Psyllium Husk Info

Psyllium Husk has gained popularity over harsh laxatives as a natural source of fiber and it's not surprising.

I have been using it off and on literally for over 20 years and can give a first-hand testimony of its efficacy.

But what are psyllium-husks and what can psyllium fibre be useful for? Let's discuss these one at a time.

Psyllium-husk is the coating around the seed of the Broad-Leafed Plantain plant that is harvested for use as a natural laxative. It's mostly found in powder form but it can also be found in capsules as well.

The leaves of the broad-leafed plantain have tremendous benefits of themselves as they can be used to stop bleeding and allay the pain of insect bites and bee stings.

Taken internally, it can be used as a treatment for bronchitis and other lung maladies as well.

Getting back to psyllium, it is a fantastic laxative that is a bulking agent in the intestines that grabs encrusted fecal matter off the colon and intestinal wall and eliminates it.

Intestinal and colon health are probably the two areas of health that are most neglected among Westerners and it shouldn't be.

With a diet that is researchers say 50% of processed foods, the harm to the colon and the intestinal tract is a proven fact.

In truth, many people carry around 10 to 30 pounds of old, encrusted fecal matter in their intestinal tract.

This has a number of health implications including diminished assimilation, lessened immune strength, and contribute to fatigue.

Psyllium fiber can help alleviate such conditions if taken regularly and can be a major proponent of colon health.

Benefits & Uses

What are the benefits of psyllium? It is fairly self-evident at this point we are sure, but psyllium husk helps to at the very least minimize constipation and at best, if used daily, can help clean out the intestinal tract -- provided the afflicted person is on a very high-fiber diet rich with daily intake of vegetables, fruits, and grains.

Intestinal health should not be taken for granted. In a very real way, the colon and the intestines are the junk yard of the body and should be kept clean.

A health colon and intestinal tract improves the assimilation of food, helps to lower bad (LDL) cholesterol, improves energy stores, and helps to severely lessen the risk of colitis, Crohn's disease, and colon and intestinal cancers.

Psyllium is very, very rich in fiber. Some of its other health benefits include:

1. Helps at the least minimize hemorrhoids.
2. Psyllium husks helps eliminate old fecal matter and commensurate toxins from the body.
3. Helps to counter cystitis.
4. It irritation free and completely safe and natural and has a soothing effect on the stomach and intestinal walls.
5. Psyllium husk is believed to improve blood sugar (glucose) levels in diabetes.
6. Helps restore normal bowel movements.

Precautions & Guidelines for Psyllium Husk

Quite frankly, psyllium when taken as a powder, psyllium husk doesn't taste very good. Its taste is very bland and the more put into a glass the more thick it will be. Thus, drinking such a thick mixture is unattractive to many people.

There is a way around this though. Drink it with pasteurized juice. Pasteurized juice has its enzymes killed through pasteurization but it can be very beneficial in masking the taste of the psyllium.

Don't use freshly made fruit juice as the nutrition is locked into the psyllium husk mucilage anyway.

This is one time where it's an advantage to drink pasteurized canned juice. This is what I do and it tastes much, much better than psyllium husks taken in plain water. We also recommend taking a tablespoon of psyllium with Slippery Elm.

Slippery Elm is a wonderful herb that can be found at any health food store. It is usually in finely-grained powder form.

It is a wonderful stomach soother and when combined with Psyllium husk, it helps with the "grabbing" function in the intestinal tract while being very soothing and not irritating to the stomach. Slippery Elm has many wonderful properties of its own, one of which is that it helps almost immediately ease stomach pain caused by ulcers (we can personally testify to this).

Together, they don't taste any better, but you're getting even better results.

I also recommend taking them together as a powder form. If you simply and utterly hate the taste, take an equal amount of psyllium fibre capsules and Slippery Elm capsules and drink it with a minimum of 8 ounces of water or juice.

General Precautions:
It is vital to drink the psyllium husks with an adequate of liquid. Psyllium can hold many times its own weight in water.

Remember, it is a bulking agent. If you don't take it with enough liquid, you may get bad cramps as it works its way through the intestinal tract.

Women who are pregnant and/or nursing and those taking medications should consult with their doctor before taking psyllium husk. Err on the side of caution.

It is a very safe herb and very inexpensive and much less harmful to the body than drugs. If you have a health condition that requires intestinal or colon health expertise, please see your medical professional.

I hope this Psyllium Husks web page has been useful to you.

Yours in health,
Nutritional-Supplement-Bible.com