Psyllium

Psyllium husk · Plantago ovata · Ispaghula · Isabgol

Snapshot

Indications	Contraindications
Chronic constipation^{1, 2} Irritable bowel syndrome^{3, 4} LDL cholesterol⁵ Type 2 diabetes glycemia⁶ Weight management⁷ Blood pressure⁸	Difficulty swallowing⁹ Bowel obstruction¹⁰ Psyllium allergy⁹

Psyllium (Plantago ovata, also called ispaghula or isabgol) is the husk of a seed that forms a viscous, largely unfermented gel in the gut, a mechanism that drives most of its uses.¹ It is taken for chronic constipation and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) symptoms^{1, 2}. It is also taken for lowering low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol and for glycemic control in type 2 diabetes^{5, 7, 11–13}.

Weight loss effects are small, and a critical review found insufficient evidence for natural weight-loss supplements overall. In 2026, a systematic review of plant remedies for leishmaniasis noted promising results with Plantago ovata in cutaneous disease, limited by weak trial methods¹⁴. Products listing psyllium come as capsules, powders, and liquids, compared in Form comparison.

The most consequential caution is mechanical: United States labeling warns that taking it without enough fluid can cause choking or esophageal blockage⁹, and an esophageal obstruction was reported in a patient with Parkinson's disease. Per product labeling, prescription medicines are taken at least 2 hours apart from it rather than avoided⁹.

Last updated October 16, 2026. Read how we make monographs.

In the full monograph

84 sources, 70 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