PABA (Paraaminobenzic Acid)

Elaine writes:
PABA is paraaminobenzic acid which is a precursor molecule that bacteria use
to build folic acid. Evidently, bacteria cannot use preformed folic acid
but make their own when PABA is available.
I have mixed feelings about it. For a while I thought that the last thing
we wanted to do was to give pathological or mutated bacteria anything they
needed to multiply. And then again, I thought that as the healthy bacteria
take the place of the bad ones, they, too may use the PABA. It has been a
long time since I have studied it but I will go to a search engine and read
more.

Here is what I found:
Para-amino benzoic acid (PABA)
Essential growth factor for micro-organisms. It forms part of the molecule of folic acid and is therefore required for the synthesis of this vitamin. Mammals cannot synthesize folic acid, and PABA has no other known function; there is no evidence that it is a human dietary requirement. Sulphanilamides (sulpha drugs) are chemical analogues of PABA, and exert their antibacterial action by antagonizing PABA utilization.

From Elaine:
Actually this is the main difference between asacol and salazopyrene.
The latter has a counterfeit molecule of PABA which fools microorganisms in
the gut to pick up the analogue (counterfeit) and fail to reproduce because
it is not the real molecule. The microorganisms need folic acid to reproduce
and they cannot make it with the counterfeit of PABA.

From Pecan Bread support group

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