Psyllium Remedies and Herbal Therapy

Psyllium Feedback

19 User Reviews
5 star (16) 
  84%
1 star (3) 
  16%


Posted by Jong (Manila, Philippines) on 11/08/2007
5 out of 5 stars

About Halitosis caused by psyllium husk--It is not true that psyllium causes halitosis. In fact, it should have the reverse effect. If you notice, even your stool will start to become almost odor free when you take psyllium regularly. What likely could have happened is that the sufferer could have ingested a contaminted psyllium. These can be contaminated more often with yeasts and molds if left in a container or place where moisture can penetrate. These could also probably the source of the candida in the stomach. So, be careful when buying psyllium which are stored in open container or shelves. Best to buy those tightly packed.


Psyllium Feedback
Posted by John (Cebu City, Philippines) on 10/19/2007
5 out of 5 stars

its my second day taking Cilium capsules (psyllium) and immediately i feel the bloated sensation in my stomach, i feel very thirsty a lot and i have this weird sensation in my tongue. after reading some testimonies in this site i am especially concerned of what this lady said about her boyfriend having halitosis, i certainly wouldn't want that. how many others are out there having halitosis after or while taking pysllium. also the instruction on the cilium box says i should take 10 capsules a day..is that safe?


Psyllium Feedback
Posted by Phil (Brisbane, Australia) on 08/23/2007
5 out of 5 stars

The cost of psyllium husk consumed for any purpose is offset in part by savings on toilet paper.


Psyllium Feedback
Posted by Keith (Vancouver, BC, Canada) on 07/03/2007
5 out of 5 stars

I have used physillium for quite a few years. I take it with apple juice, and benonite clay (to remove toxins, as a milkshake). I make sure to put senna into it as a laxative to prevent constipation. I use 1/2 tsp senna, 8 oz. apple juice, 1 tbsp pysillium husk, and 1 tbsp of benonite. But you need to experiment with how much senna to use.

Replied by M
(London, Uk)
03/13/2012

In reply to Keith from Vancouver: you do realise that psyllium husk is a laxative in its own right? By mixing it with senna, a stimulant laxative, you could actually do a lot of damage to your intestinal tract and digestive system. Stimulant laxatives, such as senna, can cause gastroparesis, due to the stomach/intestines becoming dependent on the laxative to move the waste. Psyllium is a bulk-forming laxative and will only cause constipation/blockage when taken with inadequate levels of water/liquids. I would therefore strongly recommend that you remove the senna from your "milkshake" as it is not needed to prevent constipation... the psyllium will work to keep your bowel movement regular.


Psyllium Feedback
Posted by ELIZABETH (LONDON) on 02/20/2007
5 out of 5 stars

We came back from a spa in Thailand a few weeks ago. My husband & I were fasting for 7 days. We were taking detox drinks 5 times a day (Psyllium, Bentonite clay, lemon juice)& 5 times herbal supplements and intestinal cleansers. We were also allowed 2 cups of vegetable broth, 2 coconut waters and carrot juice or herbal tea. Our programme also included 2 colemas daily. During this period, we were feeling fine, no hunger pangs, no tiredness. I lost 9 pounds & my husband 10. We now fast for 1 or 2 days a week & instead of colemas drink a senna tea before bedtime.


Psyllium Feedback
Posted by Melissa (Raleigh, NC) on 12/20/2006
1 out of 5 stars

Warning

Hi, here is a warning about psyllium husks....I wanted to do a colon cleanse so I started taking psyllium husks mixed with bentonite clay liquid in a 8 oz. glass of water. After a day or so I began to feel very bloated and was not having regular bowel movements. I was shocked because this info had come highly recommended and I was expecting the opposite effect. I always drink atleast 64 oz. of water a day or more so I know that I was consuming enough water. I had to stop taking it because it was making me very constipated. Even before trying to cleanse my colon I had atleast one BM a day. Now I was having one every two days. I eventually went to a alternative therapist to have a colonic done. She explained to me that psyllium husks suck up all your fluids and can dehydrate you immensely. She only tells people who are having diahhrea to use this. During the colonic she said that my feces were very compacted and there was a lot of thick gel that was being flushed from my colon. She explained that was the psyllium husk. This seems to work for a lot of people but it you are having issues with constipation after taking this product...stop. You would have to almost double your water intake for it not to give you constipation. Hope this helps.

Replied by J
(New York, New York)
12/11/2008

sounds like you took far too much. Just a guess though... how much did you take?

Replied by Ally
(Tacoma, WA)
05/04/2009

It was probably the bentonite clay--that can cause constipation really easily.

Replied by M
(Anonymous, USA)
02/13/2010

i've used psyllium and bentonite combo many times, never had this reaction. i always drink a lot of water. if you are combining bentonite with psyllium it is IMPERATIVE that you drink more water.


Psyllium Feedback
Posted by Den (Toronto) on 09/26/2006
5 out of 5 stars

psyllium is an excellent source of fibre. it definitely helps me go to the bathroom when the plumbing isn't doing its job, haha. i put it in a variety of things including hot cereal (red river, old fashion oatmeal, cream of wheat) with a touch of honey to sweeten; i have added a tbsp or so to a glass of orange juice too (it almost looks like very pulpy OJ). give it a shot, trust me... it works.


Psyllium Feedback
Posted by KC (Columbia, South Carolina) on 07/02/2006
5 out of 5 stars

I have tried and am still using this for constipation and bloating. This only cost me $6 for 1 lb. and it has been a miracle for me. I had tried Colonix for colon cleansing and it was a very dramatic experience for me. I believe it was more or less a laxative with additives to get you addicted and it gave you close to diarreah. I felt like had to go to the bathroom all of the time. So I had developed even more anxiety which lead to IBS I believe. Anyways- It has been a few months and I tried this cheap natural remedy and it works! I've been using it a little more than a week and I've seen greater results than Colonix had ever promised. I just followed the recipe on this site which had led me to the road of happiness. Thanks!


Psyllium Feedback
Posted by Sharon (NYC)
5 out of 5 stars

My boyfriend started using pysllium a few weeks ago to cleanse his intestinal tract. He felt great, but my God! his breath became so foul!! After a few days of being polite, I finally figured that I needed to say something and help him find a cure. I figured it had to have been caused by a change in his intestinal flora from the pysillium. The change must have caused severe candida overgrowth. His tongue was coated in white -- a sure sign. I had him take a few capsules of ParaGone (as it was what was leftover in my medicine cabinet.) to start to kill off the candida. That seemed to help, but didn't completely stop the halitosis. The next day I had him soak his mouth in hydrogen peroxide for about 3 minutes. Once it foamed up, I had him to it again. Well, that was the cure! No more bad breath! The peroxide did make his tongue sensitive for a few days, so I would suggest to anyone trying this that they dilute the peroxide in water. I think that bad breath is often a sign of candida or yeast overgrowth so killing it in the mouth with peroxide AND taking some kind of candida cleanse is the answer. One more note: I read on the internet that it can take up to 3 weeks to cure bad breath. Well, this took a few minutes with the peroxide. Don't believe what you read! Hope this helps some of your readers. Thanks.

Replied by Sharon
(Branson, MO)

Just a note to the readers and especially to Sharon from NYC. One thing that psyllium does so very well is clean out the bowell. In doing this it also cleans out toxins that have been stored in all those liittle folds of your intestines. The coating on your boyfriend's tongue was more likely just a sign that his body was releasing toxins and not a sign of candida overgrowth. Bad breath can also a sign of toxins being released. They have to come out somehow. Drinking more water sometimes helps. I am glad to know about the peroxide mouth wash although I don't think it would be good to do very often. BTW, Psyllium promotes growth of good bacteria for the stomach & intestines. Another reason a Candida overgrowth was unlikely.

Replied by Meadowsweet
(Halifax, England, Uk)
06/23/2011

Another cause of bad breath is food, especially meat, stuck between the teeth and starting to rot. It literally smells like dead dogs or something. The remedy is to use floss. Perhaps it's possible that the young man's halitosis was caused by this and not by the psyllium husks? The hydrogen peroxide mouthwash quite possibly killed off the bacteria growing between his teeth. Just a thought ...

Replied by Anna
(Dallas, Tx)
09/29/2011

Instead of a peroxide rinse, use aluminum free baking soda instead. It is a candida blaster - better than peroxide. Brush the teeth and rinse and gargle, it will do the trick and will not make affect mouth sensitivity.


Psyllium Feedback
Posted by April (Sumter, SC)
1 out of 5 stars

Warning

I recently wanted to try a colon cleanser and came across this product as one of the ingredients. I have mild asthma and did not think any of the ingredients for a colon cleanse would be harmful; However, I noticed extreme tightening of the chest and difficulty breathing after ingesting psyllium husk. Only after drinking an 8 oz. glass of water with 1/2 lemon did the tightness subside. Anyone ingesting psyllium should be aware of this reaction.

Replied by M
(Anonymous, USA)
02/13/2010

i have had asthma since i was a kid and use psyllium regularly. i have NEVER had this reaction to psyllium.

Replied by Eliot
(Ny, US)
03/30/2015

I had same problem. I discovered it's not the psylium. It's additives in psylium. I switched to organic psylium and solved the problem

Replied by Drew
(US)
07/04/2015

Unless you're allergic (which is unlikely) that was in no way caused by the psyllium.

Replied by Kennywally
(Midwest)
08/02/2016
47 posts

April w/asthma, not sure what the reaction was from, I'say it was more likely related to the asthma, and or toxic release which triggered the reaction as well, and a possible herxheimer reaction. The possibilities are almost endless, especially with our pre-existing conditions. I was glad to see plenty of replies on this reaction with positive comments for such a reliable helper of ours, that helps to move out the trash we collect inside our colons.


Psyllium for Children

Posted by Loren (Queens, Ny) on 06/23/2010

Hi Joyce/Lisa: Would you be able to tell me if it is safe to give my 13 year old psyllium husk? I read a post on EC that said not to give this product to kids. Can you please advice? Thank you all so very much. God Bless


Warnings

2 User Reviews
1 star (2) 
  100%


Posted by Mary (Farmington, Minnesota) on 04/07/2008
1 out of 5 stars

Warning

I am writing to alert all to something I experienced twice now from a Women's cleanse containing Psyllium. At first I thought I just came down with a headcold or flu, but after it happened twice to me and reading about potential allergies, I am convinced it had to do with the psyllium.

After three days of taking my morning and evening doses I began having a very sore throat. Extreme headache, which I attributed to a sinus headache. However, I believe the absorbing action of the psyllium dehydrated my body so much that these symptoms were caused. I am not even sure how quickly they are absorbed, because as the headache worsened, I became extremely nauseated. The capsules came up completely whole.

I experienced this twice in a matter of a month and a half.

I know when I don't drink enough water I am prone to headaches. During the cleanse I continued to drink my regular amount of water however I believe that you must drink twice your normal intake when taking a product with psyllium to prevent dehydration. I have done other cleanse's that did not effect me in a negative way. However, I will be much more careful now about looking at the ingredients. If there is pysllium, I know that it's not for me. These headaches are excrutiating, the first time I was in bed for three days.

Replied by Jamie
(Danville, WV)
12/17/2008

One thing that I am seeing is those that are having problems with acne/rosacea (sp?)and headaches, need to do a little more research on what a cleanse involves. During the cleanse your kidneys are working very hard. Breaking loose of old fecal matter is returning toxins etc. briefly back to the blood stream. Because the skin is like a second set of kidneys these irritations will present themselves through the sebaceous glands (a secondary) excretory organ. Also the headaches are caused by the same problem, toxins in the bloodstream, most likely from previous prescription drug use, or anything foreign to the body (like nicotine etc.) If you are inexperienced with herbs and/or individual herb treatments, you need to consult a alternative medicine specialist. Using an herb willy nilly without understanding it in its entirety can cause problems.


Warnings
Posted by Joyce (Glasgow, Scotland) on 03/29/2008
1 out of 5 stars

Warning

I digested Psyllium and Bentonite clay for a colon cleanse. This was to ruin my whole life and caused immediate gastritis and triggered rosacea/rhinophyma. The onset of syptoms were abrum, immediate and extremely severe. I now have blepharitis and meibominaitis as a result. I was very stupid and digesting this product has ruined my whole life. DO NOT TAKE THIS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Replied by Patrick Warren
(Naples, Florida)
11/10/2008

I noticed a couple of warnings from users that were using Bentonite clay & Psyllium. Psyllium has been safe for me; however I cannot understand why anyone would use Bentonite clay to cleanse your intestinal tract. For years when I lived in Texas, we used Bentonite clay to seal ponds so they would not leak (it swells and seals and lasts for years). I can only imagine what that stuff would do to your intestinal tract. So I suspect the negative feedback is more on Bentonite clay and not psyllium.

Replied by Randy
(Jc, Nj)
11/29/2010

Joyce, sorry to hear about your health issues. I have tried the psyllium/bentonite mix you mention. Rather than this cleanse being the cause, I think that you may have awaken some health problem(s) you already had but weren't aware of. I also have belpharitis, and had meibominaitis which resolved itself. This occurred after a candida cleanse, but not with the bentonite or psyllium. I believe that it occurred because of toxins and bad bacteria, including staph, exiting your body. The eye conditions you mention are staph related, and I know at least one other person that developed a staph issue after a candida cleanse. I also have gastritis which is caused by candida. Who knows, maybe your rosacea and rhinophyma have a similar origin, as things such as sugar and sweeteners tend to trigger rosacea. Good luck!

Replied by Cassandrahcm
(Ottawa, Ontario)
12/28/2011

The bentonite used commercially for industrial purposes is sodium bentonite... Bentonite clay for cleansing purposes is calcium bentonite, two very different things!!!!

Replied by Mdc
(Grande Prairi, Alberta, Canada)
05/17/2012

HELP! I wanted to try Psyllium because I need help going to the washroom on a regular basis and I thought that adding it to my diet it would help. I got the directions from the Healthfood Store mixed up and took two tbsp this morning instead of 2 tsps... I have drank about 4 litres of water so far today because after I searched it out online and read about overdoses ect... I'm freaking out! What's going to happen to me! HELP!

Replied by Heather
(Leicester)
05/18/2012

Constipation is helped by bicarbonate of soda, just add around 1/4 spoonful to a half glass of water.

Replied by Courtney
(Granite Bay, Ca)
05/18/2012

Nothing will happen. You'll be fine; I promise. You also drank plenty of water, which further confirms my "you'll be fine" response. The directions on the psyllium powder that I use says to take 1 - 3 Tbsp's per day, so really... you'll be fine.

Replied by Jan
(Holland)
08/10/2013

I let the psyllium soak in water for at least 1 hour. This way it will not dehydrate you/ will not absorb water from the intenstines (could be dangerous ). Much better this way. Warning: do not use capsules, Jan.


Weight Loss

5 User Reviews
5 star (2) 
  40%
3 star (1) 
  20%
(2) 
  40%


Posted by Kintana (Ottawa, Canada, Ontario) on 08/05/2010
3 out of 5 stars

Better But With Side Effects

Hi ive been using psyllium husk fiber (1 big table spoon) every night for the past year mixed with yogourt its delicious this way. Its been helping me in losing wait (12 pounds in 2 weeks plus 40 min to 1 hour of walking every day )other benifits included no more gas nor bloating during the day. But my main concern is whenever I stop taking psyllium husk fiber it seems my bowels aren't working as they should, very slow bowel movement (going to the washroom evry 2nd day and whatever comes out is so small (size of a pencil in width) not normal. So the intestines really do get used to psyllium fibre. It took me 2 weeks to have regular bowel movement again, after stopping the fiber. My mom has also been using it for a bit longer than me and she said it does the same thing when you stop using the fiber. Its too bad, I'll just find fibers elsewhere cause I do not want my intestines to stop working or become lazy. And tha'ts what I'm feeling whenever I stop using psyllium.


Weight Loss
Posted by Tess (San Francisco, California) on 01/07/2008
5 out of 5 stars

After a colonoscopy last month I was suffering from constipation for the first time in my life, so I started taking psyllium (bought in bulk from a natural foods store). At first I had a lot of gas and some abdominal discomfort, because I was taking too much . I found out that it is better to start slow--about a teaspoonful in 8oz of water, gradually building up to 1-2 tablespoons. I have been taking this amount daily for the past month and am noticing a significant decrease in waist size and LOSS OF ABDOMINAL CELLULITE.I am thrilled!

NB: For the past year I have also followed a low fat diet, mostly plant based, no processed foods. I also do 30-45 minutes of cardio (swimming or running) 5-6 days per week. But still couldn't completely shed a pot belly and cellulite. Then I started taking psyllium. WOW. At the age of 54 I figured I was stuck with the dreaded "spare tire" around the middle. Not so! I am not sure if the effect would be so dramatic if I were not exercising and eating such a healthy diet...

Also there is some impressive scientific research, very reputable, indicating that psyllium can lower high blood pressure, blood glucose levels, and high cholesterol. It contributes to improved cardiac health by reducing atherosclerosis. Psyllium has been used for centuries in Indian and Chinese medicine to fight gout and inflammation. Wonderful stuff!

Replied by Linda
(Atlanta, Ga)
02/26/2010
0 out of 5 stars

I think i started taking way too much as well... and now I have bloating... what should I do to get back on the right track... should I stop for a while? should I just continue but take lower doses? This would be very helpful... as my tummy looks so bloated.

Replied by Fifi1201
(London, London Uk)
03/24/2010
0 out of 5 stars

For the first time yesterday I tried Psyllium capsules. I was worried when I saw the warning on the pack about possible choking if not using with enough water, so I opened the two capsules and sprinkled them on porridge. It was fine taste wise but for the rest of the day I felt so bloated and full. It was quite uncomfortable. Does this mean I have some problem taking them or is it normal? I do drink plenty of water throughout the day, at least 2.5 litres.

Replied by S
(X)
08/30/2010

You should drink a lot of water WHILE taking it in. Dilute it.

Replied by Garymanc
(Adelaide, Australia)
01/16/2013
5 out of 5 stars

I am now taking 2 heaped tablespoons of psyllium made in a smoothie with Banana, Raspberries, skim milk powder, 1 tablespoon of peanut butter and meal replacement powder, blended in a large cup with water. I use this after a morning session in the gym and I am blown away how good this stuff is. It fills me up so I don't crave sugary foods anymore, and in the 2 weeks I have been doing this I have lost 2.5 kg

Replied by Jess
(Bristol, UK)
11/11/2014

Boiled milk with sugar - are you sure? Milk being a dairy product and really rubbish for the body (linked to cancer I heard) and sugar is also really bad for the body: addiction, candida, weight, fat, etc.



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