Psyllium husks

Psyllium husks

Psyllium husks are the husks of the plantain species Plantago indica , Plantago afra (Syn .: Plantago psyllium ), hence the name Psyllium ( Latin psyllium flea ). The fruit ripens into a double-capped capsule with two small elliptical, red-brown, shiny seeds each. These are reminiscent of fleas, which gave the plant the German name "Flea herb" or "Fleas seed plantain". They are also marketed as food and medicinal products under the name of Indian psyllium husks ( Plantago ovata ) and are mainly cultivated in India and Pakistan for this purpose .

Use and mechanism of action

Psyllium husks are sometimes referred to as herbal bulking agents or stool softeners and are accordingly used as an intestinal regulator , where they can help both with constipation and diarrhea . The vegetable fiber contained in the psyllium husks , the so-called flosine mucus polysaccharides , is able to bind more than 50 times the amount of water ( swelling number > 40), which leads to an increase in the volume of the stool in the intestine due to the pressure generated the intestinal wall stimulates the peristalsis and ultimately triggers the defecation reflex. In addition, the intestinal activity ( motility ) is regulated and the transit time (residence time) of absorbed water in the intestine is extended, which also explains the effectiveness in diarrhea.

In May 2013, the European Medicines Agency in London certified psyllium husks as a "Community Herbal Monograph" for their safety and effectiveness in chronic constipation and as a stool softener . A meta-analysis of clinical studies from 1966 to 2003, which were devoted to traditional therapies for chronic constipation , showed moderate evidence for psyllium husks .

Flea seeds are also likely to encourage the growth of gut-friendly bacteria. Psyllium husks can possibly reduce inflammatory processes in the gastrointestinal tract more quickly. Because of their swelling effect in the stomach, psyllium husks are also used to support weight control and obesity treatment.

The colon bacteria convert the soluble fiber into short-chain fatty acids , and these should then be able to inhibit cholesterol synthesis in the liver and thus lower the cholesterol level in the blood. In addition, the soluble fiber in flea seeds is said to bind the fecal bile acid , which leads to increased cholesterol excretion. However, these last two effects have not yet been adequately proven and are therefore predominantly the subject of alternative medical applications.

See also

• bran

Web links

Commons : Psyllium husks  - collection of images, videos and audio files

literature

• P. Layer and U. Rosien: Practical Gastroenterology. Urban & Fischer, 2004, ISBN 978-3-437-23370-8 .
• Hager's Handbook of Pharmaceutical Practice . Springer-Verlag, Berlin / Heidelberg / New York.
• The monograph Commission E . Federal Gazette No. 223 of November 30, 1985.
• European Pharmacopoeia . 4th edition, basic work 2002 and 5th edition, basic work 2005 ( online ).
• Community herbal monograph on Ispaghula husk (Plantago ovata, Tegu-mentum). European Medicines Agency , Committee on Herbal Medicinal Products (HMPC). EMEA / HMPC / 340857/2005. Draft 2005.
• S. Shrestha et al .: A combination therapy including psyllium and plant sterols lowers LDL cholesterol by modifying lipoprotein metabolism in hypercholesterolemic individuals. In: Journal of Nutrition. 2006, 136: 2492-2497, PMID 16988115 .

Individual evidence

1. ↑ A. Hensel et al. a ..: Indian psyllium husks. An old drug for modern diseases of civilization. In: DAZ . 2001; 01/36: 55.
2. ↑ European Medicines Agency: Community Herbal Monograph on Plantago Afra L. et Plantago Indica L., Semen. Committee on Herbal Medicinal Products (HMPC), EMA / HMPC / 599747/2012, May 14, 2013, online (PDF file; 144 kB).
3. ↑ D. Ramkumar, SS Rao: Efficacy and safety of traditional medical therapies for chronic constipation: systematic review. In: American Journal of Gastroenterology . Volume 100, Number 4, April 2005, pp. 936-971, doi : 10.1111 / j.1572-0241.2005.40925.x . PMID 15784043 . (Review).
4. ↑ D. Damaskos, G. Kolios: Probiotics and prebiotics in inflammatory bowel disease: microflora 'on the scope'. In: British journal of clinical pharmacology . Volume 65, Number 4, April 2008, pp. 453-467, doi : 10.1111 / j.1365-2125.2008.03096.x . PMID 18279467 . PMC 2291386 (free full text). (Review).
5. ↑ B. Singh: Psyllium as therapeutic and drug delivery agent. In: International Journal of Pharmaceutics . Volume 334, Number 1–2, April 2007, pp. 1–14, doi : 10.1016 / j.ijpharm.2007.01.028 . PMID 17329047 . (Review).
6. ↑ LA Moreno et al. a .: Psyllium fiber and the metabolic control of obese children and adolescents. In: J Physiol Biochem . 2003, 59: 235-242, doi: 10.1007 / BF03179920 .
7. ↑ Dónal O'Mathuna: Alternative Medicine . Zondervan, January 1, 2007, ISBN 978-0-310-26999-1 , p. 425 (accessed January 17, 2012).

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