Psyllium Husk Seeds (Ispaghol Husk)

So as a young adult I had seen my mom and other use Psyllium husk as remedies, but for the sake of sanity I still can't remember what it was for.

I recently saw the husk at the local Afghan store and thought to give it a try and I saw some information on the back of the container which read:

Ispaghol husk is a gentle Natural fiber to effectively check constipation, acute thirst, bowl irregularities, piles, ulcers, acidity, dysentery and obesity.

Now I know it sounds too good to be true, so I did a quick search on the internet and I found out that at least a couple of the claims on the package are backed by research.  Wikipedia has a few things to say about Psyllium husk; it helps to reduce cholesterol and balance bowl movement though long term effects are not studied. 

Many of the over the counter digestive products seem to contain psyllium husk. You can look at the ingredients of Meta Fiber here.

I have been using this for a few days and I plan to keep using it for as long as I can handle it as it has improved my digestive health. I am not a big fan of artificial fibers which are added in the food. So this is a jackpot, as two tables spoons has as much as 36% of our daily requirement. Next time you are in your local Indian/Pakistani/Afghan store, you can pick a pack for yourself at a very reasonable price.

Note: One of the readers said that she used the husk and it caused her severe constipation. As the direction on the bottle says, it has to be taken with plenty of water else it will cause constipation and discomfort.
Also, it is wiser to start with small amount, for example use half a teaspoon first week and slowly add more as you and your body gets used to it.