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Psyllium: Psyllium Seeds
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Psyllium (... known as psyllium seed) is a soluble fiber. It comes from a shrublike herb called the plantain (no relation to the plant that produces edible plantains). Its ingredients include alkaloids, amino acids, oils, protein, tannins, flavonoids, and a variety of sugars and carbohydrates. Psyllium seeds are oval-shaped, odorless, practically tasteless, and are coated with mucilage. Unlike wheat bran and other fibers, psyllium does not cause excessive gas and bloating.
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Psyllium is a mucilaginous fiber due to its powerful ability to form a gel in water (for the seed it is to prevent it from drying out). Products containing psyllium have been used to increase fecal bulk and loosen stools for many years. It absorbs liquid in the swells, intestines, and forms a bulky stool, that is easy to pass. That is a natural laxative which is used to treat constipation (when it appears due to lifestyle factor, not a disease). Psyllium seeds contain 10–30% mucilage.
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Psyllium ... has an effective demulcent action whose effect can extend all the way to the urinary tract of the affected person. The herbalists in India often use an infusion of the psyllium seeds - which is the only way this remedy is used - for the treatment of urethritis in affected individuals.
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Psyllium is cultivated primarily in West Pakistan and parts of India, but has ... been experimentally planted elsewhere, especially in Arizona. Seeds are sown at a rate of fifteen to thirty pounds per hectare, and they are mixed into the uppermost soil surface using a weed broom and then irrigated. In India planting occurs during the dry season, but in France sowing occurs after winter, in March. Blooming begins two months later, and the seeds are harvested after about two months later. Seed harvesting is done using hand sickles; the spike of fruits is removed during early morning so that the wetness, caused by morning dew, keeps the spike from shattering. Seeds, less than three millimeters in length, are obtained by threshing and winnowing, causing the several seeds to be released from each small capsule.
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Psyllium Seeds come from the psyllium plant, native to the Mediterranean region, Northern Africa and Pakistan. Psyllium is cultivated in those same areas, and its cultivation is being experimented with in the southwestern U.S. The word psyllium in Greek means "flea," in reference to the shape, color and size of the seed. Both the seeds and their hulls can be used in herbology. The seeds are small and dull-colored, covered with a thin white hull, and contain 10-30% mucilage. When placed in water, their outer walls swell to form a layer of mucilage around the seed. The seed swells up to 14 times its normal size.
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Psyllium has been studied for more than twenty years as an effective remedy for irritable bowel syndrome symptoms. Research ... shows that psyllium may help to increase the elimination of fat in the stool. (Psyllium seeds proved to be superior to wheat bran with respect to stool frequency and abdominal distention and therefore should be preferred in treatment of IBS and constipation (Hotz and Plein, 1994).
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Psyllium Seeds