What is Chorus?

Start here · The Chorus series

By Brehan Crawford, L.Ac., MAcOM · Licensed acupuncturist, Crawford Wellness · Updated October 2026

Chorus is the herbal formula that bridges the gap between antibiotics and probiotics. It is built to balance the microbiome you already have, not to wage war on it. Here is what it is, what is in it, who it is for and how to take it.

Three minutes on where Chorus came from and what it is for.

A third option for your gut

Your gut shapes far more than digestion. It influences immunity, mood, sleep and mental clarity, and when it is struggling you feel it everywhere. For most people the only options on offer are antibiotics that kill bacteria or probiotics that add them. Both treat the microbiome as something to be controlled from the outside.

Chorus is a third option. It is a small-batch herbal formula inspired by Bao He Wan, designed to restore balance to the bacteria you already have. Rather than carpet-bombing the gut or flooding it, it works on the terrain: clearing stagnation, supporting digestion and helping your own beneficial microbes recover. After more than fifteen years in practice, this is the approach I trust for change that lasts.

“Antibiotics subtract. Probiotics add. Chorus does something harder and more useful: it helps the ecosystem you already have come back into balance.”

— Brehan Crawford, L.Ac., MAcOM

Nature's answer to a balanced gut

Chorus nurtures an environment where beneficial bacteria can thrive while less helpful microbes are kept in check, a more harmonious gut ecology. It is built on two principles: respect the classical formula, and use botanicals you can name and trace.

Rooted in Bao He Wan

A classical Chinese formula used for centuries to resolve food stagnation and restore healthy digestion. Chorus keeps its logic and extends it with herbs for dampness, motility, biofilm and the gut-brain axis.

Small-batch botanicals

Sixteen organic botanicals, crafted in small batches, with herbs sourced where possible from small farms and tested at an independent laboratory. The full list, grouped by the job each herb does, is in the ingredient journal.

Ingredient highlights

• Astragalus — traditionally used to support immunity and the gut lining.
• Licorice root — soothing to the digestive tract; the classical harmonising herb.
• Ginger — warming; traditionally used to ease bloating and support digestion.
• Peppermint — calming to the gut; one of the best-studied botanicals for IBS-type discomfort.
• Atractylodes — a chief Spleen-supporting herb for digestion and motility.

What to expect

• Botanical and considered. A formula chosen herb by herb, not a single isolated action.
• Simple to use. One to two capsules with meals, three times a day. That is it.
• Many notice change early. Most report digestion changes within one to two weeks; results build over three months.
• A settling-in period is normal. As the microbiome rebalances, some people notice temporary shifts in bowel habit or a little extra gas for a week or two.

Questions people ask before their first bottle

Is Chorus a probiotic?

No. It contains no live bacteria. It feeds and makes room for the microbes you already have, which is why it does not need refrigeration and why it tends to keep working after you stop.

How do I take it?

One to two capsules with each meal, three times a day. Taking it with food matters: several of the herbs are there to help you break the meal down.

Is it safe with my medications?

Chorus is a food-grade herbal formula, but if you take prescription medication, especially blood thinners, read Gut Harmony drug interactions and check with your prescriber.

How long before I notice anything?

Most people notice digestion changes in one to two weeks. Give it three months; terrain work is slow by design.

The full Chorus series

References

1. Chen, et al. (2024). Polysaccharide from Atractylodes macrocephala improves spleen-deficiency constipation in mice by regulating the gut microbiota to affect 5-HT synthesis. Neurogastroenterology & Motility, 36(10), e14875. doi:10.1111/nmo.14875
2. Polysaccharides from Atractylodes macrocephala: a review of mechanistic and therapeutic insights into intestinal disorders (2025). PubMed Central. PMC12693929
3. Cryan, J. F., et al. (2019). The microbiota-gut-brain axis. Physiological Reviews, 99(4), 1877–2013. doi:10.1152/physrev.00018.2018

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