Abstract: The invention comprises a defined and safe soil substitute, herein referred to as “deconstructed soil”, that supports ecological balance in anaerobic microbial ecosystems, such as that inside the human gut, by shifting energy availability to favor growth of bacteria linked with gut health, and away from the most dominant species and species that are putatively harmful. The invention enables vulnerable bacterial groups to recover from a state of apparent extinction from the ecosystem in question. As it does not contain components that are prebiotic or probiotic, the deconstructed soil represents a new product concept for preventing and treating conditions associated with dysfunctional microbial ecosystems in the gastrointestinal tract of humans and animals, as well as other anaerobic microbial ecosystems.