Psyllium husk or isabgol husk is a natural polymer. It consists of the epidermal and adjacent collapsed layers removed from the seeds of the plant Plantago ovata Forsk. (P. ispaghula Roxb.). It is rich in fibre and mucilage. Mucilage is a colourless gelling agent capable of expanding in volume as it absorbs water up to 40 times its weight.1 Dietary fibre obtained from psyllium husk may be used in processed foods, as an ingredient of foods, and as pharmacological supplements.2
Originated from Western Asia, isabgol is an annual herb. Indian Muslims introduced its medicinal properties from seeds collected firstly from some wild species.3 India is presently the major producer and exporter of isabgul husk in the world.
Researchers from the past decade have shown interest in this naturally occurring swellable biomaterial herb. It has been traditionally used as medicine and is now being utilised in the pharmaceutical industry due to its cholesterol-lowering properties. It also reduces the risk of cardiovascular system diseases. It is used as a bulk-forming, laxative drug, which is non-irritant, demulcent, and cervical dilator.1 It is mainly used in the following conditions:
- Habitual constipation
- Conditions in which it is desirable to have easy defaecation with soft stools, for example, in case of haemorrhoids, anal fissures and difficult excretion after anal or rectal surgery
- Like irritable bowel syndrome and hypercholesterolemia, where patients need to include high dietary fibre daily in diet.5
