice a day for 3 weeks increased weekly complete bowel movements more than psyllium did. The trial had limitations: it was small, unblinded, mostly included women and was industry-funded, according to the summary in American Family Physician.
• What to know: that trial used whole dried plums, a dozen a day. That's a food amount far beyond what a capsule serving can hold, so its results can't be applied to prune powder in a supplement.
• Amount in SynoGut: not disclosed.

The Probiotic: L. Acidophilus

• What it is: Lactobacillus acidophilus is a probiotic species, meaning live bacteria intended to have a health benefit.
• What the evidence covers: NCCIH (opens in a new tab) notes that different types of probiotics may have different effects, so research on one strain doesn't necessarily apply to another. Our guide to probiotics for bloating explains what the evidence does and doesn't show for bloating.
• What to know: the NIH Office of Dietary Supplements notes that probiotic labels typically list the genus, species and strain, and the number of colony-forming units (CFUs). SynoGut's sales page names only the species, with no strain and no CFU count. One site that sells SynoGut doesn't list it at all.
• Amount in SynoGut: not disclosed.

Aloe Vera

• What it is: a plant whose leaves are used to make gels, juices and oral supplements.
• What the evidence covers: NCCIH (opens in a new tab) says there isn't enough reliable information to know whether oral aloe helps with digestive conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome.
• What to know: NCCIH notes that oral aloe can cause abdominal pain, cramps and diarrhea. In 2002, the FDA required manufacturers to remove aloe latex from over-the-counter laxatives because of a lack of safety data. SynoGut's sales page doesn't say what form of aloe it uses.
• Amount in SynoGut: not disclosed.

Bentonite Clay and Black Walnut

• Bentonite clay is a clay mineral. We didn't find authoritative evidence in the government sources we reviewed that it supports digestive health in people. The seller's reference list includes a trial of a specific clay preparation (beidellitic montmorillonite) in irritable bowel syndrome, but that's a different product studied in a specific condition. In 2016, the FDA warned consumers not to use a bentonite clay product (opens in a new tab) sold for swallowing after finding elevated levels of lead. That warning concerned a different product and isn't evidence about SynoGut. We found no published contaminant testing for SynoGut.
• Black walnut is the hull of the Juglans nigra tree, traditionally used in herbal products. We didn't find authoritative evidence in the sources we reviewed that it supports digestive health in people.
• Amount in SynoGut: not disclosed for either ingredient.

What the Ingredient List Can — and Can't — Tell Us

An ingredient list tells you what a product is made from. It doesn't tell you whether the product works.

Potential Safety Considerations

We found no safety study of SynoGut itself. Based on its listed ingredients, the cautions most worth knowing are:

• Fiber and fluids. Psyllium and glucomannan absorb water. MedlinePlus advises taking psyllium with plenty of liquid and telling your doctor if you have difficulty swallowing. ODS reports cases of esophageal obstruction linked to glucomannan tablets, though not to capsules or powders.
• Medicine timing. MedlinePlus advises against taking certain medicines, such as digoxin, within 3 hours of psyllium.
• Digestive side effects. Glucomannan, flaxseed and oral aloe can each cause digestive symptoms such as gas, bloating, cramps or diarrhea, according to ODS and NCCIH.
• Clay products. Bentonite clay products sold for swallowing have been the subject of an FDA lead warning, as described above.

Who Should Be Cautious?

Talk with a healthcare professional before using SynoGut if you:

• take prescription or over-the-counter medicines, including blood thinners
• have difficulty swallowing
• are pregnant or breastfeeding
• have a weakened immune system or a serious illness, since NCCIH notes that the risk of harmful effects from probiotics is greater in these groups
• have digestive symptoms that are severe, persistent, new or getting worse

How SynoGut's Formula Compares With What We Look for in Digestive Supplements

Our guide to what to look for in a digestive health supplement suggests a few label checks. Here's how SynoGut measures up, based on the information available to us:

What to Know Before Buying SynoGut

If you're considering SynoGut, the label on the bottle is your best source of information about its formula. Before using it, check the serving size, the blend's total weight, the ingredient order, the probiotic strain and count, and the other ingredients, and compare them with what you were sold. For the seller's claims, price and refund terms, see our SynoGut review.

The link below is an affiliate link. It leads through Digistore24 to the SynoGut sales page described in this article, which is not operated by Wellness Buyer Guide.

The Bottom Line

The SynoGut sales page our link leads to lists 10 ingredients: five fiber sources (psyllium, glucomannan, oat, apple pectin and flaxseed), prune, a probiotic (L. acidophilus), aloe vera, bentonite clay and black walnut. Other SynoGut pages list six or eight, and we couldn't verify a Supplement Facts panel. No ingredient amount, probiotic strain or CFU count is disclosed.

Of the listed ingredients, psyllium has the clearest independent support, as a bulk-forming fiber used for constipation. But ingredient research uses specific amounts, and SynoGut doesn't disclose its amounts, so that research can't show what the finished product does. If you're considering SynoGut, check the label on the bottle you receive and talk with a healthcare professional if you take medicines or have a health condition.