Probiotics are made up of good bacteria that helps keep your body healthy and working well. This good bacteria helps you in many ways, including fighting off bad bacteria when you have too much of it, helping you feel better. Probiotics are part of a larger picture concerning bacteria and your body — your microbiome. Probiotics are live forms of bacteria that, upon consumption, directly increase the population of beneficial bacteria in your microbiome (gut). Unlike prebiotics, which only serve to feed healthy bacteria, probiotics can replace missing good bacteria and help your microbiome balance out any bad bacteria. These essential functions underlie the value of probiotics to any healthy diet and lifestyle, as they can help increase our body’s natural defenses. Lactobacillus plantarum (a.k.a. L. plantarum) is a beneficial, live bacteria with a wide variety of healthful sources and beneficial uses that makes a natural home in your microbiome. This probiotic is a member of the Lactobacillus genus and has a long history of use as both an aid to fermentation and a microorganism to benefit the human body.