We have been using glutamine powder for several years for several reasons. Glutamine helps rebuild the lining of the gastrointestinal system; spending tons on probiotics without taking this is literally wasted money. It also is good for building muscle. It also is necessary in the production of glutathione which protects the liver and helps with detoxification. So everyone really should take Glutamine (or really expensive glutathione!). After discovering two members of my family have celiac, this became even more important to take to rebuild the intestinal lining that the gluten compromised and help restore health so that the intestine can absorb the nutrients it should--my husband gained 20 lbs in six months (believe me, he needed to!) and he needed to get his cholesterol back up to a healthy level. Glutamine does not cause weight gain--it just repaired his intestinal tract to be able to absorb nutrients. And doctors have always congratulated him on his low cholesterol! Don't allopathic doctors know cholesterol is necessary for many functions? (sorry for the rant!) It's really necessary for us to do our own research and take control of our health decisions. Always take on an empty stomach--I take mine with my probiotic first thing in the morning. Other brands we have used have been slightly gritty, chalky and with a slightly bitter unpleasant aftertaste--we just presumed all glutamine was like that and quickly washed it down with more water. The price is spectacular. Our doctor has met the owner of Jarrow and says he is extremely fastidious (well, he said "anal," lol) about the quality of his products, so when I am deciding between nutritional products now, the Jarrow brand factors heavily. Also, the amount recommended on the container is less, so we are presuming it is because the quality is higher

Practically overnight, I became sensitive to gluten and experienced mal-absoprtion! I was lactose intolerant & anemic from yeast and/or bacterial overgrowth. Also certain foods would give me IBS symptoms like never in my life! I am 30 and was suffering from severe brain fog acid reflux, anxiety, ear infections and stress reactions. I believe the bacteria/yeast did a number on my small intestine and it led to anemia so I had trouble absorbing iron, calcium, and many nutrients. I needed something to heal my gut. Within 1 day of taking this, my bathroom trips are more regular so I believe this is what I needed. I also now fully avoid gluten. I hope to see more improvement in my anemia and stress reactions as I give my body time to heal. I do believe I will finish the bottle and hopefully be done taking this. I dont think this needs to be an ongoing supplement. We will see! Please comment if you have had similar symptoms. :-) Nice to know I am not alone LOL Update: Its been about a month and wow, I feel amazing and Im even under quite a bit of stress from other stuff (non-health related)! I rarely get any IBS issues now, maybe once a week if that. Update 2016: Hi everyone, so I wanted to check in and tell everyone I had malabsoption due to gluten sensitivity and lactose sensitivity. Im not full blown Celiac. Im in a gray area I suppose. However, I avoid all gluten and only eat a bit of dairy as tolerated and this works so well for me. I had so many tests done and none were clear enough for a diagnosis. My previous symptoms were constant IBS, Needing to go 4-5 times per day eliminating faster than I could absorb, extreme acid reflux, skipped heart beats, high anxiety, body aches, ear aches, extreme brain fog and hindered short term memory. I can say with certainty that avoiding gluten and avoiding antibiotics has eliminated symptoms. I have been gluten free for a while now and no longer have IBS symptoms unless I drink too much coffee and/or over-eat dairy. I had not had a heart palp, skipped beat, or pounding sensation in so many months until I needed to take antibiotics for a minor infection. Within a day of taking 500mg amoxicillin, I experienced severe acid reflux, heart palps, and severe lactose intolerance/urgent IBS. I upped my probiotics to 2-3xs a day and stopped the antibiotic. The acid reflux was unbelieveable, in my throat, I had to take Zantac and Slippery Elm Bark for days to get rid of it. Im doing much better these days. I still take all of the supplements I mentioned with/without food. I take them a few times a week as I remember to do so. My leaky gut is healed. I have hip bursitis, but I think that's from an injury. LOL I dont know how malabsorption happened to me, I ate wheat all of my life without problems. I ate dairy all of my life. I believe the virus I had 2-3 years ago might have caused gene expression and made me overly sensitive. Either that or a horrific bacteria or yeast overgrowth. Update year later: I'm 100% gluten free, sulfite free, and very aware of what I eat. As of last 9 months or so, I eat mostly vegetarian and pescetarian, I feel amazing. Life is good!!!!!!!!!! No symptoms at all. Done and done!!!!!

I have used several brands of L-glutamine. I like this one because I can buy it in bulk at a cost savings. It contains 2 gm of L-glutamine per 1/2 teaspoon. This L-glutamine powder is easily mixed with water and has a pleasant taste. It can be taken with other supplements, and is best taken on an empty stomach to derive the most "bang for your buck." L-glutamine is a supplement popular with athletes to improve their performance and bodybuilders to increase muscle mass. At the other end of the health spectrum, it is taken by people who wish to heal their bodies of disease or prevent it. I personally take 6 gm per day on an empty stomach. I take it to promote digestive health, to maintain muscle mass (which all of us lose as we age), and as a prevention for cancer. Bodybuilders and athletes often take up to 15 gm per day of L-glutamine. For maximum benefits, exercise nutritionists recommend consuming 5 gm, 1 to 3 times per day, before workout, after workout, and before bed. For digestive issues (such as IBS), the protocol is: 1-3 times per day, take 3-5 gm of L-glutamine (on an empty stomach) along with high-potency probiotics (on an empty stomach), digestive enzymes (with meals) and enteric-coated peppermint capsules (on an empty stomach). L-glutamine is frequently utilized as part of a nutraceutical protocol to prevent and/or heal cancer. Recommended dosage for cancer issues is 5-15 gm per day. Cancer cells devour all the supplies of L-glutamine in the body, to the point that they deplete the supply of L-glutamine that is essential to the survival of healthy cells in the body. In particular, when levels of L-glutamine become very low in the body, levels of glutathione fall in our natural killer cells, decreasing their ability to defend healthy cells from cancer cells. More than 90% of the body's L-glutamine supply resides in muscles. When this is depleted, it creates a dangerously negative nitrogen balance. There is strong scientific evidence that this depletion is tied to the common occurrence in cancer patients of cachexia (wasting of the body due to malnutrition). Supplementing with L-glutamine can help prevent this. This is a crucial discovery, because about one-third of cancer patients die from cachexia. L-glutamine also helps lower the immune-destroying effects of chemotherapy and radiation

I found out by way of diagnosis with an autoimmune thyroid disease (Hashimoto's autoimmune thyroiditis) that I had intestinal hyperpermeability (i.e. "leaky gut"). My holistic physician and a book by Dr. Isabella Wentz on Hashimoto's taught me that is one of the conditions that is almost always required to be present for autoimmunity to develop, or it is a result. The only GI signs I had were a months history of gradual onset acid reflux (which I had never had before) and what I decided were early onset of low stomach acid and slight lactose intolerance. To treat the reflux which I saw as a symptom of the leaky gut I used prilosec at high doses as a very temporary measure to get a handle on things until I got my leaky gut headed in the right direction. I did this first with high dose probiotics (Hyperbiotics PRO-15 time-release regular strength 5 billion cfu "pearls") three times daily for a month, (after a month I tried to go down to once a day a normal dose and didn't feel enough support, so I switched to the Hyperbiotics Advanced Strength time-release tablets 15 billion cfu once daily and am still taking these at that dose - they are awesome), and then added high potency broad spectrum digestive enzymes including gluten-digest and dairy-digest also (all NOW brand) after every meal. Then I added Nature's Way licorice root,1 capsule three times a day with meals and NOW Aloe Vera gel caps 2 gels three times a day with meals along with the L-glutamine three times a day to address the leaky gut further, and I noticed after 2-3 weeks of this combination a definite improvement in how my GI tract overall felt, and noticed I was better absorbing my food and my vitamins, minerals, and other supplements. Another useful hint I used D-limonene (Jarrow) to stop my acid reflux almost completely taking just one soft gel a day and tapered off the prilosec completely within 1-2 weeks. After that the other supplements I added to help my intestines also helped to keep the acid reflux under control, although I added slippery elm (NOW) 1 capsule three times daily with meals when things got a little worse again. The last thing I got brave enough to try was Betaine Hcl with Pepsin (NOW brand) to correct for low stomach acid, another common cause of acid reflux and maldigestion and malabsorption as well as small intestinal bacterial overgrowth, which I strongly suspected I had had due to my rapid response to only the high dose probiotics in the beginning. It takes me anywhere from 1-3 capsules of Betaine Hcl to appropriately digest a small to large meal, depending on how much protein there is, but the extra acid definitely helps, believe it or not. The day I took my first dose of Betaine Hcl was the last day I ever took prilosec, which I consider a big win. I do believe the L-glutamine has been an essential part in beginning to heal my leaky gut. I have not changed my diet except to try to eat as healthy as possible, If I have to I will, but given how much better I feel in my GI tract, I find it hard to believe that I have a serious food intolerance problem at least so far. I do think the L-glutamine is more integral to my healing than I thought at first. At first I was going to take it for a month or two, expected to notice no difference and so then planned to stop, having done my due dillegence. Now, although I don't plan to be on it forever, I fully expect it to be a number of months minimum that I am on this, until I feel my "leaky gut" has healed. I highly recommend this product to anyone who is attempting to treat their own situation with intestinal hyperpermeability, or anyone who thinks they "just" have GERD or IBS or Celiac or any other intestinal disorder, it that may run deeper than you think. I have given all this information about my situation and the supplements I have used in case it can help someone else like me, or someone with a simpler problem. It was noticing the distinct effects of the L-Glutamine that to me confirmed the "leaky gut" hypothesis/diagnosis and I was surprised how much it helped, with myself having few overt GI symptoms initially. I highly recommend L-glutamine as a crucial component for healing leaky gut for anyone who even suspects they might need it. And Jarrow brand is always the best. It comes in a powder too where you can dose much higher doses but the tablets are working fine for me after I upped my dose to 2 tablets three times a day. What L-glutamine does is provides directly absorbable nutrition to the GI enterocytes to help the "tight junctions" heal. They are what are supposed to be able to keep food particles, bacteria, and other antigens from the systemic circulation where they cause systemic inflammation and sometimes autoimmune disease. The crucial thing is that the "leakiness" is sometimes silent except for mild GI symptoms or even seemingly unrelated symptoms such as joint pain. Even for someone without intestinal hyperpermeability but who has signs such as acid reflux and IBS, L-glutamine can be helpful because it provides direct healing to the cells lining the GI tract. Furthermore, for simple GI upset or IBS, many of the interventions and supplements I have been using can be helpful also. Some combination of licorice root, slippery elm, and marshmallow root can heal or manage many such cases on their own, and so can aloe vera. I believe with any even mild GI symptoms, though, that it is rare not to have dysbiosis, maldigestion, and malabsorption, and so no matter what, strong high quality probiotics (I highly recommend Hyperbiotics) and good broad spectrum powerful digestive enzymes are essential for almost anyone. And consider the L-glutamine - it is essential for anyone with any even "mild" form of "leaky gut", and it may just help with other simpler GI problems as well, and all with no side effects. I know what it does for me, and I will be reordering and using the L-glutamine tablets by Jarrow for the forseeable future. Highly recommend this product

I've been suffering from IBS-C for over 10 years now. I've been prodded, probed and violated by doctors and gastroenterologists. I've gone through a battery of tests (H.Pylori, flexible sigmoidoscopy, barium enema, food allergy tests, gluten sensitivity tests), and all said the same thing -- perfectly healthy! Well that's good news and bad news when you have symptoms that have radically changed your diet, caused insomnia, anxiety, regular discomfort and problems with travelling, to the point where going on vacation doesn't even sound like fun. All of this, and additionally, in the past year I started having horrible symptoms of acid reflux and extreme intestinal sensitivities. Additionally, I noticed that my intestinal problems were coincident (or preceeding) illnesses like frequent colds, etc. Perhaps no surprise as the intestines are the largest component of your immune system. Yet, this is far from any kind of explanation... Whereas I used to eat habaneros and jalapenos regularly -- practically overnight, something changed. A tiny sprinkle of cayenne pepper could keep me tossing and turning in bed for hours. I suspect that the problems I was having were made significantly worse after I had a bit of food poisoning. After that, it seemed like virtually anything could set me off. If I ate anything, even 4 hours before bed, I'd have gas moving around my intestines all night. I've tried dozens of supplements. Some had marginal effects. Others did nothing for me. Then, while researching yeast/bacterial imbalance in the small intestine "SIBO", I found this nugget: "L-glutamine helps reduce the symptoms of IBS by protecting the integrity of the mucus membrane inside the large intestine. The digestive process can subject the intestine to harmful bacteria, resulting in increased intestinal permeability, which introduces bacteria into the bloodstream. The intestine uses more L-glutamine than muscle tissue, and supplementation helps alleviate intestinal irritation by blocking bacterial infiltration. It also enhances immune cell activity in the gut, which inhibits infection and inflammation and soothes the intestinal tissue." Wow! I've tried half a dozen other amino acids, with pretty much no effect. But on the surface, this sounded like another possibly beneficial thing to try. Semi-reluctantly and marginally optimistic, I decided to follow the recommendations on the website. I bought the following supplements: Twice a day for reducing yeast and attempting to fix bacterial flora problems: Klaire Labs Interfase Plus x2 Allicidin (strong garlic supplements) x1 Peppermint Oil & Oregano Oil x1 AND L-glutamine (as much as 20g/day!) To be honest, I'm not sure if all of the other stuff is doing anything, but I don't have the gas problems I was having. I will stop taking those when I've finished the bottles, as I they should have done their job by then. I'm planning to follow those up with a good probiotic for a month. BUT almost miraculously, I found that the L-glutamine seems to be doing exactly what was claimed. So if my symptoms ring a bell for you, do yourself a favor and and try L-glutamine. I use this product in the middle of the day at work -- but I prefer the powder form at home. I mix 5g with water 2-3 times per day. I've been sleeping so much better, and I'm feeling better than I have in years. I started feeling better the first time I took this. I was certain it was helping after a few days. I'm just shocked that for the small fortune that I've spent searching for a supplement that did ANYTHING, the most benefit came from one of the most inexpensive products I've tried. Relevant information for those considering using this for IBS related issues: I've been taking this and unflavored bulk L-glutamine powder from myprotein.com for 2 weeks now. I started at about 2g/day and noticed improvement immediately. I have since ramped up to 15-20g per day, as recommended from the doctor's websites that I've read. The other things I use are listed above. And I also take a liquid multivitamin, turmeric/curcumin, D3 (in the winter months) and occasionally magnesium citrate/oxide blend as an osmotic laxative when I think my IBS might be flaring up. If ever I think that this is just a placebo, I'll update my post. But as of right now, I feel that couldn't give this inexpensive little amino acid enough stars

My son and I have Lyme Disease and we both have joint pain and swelling. My son is gluten intolerant due to the Lyme. His symptoms when he eats gluten are joint pain, leaky gut ( inflammation) , hyperactivity, insomnia, ADHD-like symptoms, depression, can't focus, etc. due to inflammation in his brain and body. He constantly had pain and swelling in his feet, knees and joints. He is 12 and walked around like an 90 year old man. I had arthritis pain all over, particularly my hands and feet. I discovered after watching an episode of Dr. Oz that all of this was due to leaky gut. The leaky gut being a result of Lyme disease and partially, in my case, probably of taking antibiotics for a few years. ( Please note that the antibiotics saved my life and have me on the way to recovery, so I wouldn't trade it... Thanking God for a wonderful Lyme Doc!) Our doctor recommended L-Glutamine and within a week of taking it, the symptoms went away. Yes, went AWAY COMPLETELY. Within one week, my son had NO pain in his body. He was walking and running without limping. Since summer has started and we aren't on a schedule, I have not been taking it and neither has he. The joint and muscle pain is coming back. I have done this several times ..... I go off due to Christmas Vacation or whatever and then the pain starts to come back. I go back on my L-Glutamine for a few days, and *bling* pain is gone again. This Jarrow's Formula brand has minimal taste, and it's not unpleasant. It has all of the benefits of the Thorne Research brand I was taking. The Thorne Research L-Glutamine is awesome, too. It's just really expensive. It costs $55 for 12 oz. This does the same thing. Take some time to google L-Glutamine. People with Krone's disease, body builders, Lyme, Leaky gut, etc. use it..... it is a vital amino acid that is the most important one our bodies have. There are no negative side effects to taking it that we have experienced. Since it is a naturally occurring substance, it's not harmful

holy crap! i feel like this put my years-long crohn's disease flair into remission in a month. im not sure what else could have done it, as i didnt really change anything else. my faecal calprotectin levels have been above 1000 for years now. my latest doctor says they dont even measure over 1000, they just say ">1000", but i previously test had me at 1400 . normal range is below 150. i also broke my big toe about a week after starting to take this, and research told me that hospitals give massive doses of glutamine for severe trauma, which greatly decreases mortality rates and length of hospital stay. so bonus, hoping it helped my toe heal too. anyways, i started on a heavy loading schedule of around 5 days . . . i was taking like 10g about 3 or more times per day. at first, it gave me some D, but i dropped the individual doses a bit but kept the daily intake the same, and that helped. my body acclimated to it within a week. after a week, i could tell a different in my gut my BMs were more solid , not as urgent, and not as frequent. after the first week, i went to about 7-10g in my morning smoothie, and another 7-10g at night before bed (mixed in pain water). thats my current maintenance dose. the package says a teaspoon is 2.5g, but when i weighed a teaspoon on my digital scale, it weighed 3.3g

Well not quite Superman but for those who need to rebuild muscles after a long workout or strength training, use this stuff. I was turned onto L-glutamine when I had to be treated for Leaky Gut. It literally rebuilt my intestinal walls (thank god for transparent skin to see this in action) and I was able to absorb the right amount of nutrients from my food. I like Jarrow better than other brands because of the purity. I will continue to buy from them especially for this product

I have radiation damage from cancer treatment to my abdomen many years ago. I do not absorb nutrients properly because the lining of my small bowel is no longer normal. I had lost so much weight 3 years ago, I was on IV feeding, called TPN. I was even referred for a bowel transplant. During one hospital stay, a Dietitian started including some Glutamine packets on my meal trays. The doctor during that stay also suggested that I investigate going to a Intestinal Rehab before doing the bowel transplant. So coincidentally, while researching the Rehab program at Univ of Pittsburgh, I found that one of the treatment protocols is prescribing patients high doses of Glutamine powder. Glutamine is an Amino Acid used by the Intestinal lining to regenerate cells. So when I came home, I started shopping and found this tub of Glutamine was less expensive than the brand given to me by the Dietitian. I take a heaping soup spoon in my OJ every morning and I have been able to reduce the number of days on TPN to just 3 and have not lost weight. I am able to eat and it seems the Glutamine is helping me to digest the food I consume. This is good because the TPN over time damages your liver. It's got to be the Glutamine because before I used it I had to use the TPN 7 nights a week to maintain my weight

A nurse practioner that I know has a son with Chrohns disease. Her son has used this product for over 10 years instead of medicine, it works well for him. I have Ulcerativec Colitis. Ive used this product for two years and have had great results. I no longer take meds for Colitis. I take 3 half tablespoons of the product a day