Psyllium and the Plantago (Plantains) family.  

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Plantago is a genus of about 200 species of small, inconspicuous plants commonly called plantains. They share this name with the very dissimilar plantain, a kind of banana. Most are herbaceous plants, though a few are subshrubs growing to 60 cm tall. The leaves are sessile, but have a narrow part near the stem which is a pseudo-petiole. They have three or five parallel veins that diverge in the wider part of the leaf. Leaves are broad or narrow, depending on the species. The inflorescences are borne on stalks typically 5-40 cm tall, and can be a short cone or a long spike, with numerous tiny wind-pollinated flowers.

Psyllium / Plantains are used as food plants by the larvae of some species of Lepidoptera which feed on Plantago.

They are found all over the world, including America, Asia, Australia, New Zealand, Africa and Europe. Many species in the genus are cosmopolitan weeds.

Contents

•     Uses
•     Species

Uses
Psyllium / Plantago spp. are often used as herbal remedies. The herb is astringent, anti-toxic, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, as well as demulcent, expectorant, styptic and diuretic. Externally, a poultice of the leaves is useful for insect bites, poison-ivy rashes, minor sores, and boils. In folklore it is even claimed to be able to cure snakebite (but at least for actually dangerous snakebites this is certainly untrue). Internally, it is used for coughs and bronchitis, as a tea, tincture, or syrup. The broad-leaved varieties are sometimes used as a leaf vegetable for salads, green sauce, et cetera.

Psyllium / Plantain seed husks expand and become mucilaginous when wet, especially those of P. psyllium, which is used in common over-the-counter bulk laxative and fiber supplement products such as Metamucil. P. psyllium seed is useful for constipation, irritable bowel syndrome, dietary fiber supplementation, and diverticular disease. Recent research is also showing it to be promising in lowering cholesterol and controlling diabetes.

Psyllium supplements are typically used in powder form, along with adequate amounts of fluids. A dose of at least 7 grams daily taken with adequate amounts of fluid (water, juice) is used by some for management of elevated cholesterol. There are a number of psyllium products used for constipation. The usual dose is about 3.5 grams twice a day. Psyllium is also a component of several ready-to-eat cereals.

In India, mucilage from (Plantago ovata) psyllium is obtained by grinding off the husk. The mucilageis sold as Isabgol (psyllium), a laxative which is used to control irregular bowel syndrome and constipation. It is also used in cereals as a treatment of mild to moderate hypercholesterolemia and for reducing blood glucose. It has been used as an indigenous Ayurvedic and Unani medicine for a whole range of bowel problems including chronic constipation, amoebic dysentry and diarrhoea.

In Romania and Bulgaria, leaves from Plantago major psyllium are used as a folk remedy to preventing infection on cuts and scratches because of its antiseptic properties.

Species
There are about 200 species of Plantago, including:

psyllium / Plantago afra
psyllium / Plantago africana
psyllium / Plantago aitchisonii
psyllium / Plantago alpina
psyllium / Plantago arborescens
psyllium / Plantago arenaria - Branched Plantain
psyllium / Plantago argentea
psyllium / Plantago asiatica
psyllium / Plantago aucklandica
psyllium / Plantago bigelovii
psyllium / Plantago canescens
psyllium / Plantago coreana
psyllium / Plantago cordata
psyllium / Plantago coronopus - Buckshorn Plantain
psyllium / Plantago cornuti
psyllium / Plantago cynops
psyllium / Plantago eripoda
psyllium / Plantago elongata
psyllium / Plantago erosa
psyllium / Plantago fernandezia
psyllium / Plantago fischeri
psyllium / Plantago gentianoides
psyllium / Plantago glabrifolia
psyllium / Plantago grayana
psyllium / Plantago hawaiiensis
psyllium / Plantago hedleyi
psyllium / Plantago heterophylla
psyllium / Plantago hillebrandii
psyllium / Plantago himalaica
psyllium / Plantago incisa
psyllium / Plantago krajinai
psyllium / Plantago lanceolata - Ribwort Plantain
psyllium / Plantago lanigera
psyllium / Plantago longissima
psyllium / Plantago macrocarpa
psyllium / Plantago major - Greater Plantain
psyllium / Plantago maritima - Sea Plantain
psyllium / Plantago maxima
psyllium / Plantago media - Hoary Plantain
psyllium / Plantago melanochrous
psyllium / Plantago musicola
psyllium / Plantago nivalis
psyllium / Plantago obconica
psyllium / Plantago pachyphylla
psyllium / Plantago palmata
psyllium / Plantago polysperma
psyllium / Plantago principes
psyllium / Plantago pusilla
Plantago psyllium - Sand Plantain
psyllium / Plantago raoulii
psyllium / Plantago rapensis
psyllium / Plantago remota
psyllium / Plantago reniformis
psyllium / Plantago robusta
psyllium / Plantago rugelii
psyllium / Plantago rupicola
psyllium / Plantago schneideri
psyllium / Plantago sempervirens
psyllium / Plantago sparsiflora
psyllium / Plantago subulata
psyllium / Plantago spathulata
psyllium / Plantago tanalensis
psyllium / Plantago taqueti
psyllium / Plantago tenuiflora
psyllium / Plantago triandra
psyllium / Plantago triantha
psyllium / Plantago tweedyi
 
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