Frequently Asked Questions

Neuralli MP comes in capsules packaged in a twist-off bottle. These state-of-the-art CSP vials keep the inside of the bottle very dry and help maintain maximum probiotic potency.

If swallowing the capsule is uncomfortable, you can open the shell and take the powder. (Take it all at once to guarantee its potency.) If you’d like, you can mix Neuralli MP powder into a cool drink or food of your choice. It should not be added to warm/hot foods or liquids. Read more here

The FDA approves drugs (or medicines). Neuralli MP is not a drug or medicine. It is a medical probiotic, which is a type of medical food.

A medical food is defined by 21 U.S. Code 360ee, (b), (3) as a food formulated for consumption or enteral administration under the supervision of a physician for the specific dietary management of a disease or condition for which distinctive nutritional requirements, based on recognized scientific principles, are established by medical evaluation.

Neuralli MP is a medical probiotic intended to support the dietary management of autism, anxiety, depression, and Parkinson’s Disease. Lactiplantibacillus (formerly Lactobacillus) plantarum PS128 is the probiotic strain that, at sufficiently high quantities, when administered to the people with the specified neurological conditions, has demonstrated some benefits that are clinically meaningful.

L. plantarum PS128 is affirmed as generally recognized as safe (GRAS). The strain L. plantarum PS128 is derived from a fermented food. The fermented food itself is not in a typical diet and does not have the standardized quantities of the specific strain, PS128. To maintain the strain's genetic integrity, it must be cultivated in controlled manufacturing conditions. To deliver a sufficient quantity to have a clinically meaningful effect, Neuralli MP delivers PS128 in a high-potency form.

When taking Neuralli MP as directed (2 capsules containing 60 billion CFU of L. plantarum PS128), some people may experience mild gastrointestinal upset such as gas, bloating or stool changes for up to a week, just as when starting any new probiotic. In clinical studies of the PS128 probiotic with Autistic participants or patients with Parkinson’s disease, reports of adverse effects were very low. If side effects persist, we recommend consulting your health care provider.

Children as young as 3 years of age have used 60 billion CFUs of PS128 per day in clinical studies. These children were under the supervision of physicians for their diagnosis of autism. Two capsules of Neuralli MP contain 60 billion CFUs of PS128.

Neuralli MP is a medical food for the dietary management of autism, PD, anxiety, and depression, and is intended to be used under the supervision of a health care professional.

Neuralli MP delivers 60 billion CFUs of L. plantarum PS128 to contribute to healthy gut microbiota. As a medical food for autism, PD, anxiety, or depression, Neuralli MP targets gut microbiome-to-brain signaling.

More research is needed to explore the impact of PS128 on bowel function such as constipation. However, in a recent customer survey of 132 respondents taking Neuralli MP, about half experienced some improvements or significant improvements in their gut health. Less than half experienced no change to gut health.

No probiotic can replace the need for adequate intake of fiber (about 25-35 grams per day) or other healthy lifestyle habits that impact gut health. Consult your health care practitioner for concerns about your digestive health.

Neuralli MP is most effective when taken daily. The benefits of Neuralli MP come from its probiotic strain, and the strain itself doesn’t colonize in your gut. Therefore, if you don’t take it, you will not be getting the good bacteria. That said, if you miss a day, there’s no need to take a double dose to make up for it. Simply start again the next day.

It is unknown if PS128 can reproduce within the human intestine. Unpublished research shows that PS128 DNA could be detected in the stool of some volunteers for 1-2 weeks after taking the strain. However, it is not known if PS128 was alive and reproducing within the intestine over that period.

Probiotics typically provide benefits as they are taken and pass through the intestine. It is not necessary for them to “colonize” the gut in order to be effective. It is rare for any probiotic strain to be retained in the gut once a person stops taking it.

You can read more about probiotic colonization in this article from the International Scientific Association for Probiotics and Prebiotics (ISAPP):
https://isappscience.org/is-probiotic-colonization-essential/

Because Neuralli MP is not shelf stable, we formulate, package, and ship it carefully. We don’t compromise in our pursuit of providing maximum potency for maximum benefit. We add in more than 30 billion CFUs at the time of manufacturing to ensure you get at least 30 billion CFUs per capsule through the best by date. We use special CSP vials to keep the capsules dry. We ship fast and cold to prevent CFU loss, and use robust curbside recyclable insulated packaging to minimize our impact on the environment.

At Bened Life, we believe that safe and effective microbiome solutions are part of the answer. Your investment in Neuralli MP supports our mission to unlock the gut-brain axis and make an impact on the communities we serve.

Each serving (2 capsules) of Neuralli MP contains at least 60 billion CFU L. plantarum PS128. Other ingredients include microcrystalline cellulose, magnesium stearate, and silica. The vegetarian capsule is made of hypromellose.

To keep your products maximally effective, store them in their original CSP bottles in the refrigerator. Be sure to keep Neuralli MP in its original bottle to limit the exposure of the capsules to humidity; do not store the capsules in a different container. Do not expose Neuralli MP to high heat or direct sunlight.

If you travel with Neuralli MP, always keep it in a cool, dry place. Storing a bottle at a consistent room temperature for up to one month will not impact the efficacy of the product.

Take two capsules every day. Many customers take both at the same time; however, you can also split them up if you prefer. Find the time of day that works best for you.

In a clinical study with people with Parkinson’s disease, participants took two capsules in the evening. In other clinical studies the timing was left up to the participants.

The serving size of Neuralli MP is 2 capsules per day, providing 60 billion CFU of PS128. Children as young as 3 years of age have used 60 billion CFUs per day of PS128 in clinical studies.

Since each person is different, your tolerance may vary. Please take Neuralli MP under the supervision of your health care provider.

Most people take 1-2 capsules per day. Clinical studies have tested up to 60 billion CFU of PS128, which is the quantity in 2 capsules. Consult your healthcare provider if you have any questions.

You may receive your product in a box with or without cold packs, depending on the time of year and your geographic location. If your package contains cold packs that are no longer cold, or perhaps even warm, when the box arrives at your door, don’t worry - your product is safe. Simply refrigerate all bottles right away.

Bened Life products are stable under most shipping conditions, but should be refrigerated upon receipt. PS128 requires refrigeration to retain efficacy through its best-by date.

If you happen to experience an unexpected heat wave or unusual circumstances such as product sitting at your door in excessive heat for an extended period of time, please contact our customer happiness team through our contact form.

As a medical food, Neuralli MP should be used under the supervision of your health care provider. Its active ingredient, PS128, has been studied in Autistic people and people with Parkinson’s, anxiety, and depression (see references here).

PS128 may play a role in modulating neurotransmitters such as dopamine and serotonin in some individuals. If you have concerns about this, please speak with your health care provider before starting or stopping Neuralli MP.

While each ingredient in Neuralli MP is generally recognized as safe (GRAS), Neuralli MP has not been tested for safety and effectiveness in populations with other medical conditions. We recommend that you consult with your health care provider to decide if Neuralli MP is right for you.

If you are breastfeeding or pregnant, we recommend speaking to your health care provider for guidance. They will have the best recommendations for you with your health history in mind.

We always recommend consulting with your health care provider before starting any new medical food, supplement, or medication. A recent study that looked at the use of L. plantarum PS128 in patients with anxiety disorders found that the combination of anti-anxiety medication and PS128 led to fewer adverse events than taking the SSRI on its own. However, your experience may differ. Please take Neuralli MP under the supervision of your health care provider.

Some antibiotics may make Neuralli MP less effective. If you are taking an antibiotic, please consult your health care professional for advice.

L. plantarum PS128 does not produce histamine. It does not have the histidine decarboxylase (hdc) gene in its genome.

Yes, the powerful probiotic strain in Neuralli MP has been the focus of multiple research and clinical studies. The strain Lactobacillus plantarum PS128 was isolated after a rigorous screening process of nearly one thousand strains of bacteria. These strains were tested for potency, effectiveness, and the ability to affect mental wellness. PS128 was proven to strengthen the immune and digestive systems, as well as improve mental health by modulating stress, reducing anxiety, and promoting a balanced mood. Click here for more information about the science of Neuralli MP. You can view the clinical studies about PS128 here.

While many strains of L. plantarum are commercially available as probiotics, the L. plantarum PS128 strain has proved to be neurologically active in preclinical studies. By “neurologically active,” we mean that after taking the PS128 strain orally, some preclinical models showed increases in brain serotonin and/or dopamine. PS128 also demonstrated benefit in clinical trials of people with neurological conditions.

In general, different strains of a single bacterial species can have very different beneficial effects. For example, L. plantarum Lpla33 demonstrated benefit in IBS-D. On the other hand, Lactobacillus plantarum LPLDL can help with cholesterol levels. (PS128 has not been studied for those effects, and neither of those strains have been studied in the way that PS128 has.)

PS128 is a specific strain of lactic acid bacteria that has been clinically shown to provide benefits, whereas lacto-fermented vegetables (vegetables that undergo fermentation by lactic acid bacteria) may contain any number of types of bacteria with unknown properties.

PS128 was discovered in spontaneously fermented mustard greens. “Spontaneous” fermentation occurs when bacteria in the environment (air, nearby surfaces) do the fermentation. To identify what type of bacteria is in a fermented product, isolation and genetic sequencing is needed. After screening hundreds of lactic acid bacteria, PS128 was selected from one spontaneous fermentation of mustard greens. Other fermented products would not be expected to have PS128 unless PS128 had been added into it.

In order to be called a fermented food on a commercial product, the food should contain at least 1 million  CFU of live microbes per gram of food per US FDA requirements (see 21 CFR131.200). The live microbes may or may not be specified by species (plantarum or acidophilus for example) or strain (using letters and numbers). Thus, the fermented food may be a food with live cultures, not probiotics (see information from ISAPP). On the other hand, a probiotic delivers a specific quantity of a specific bacterium that has a demonstrated health benefit. 60 billion CFU of PS128 per serving is the quantity that was used in clinical studies as dietary support in specific neurological conditions such as ASD and PD.

A specific type of probiotics, psychobiotics are defined as live microorganisms that when administered at adequate amounts, provide a mental health benefit. Neuralli MP contains the novel psychobiotic L. plantarum PS128, clinically shown to provide both neurological and mental health benefits, likely due to its influence on the production and/or metabolism of serotonin and dopamine.

A medical probiotic is a type of medical food. The term medical food, as defined in the Orphan Drug Act, is "a food which is formulated to be consumed or administered enterally under the supervision of a physician and which is intended for the specific dietary management of a disease or condition for which distinctive nutritional requirements, based on recognized scientific principles, are established by medical evaluation."

Neuralli MP is a medical probiotic intended to support the dietary management of autism, anxiety, depression, and Parkinson’s Disease. It delivers 60B CFUs of Lactiplantibacillus (formerly Lactobacillus) plantarum PS128, a probiotic strain that, at sufficiently high quantities, when administered to people with the specified neurological conditions, has demonstrated some benefits that are clinically meaningful.

Autistic people and those with neurological conditions such as anxiety, depression, and Parkinson’s disease have distinct nutritional requirements that differ from the general population. For these patients, diet alone is not sufficient to support gut microbiome to brain signaling. Gut microbial differences, as well as genetic and blood biomarkers, suggest that gut microbiome modulation of neurotransmitters and neurotransmitter metabolism may be dysregulated in these conditions.

Neuralli MP’s formula contains PS128 for the dietary support of gut microbiome to brain signaling in these conditions. The specific strain L. plantarum PS128 is derived from a fermented food. The fermented food itself is not in a typical diet and does not have the standardized quantities of the specific strain. To maintain genetic integrity of the strain, it needs to be cultivated in controlled manufacturing conditions. Neuralli MP is formulated to deliver a sufficient quantity of PS128 to have a clinically meaningful effect.

Clinical studies of PS128 in autism, Parkinson’s disease, anxiety, and depression suggest that this specific strain supports the gut microbiome to brain signaling that influences brain and behavior. The evidence for autism includes three randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trials. For further information on all the clinical trials, please see the list of clinical trials here.