# Psyllium Husk - Confused?!



## 19441 (Dec 18, 2006)

Hi, I have heard from a few people on this site that psyllium seed husk helps to bulk up the stools with IBS-D sufferers. I started taking them 2 weeks ago and they have seemed to have helped me to some extent (my stools are not so loose now, although i still have bad gas). But on the label of the bottle i got from Holland and Barrett it states you should only take them for 30 days. I emailed them to inquire if i could take them for longer and they said it was not advised as they are a laxative (the last thing i need at the moment!).How do they work for diarrhea if they are a laxative?!, and has any of you guys taken them for longer than a month?Any advice would be much appreciated.


----------



## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

Fiber is commonly sold as a laxative but it doesn't do what stimulatory or osmotic laxatives do.Fiber absorbs water. That is it.For dry stools it will hold extra water in it.For loose stools it will absorb the excess water in them.They may have to say what they said for legal purposes, but it is the same dietary fiber you would get if you ate oat bran or any other food and they don't tell you to only eat 30-45 grams of fiber a day for 30 days and stop and never eat fiber again.It doesn't sound like they really understand the function of fiber in the diet and are just saying what the marketing they use to sell it tells them to sell.Now if you need it past 30 days for your GI issues they do need to be run past the doctor.I was on 3 doses of psyllium 3X a day indefinitely when my cholesterol was thought to be extremely high. We were doing everything to keep from putting me on statins. We later found out it was that high only because on of my meds was making it that way. Changed that and it went back to normal, but they told me I could take the psyllium every day for the rest of my life to control cholesterol (just like you could eat oat bran every day of your life to control cholesterol)K.


----------



## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

This is as long as it is a plain psyllium product and not one that is psyllium plus a laxative herb like senna.Even with the senna you might get permission from the doctor to use it even if legally the company can't tell you to use it that way.K.


----------



## 19441 (Dec 18, 2006)

Thanks for replying so quick Kathleen. They are called Colon Care + and they have Psyllium seed husks 476mg and also contain these herbs: aloe vera leaves 2mg, buckthorn bark 2mg, citrus pectin 2mg, gentian root 2mg, golden seal root 2mg and wheat grass 2mg.Do these sound ok to you?I take 4 in the morning and 4 in the evening half an hour before food.


----------



## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

The aloe vera can have some laxative action with them, so I'd find a brand that doesn't have that.I think the other things are pretty neutral, but I'm not sure about buckthorn bark. I'm not familiar with that.Pectin is just another fiber.Golden seal and wheat grass tend to be general tonic kinds of thing.Not sure about gentian root.where I am a lot of health food stores sell plain psyllium husk powder in bulk which is cheap and there are many brands that are just psyllium with or without flavoring.K.


----------



## 19441 (Dec 18, 2006)

I think i'll go to my health store tomorrow andbuy the plain psyllium husk if i can get it.Many thanks for the advice.


----------



## 13777 (Sep 5, 2006)

my gi specifically said that the psylium husks is safe for as long as forever. dont know about the other ingredients though. btw the psyllium works real good for me. not perfect though. i am now starting to take kombucha i have heard about, will let you know how it works in a few days.k


----------

