March 14, 2025

Using Biocidin in Your Practice: A Practitioner’s Perspective

By Emily Hernandez, ND

Being a functional medicine practitioner can be incredibly rewarding, allowing us to truly connect with our patients as we work with them to uncover the root causes of illness and support the body’s natural ability to heal. But the profession doesn’t come without its challenges. A big one is the seemingly endless task of evaluating supplement options — from patented nutraceuticals to traditional homeopathic and herbal formulas — to use in treating our patients.

Throughout my 10-plus years in private clinical practice, I sifted through hundreds of different supplements and companies to identify the best options for my patients. I searched for formulations with premium-quality, research-backed ingredients in evidence-supported amounts; superior bioavailability; and proven clinical effectiveness. Although time-intensive, this process yielded some staple formulas over the years — formulas I came to rely on a functional medicine practitioner. And one of those formulas is Biocidin®.

What is Biocidin?

This trusted, 99% organic formula has been around for over 35 years and was developed by acupuncturist Dr. Rachel Fresco in 1989. A blend of 18 different herbs, Biocidin comes in three different forms: liquid, capsules, and a liposomal formula. There’s also a throat spray, toothpaste, and oral rinse that incorporate this versatile blend, which offers:

Broad spectrum antimicrobial properties
The ability to dismantle and dissolve biofilms
Immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory actions

Given the large number of botanicals in this formula, each plant represents a low percentage of the overall blend. However, in combination, these botanicals and their mechanisms of action bring about a powerful synergy for addressing dysbiosis and opportunistic, pathogenic microbes — all while bringing balance back to the microbiome.

Why did I use Biocidin in my practice?

In my private clinical practice, patients often presented with at least one GI-related symptom, and I found that dysbiosis was almost always at the root of their conditions. As we know, dysbiosis leads to:

An influx of inflammatory metabolites (LPS, histamines, oxalates, etc.) and by-products (hydrogen gas, methane gas, etc.)
Damage to the integrity of the gut barrier, which ultimately leads to systemic inflammation and immune dysfunction
Reduced diversity and abundance of beneficial flora that play an important role in immune regulation, metabolic function, cognition and mental health, hormone health, and more.

Having an effective antimicrobial that can address microbial imbalances without wiping out beneficial flora was invaluable for helping patients restore their foundational health. Patients often came to us with “supplement fatigue,” so having just one formula to recommend (I rarely had to add additional antimicrobials) was a huge plus.

Balancing the gut microbiome

Biocidin’s ability to bring balance to the microbiome was the focus of a pilot study conducted with 13 participants using the max dosing of Biocidin® Liquid and G.I. Detox+® (binder) for 8 weeks. Stool testing by Sun Genomics was performed before the protocol began, and again after two months. Results from this pilot study showed:¹

69% (9/13) of participants had an increasing trend in probiotic abundance (not a statistically significant increase).
73% (8/11) of participants had an increasing trend in Akkermansia mucinophila (not a statistically significant increase). It’s worth noting that two participants were not included in the data calculation of A. mucinophila due to zero measurable levels before the protocol began.

Pilot Study #1:
Biocidin's Effects on Balancing the Gut Microbiome and Keystone Species

While the increases in probiotic abundance were not statistically significant, a drastic reduction in beneficial flora was also not observed – which is something typically seen with pharmaceutical antimicrobials. Thus, an overall balancing effect was observed.

In addition to this pilot study, a small number of case studies are currently following patients on Biocidin treatment protocols for 1+ years. For these case studies, stool testing is performed before the start of the patient protocols and every 3-4 months thereafter. More analysis is still needed, but early findings indicate an improvement in symptoms overall without any major reductions in commensal gut bacteria.

Eradicating biofilms

A big reason why Biocidin proved so valuable to me as a clinician is its effectiveness in addressing biofilms – living microbial communities of organisms that adhere to one another and to surfaces.² In general, biofilms:

Are often polymicrobial, comprising a combination of bacteria, yeast, and viruses.
Produce a sticky extracellular polymeric substance (EPS), which provides a physical barrier and protection for the microbes to allow for greater survival.³
Allow bacteria and other microbes to communicate and transfer cellular information – including resistant genes – more efficiently.
Form a protected environment so that bacteria can resist up to 5,000 times the antibiotic concentration that would typically be needed to resolve an infection.⁴
Account for nearly 90% of bacteria compared to bacteria found in free-floating or planktonic form.⁵

Biofilms play an integral role in many patients' conditions and should be addressed. Biofilms – which are present in everyone – are not always problematic. However, there are some key clinical and laboratory signs that indicate biofilms may be dysbiotic:

Patients improve during treatment, then revert to their original symptoms once protocols are discontinued.
Patients may have laboratory findings or symptoms that don’t improve or continue to get worse.
Patients experience chronic GI infections or are chronically ill.

In a pilot study that looked at Biocidin’s effectiveness in addressing biofilm, Biocidin showed effectiveness in addressing a variety of yeast and bacteria, including:

Candida albicans
Klebsiella pneumponiae
Pseudomonas aeruqinosa
Escherichia coli

In the study, biofilms were exposed to a fixed concentration of Biocidin for a period of 24 hours while cell viability was monitored. The results showed an unmistakeable effect on planktonic and biofilm communities:

Pilot Study #2:
Biocidin's Effects on Biofilm and Planktonic Microbes In-Vitro

Low and slow is the way to go

The ability to dismantle biofilms makes Biocidin a powerful formula. In my practice, I’ve noted that patients often respond to Biocidin very quickly. This is often observed as “die-off” reactions (heightened symptoms as the toxin burden increases from opening biofilms and releasing microbial debris). For this reason, it’s wise to start dosing “low and slow.” I also always have my patients use a binder and incorporate other methods of detoxification and drainage support before starting on Biocidin.

Do I need to test my patients before starting protocols with Biocidin?

Biocidin can be used early on in a protocol as a “diagnostic” aid while working to address microbial imbalances, improve immunomodulation, and lower inflammation. I’m sure we’d all love to run multiple diagnostic tests on our patients, but the reality is that many cannot afford them or simply choose not to test (maybe because they don’t want to tackle the thrilling task of catching their stool in a cardboard container.) If we don’t get the opportunity to run functional testing on a patient, starting them on Biocidin and seeing how they respond (die-off, symptom improvement, no change) can give us valuable insight into their condition.

Knowing that the Biocidin formula is broad spectrum and can address multiple types of microbes simultaneously is extremely reassuring. As a practitioner, I felt confident that even if we didn't have evidence about the specific dysbiotic microbes, our treatment would still cover all (or most) of the bases.

In fact, even if I did run comprehensive stool testing, organic acid testing (OAT), or any other test, I had my patients start on the Biocidin protocol as soon as they submitted their samples. I didn’t want my patients to have to wait 2-3 weeks for their results before they could begin treatment and feel better. And almost 100% of the time, my patients began to feel improvements before we even received their results. Once we got the test results, we fine-tuned our treatment plan as needed.

Start first by addressing gut health

The key to optimal health is a healthy microbiome – specifically, the gut microbiome. For this reason, whether I was treating a patient with hormonal imbalances, Lyme disease, or SIBO, I almost always started with addressing drainage/detoxification pathways and healing the gut first.

When it comes to hormonal imbalances, a collection of gut microbes known as the estrobolome play an important role in metabolizing estrogens and other hormones. Biocidin can play a fundamental part in hormone-balancing protocols as addressing gut dysbiosis helps to re-establish a healthy estrobolome. I often used additional herbs, nutrients, diet, and lifestyle changes while addressing gut health for these patients. I found that once we started working on balancing the microbiome, hormonal symptoms began to shift favorably. PMS symptoms improved, menstrual cycle length and quality became more regular, and thyroid levels would start to normalize.

Why would I treat the gut first with my Lyme patients? Because almost all of them had some type of dysbiosis, such as SIBO/SIFO or Candida overgrowth. But more importantly, I started with the gut because an estimated 70-80% of our immune system resides in the gut.⁶

Chronic Lyme disease is a multifactorial illness that causes systemic inflammation and immune dysfunction, so improving immune function is critical to long-term healing. The immune system has to be strong enough to reduce bacterial load to a threshold it can handle. Of course, part of Lyme treatment is addressing the actual Borrelia and other coinfections involved. But only focusing on “killing” the bacteria will not help your patients get better.

Biocidin has been such a helpful tool for my Lyme patients because it supports healing the gut and has been shown to be effective (in-vitro) against all the forms of Borrelia (spirochete, cell wall deficient form, cyst form or round bodies, and biofilm).⁷ In research, both Biocidin Liquid and Biocidin LSF formulas showed cell death of the spirochetes in just 10 minutes and did not induce the spirochetes to collapse into a cyst form (a persistent, more difficult form to treat). Thus, Biocidin is an excellent choice for addressing the gut and the Borrelia infection simultaneously.

Different delivery forms for different patients

So why are there so many forms of Biocidin, and how do I know which ones to use? When it comes to the effectiveness of herbal formulas, delivery is an essential consideration. We want the herbs localized where the infection or issue is for best results. For that reason, three main forms are offered:

Biocidin® Liquid — Best absorption in the gut and easy to titrate.
Biocidin® Capsules — Best absorption in the gut or used as a suppository. Note that each capsule contains about 7.5 drops of liquid Biocidin.
Biocidin® LSF (Liposomal Formula) — Best absorption systemically. Emulsified in a phospholipid. Offers 74% higher intracellular absorption; best for topical use.

Having these delivery options allows for more individualized and targeted treatment protocols. Although I almost always start with Biocidin Liquid to address gut health, after a few months I often switch to Biocidin LSF for patients affected by Lyme or mold.

To address both GI and systemic concerns, you can use the forms simultaneously if needed. Some patients notice greater benefits after being on both forms at the same time. The liquid formula is also great for kids. As a glycerin, it not only tastes pleasant but is easy to deliver to young children who cannot swallow capsules.

Powerful clinical results

Protocols with Biocidin typically last three months or more for my patients. It can take some time to titrate up to max dosing and I want to ensure they are on the product long enough to address dysbiosis and deep-rooted biofilms. After three months, I reassess their symptoms and repeat labs as needed before deciding whether to continue or adjust the protocol or decide that we are done with treatment.

Overall, I have seen some amazing results using Biocidin in my practice, which is why it has long been one of my go-to formulas. It is so helpful to have a tool in your toolkit that is effective and that can truly support people at a root-cause level. If Biocidin isn’t yet part of your practitioner toolkit, I recommend you give it a try!

For UTI patients, I may have them take the LSF internally while using the capsules as a vaginal suppository. I also have patients use the products intranasally. The liquid and LSF formulas work great in a nasal spray, neti pot, or nebulizer to address conditions such as MARCoNs (multiple antibiotic-resistant coagulase-negative staph), as seen in mold patients or chronic sinusitis. Topically, the LSF has been helpful in my practice for addressing conditions like acne, molluscum contagiosum, warts, cutaneous candidiasis, and ringworm.

Resources:

Professional Benefits

Biocidin Academy