About Psyllium :

• Psyllium plant scientifically known as plantago ovata has gained importance as a traditional medicine throughout the world due to its best medicinal properties.

• Locally known as isabgol or isabhghula is now cultivated on large scale in western India. Recently it has gained agricultural importance because of its wide use in pharmaceutical, cosmetics and food grade industries worldwide.

• Morphologically psyllium is a bushy herb growing in sandy, salty soil, is believed to be native to Asia, the Mediterrian Region and North Africa.

• Psyllium seeds have characteristic of mucilage formation on catching humidity.

• Psyllium is cool, laxative, antidiuretic, soothing, harmless, antiacidic, emollient, demulesent, stabilizer, sizer.

• Due to these properties it is largely used in pharmaceutical industry, food preparations, ayurvedic medicine, unani remedies, preparation of crude drugs, etc.

Why Psyllium ?

• A natural remedy for constipation, regulates bowel functions by stimulating nutritional program of digestive system. 

• It contents natural fibers which are part of healthy regimen and has ability to decrease symptoms of fatigue loss of energy and other severe health  problems.

• Natural bulk forming laxative .

• Helps to reduce risk of heart attack by decreasing serum cholesterol through proper excretion of bile acids.

• Also helps in eliminating accumulated toxic, chemicals and excessive waste products from the body.

Clinical Facts :

• Psyllium is found to lower serum total cholesterol by 8.9%, LDL cholesterol by 13% and all-day and postlunch postprandial glucose where lowered by 11% and 19.2% after 8 weeks of 5.1 gm psyllium in a randomized controlled study of 34 men with type-2 diabetes. (Pubmed - Anderson 1999)

• A double-blind trial reported that 7 grams of psyllium, an herb high in fiber, taken three times daily reduced the pain and bleeding associated with hemorrhoids.(Moesgaard F, Nielsen ML, Hansen JB, Knudsen JT. High-fiber diet reduces bleeding and pain in patients with hemorrhoids. Dis Colon Rectum 1982;25:454–6).

• Decreases in total cholesterol (3.2%), LDL (5.4%) was found at 16.5 gm/day dosage of psyllium for 3 months in study with 83 hypercholesterolaemia patients. (Pubmed - Tai 1999)

• Chronic constipation was improved by taking psyllium, 15-30 gm/day for 6 weeks in a study of 149 patients (Pubmed - Voderholzer 1997)

• Alabaster O, Tang ZC, Frost A, Sivapurkar N. Potential synergism between wheat brain and psyllium: enhanced inhibition of colon cancer. Cancer Lett. 1993;75:53–58.

• Ashraf W, Park F, Lof J, Quigley EM. Effects of psyllium therapy on stool characteristics, colon transit and anorectal function in chronic idiopathic constipation. Aliment Pharmacol Ther. 1995;9:639–647.

• Rehydration of children with acute diarrheal diseases was faster than WHO-ORS (5.3 hr, n=117), with 50gm/liter of psyllium powderand 3.5 gm/litre NaCl (4.9 hr, n=121). (Pubmed - Arias 1997)

• McRorie JW, Daggy BP, Morel JG, Diersing PS, Miner PB, Robinson M. Psyllium is superior to docusate sodium for treatment of chronic constipation. Aliment Pharmacol Ther. 1998;12:491–497.