Carob

Ceratonia siliqua · Carob fiber

Snapshot

Indications	Contraindications
Postprandial glycemia^{1, 2} Prediabetes³ Insulin sensitivity^{1, 3–6} Total cholesterol^{7, 8} Acute diarrhea in children^{9, 10} Male infertility^{11, 12} Infant regurgitation^13–15	Pregnancy or lactation¹⁶ Liver disease¹⁶

Carob (Ceratonia siliqua) is the pod of a Mediterranean legume tree; carob fiber comes from the pulp and carob bean gum from the seed¹⁷. Tannin-rich pod powder is also used for acute diarrhea in children, carob for male infertility, and carob bean gum to thicken infant formula for regurgitation.

Carob-containing solid foods generally produced low-to-moderate postprandial glycemic responses in healthy adults, while insulin-sensitizing effects specific to carob remain preliminary⁴. A 2026 randomized trial in prediabetes found a liquid concentrate lowered glycated hemoglobin and glucose compared with placebo³. In infertile men, a 2026 meta-analysis of randomized trials and in vitro studies found carob supplementation improved sperm motility, and larger trials are still needed¹¹. Among 1903 products listing carob, the sampled ones are mostly liquids and powders, with some tablets and capsules; see Form comparison.

Some United States (US) product labels warn against use in pregnancy and lactation without a practitioner's advice¹⁶. In a double-blind challenge, peanut-allergic children showed sensitization to raw carob in testing, yet neither raw nor cooked carob provoked clinical reactions¹⁸.

Last updated October 17, 2026. Read how we make monographs.

In the full monograph

58 sources, 47 studies

When to useThe situations practitioners use it for, each with the reason and the study behind it.
SafetyWho should avoid it, who needs extra care, and the side effects reported in studies.
InteractionsThe medicines and supplements it interacts with, the effect of each, and what labeling says to watch.
Protocol notesThe doses used in studies, how and when they were taken, and how the forms on the market compare.
How it worksWhat it is and how it works in the body, in plain terms.
Published studiesThe studies behind each use, popular claims checked against them, and trials still under way.
Word of mouthWhat patients and practitioners report online, kept separate from the clinical evidence.
Clinical perspectiveA closing read of where the evidence is solid, where it is thin, and what has not been studied.

Snapshot

In the full monograph

Sources