Psyllium (Plantago ispaghula, Plantago ovata)
Plantago ispaghula
The plant Plantago Ispaghula, of the natural order Plantaginaceae, is found common in many parts of India, especially in Assam. The seeds, available in all the Bazars at a very cheap cost, are much valued for the peculiar mucilaginous matter which resides in their envelope or testa, and is readily imparted to cold or warm water. They are largely used in the preparation of a cooling drink.
Plantago ovata
The dried seeds of Plantago ovata, Forskohl (N.O. Plantaginaceae), an herbaceous plant indigenous to India and Persia, and also known as Plantago ispaghula, Roxburgh. The seeds are official in the Indian and Colonial Addendum, for use in India and the Eastern Colonies, as an equivalent of linseed and barley. They are demulcent and mildly astringent.
Ispaghula seeds are boat-shaped, somewhat acute at one end, from 2 to 3 mm. long and from 1 to 1.5 mm. wide. They are pale pinkish-grey in colour, with a darker, elongated spot on the convex side.
The hilum, covered with the remains of a thin white membrane, occurs on the concave side of the seed. The testa swells when it is placed in water, a viscid mucilaginous liquid being produced. The seeds are devoid of odor or taste.
The distinctive characters of ispaghula seeds are their color and shape. The chief constituent of the seeds is the mucilage contained in the testa; other constituents are proteids, fixed oil, etc.
The mucilage can be extracted by soaking the seeds in water, a thick viscid liquid being obtained, as in the case of linseed when similarly treated. When administered whole, the seeds absorb moisture during their passage through the alimentary canal, and yield the mucilage, which is bland and soothing. The crushed seeds also have been made into poultices with vinegar and oil.
Copyright © 2018. Herborists.com. All rights reserved.