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Plantago ovata - Forssk.

Common Name

Blond Psyllium

Family

Plantaginaceae

Synonyms

P. decumbens. P. ispaghula.

Known Hazards

None known

Habitats

Dry open places[50].

Range

Europe - Mediterranean to E. Asia - India.

Edibility Rating

Medicinal Rating

Care

Summary

Physical Characteristics
ANNUAL. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Wind.The plant is self-fertile. The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and requires well-drained soil.The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils..It cannot grow in the shade.It requires dry or moist soil.

Habitats
Cultivated Beds;

Edible Uses
Edible Parts: Leaves; Seed. Young leaves - raw or cooked. The mucilage contained in the seedcoat is used as a stabilizer in ice cream, chocolate etc[105, 177, 183]. Seed - sprouted and eaten in salads[183].

Medicinal Uses

Plants For A Future can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. Always seek advice from a professional before using a plant medicinally.

Anticholesterolemic; Demulcent; Laxative.

Psyllium has been used as a safe and effective laxative for thousands of years in Western herbal medicine[254]. Both the dried seeds and the seed husks are demulcent, emollient and laxative[4, 9, 46, 254]. They are used in the treatment of dysentery, catarrhal conditions of the genito-urinary tract, inflamed membranes of the intestinal canal etc[4, 46, 165, 171]. The seeds have a mucilaginous coat and swell to several times their volume when in water[9]. The seeds and the husks contain high levels of fibre, they expand and become highly gelatinous when soaked in water. By maintaining a high water content within the large bowel they increase the bulk of the stool, easing its passage[254]. They are used as a demulcent and as a bulk laxative in the treatment of constipation, dysentery and other intestinal complaints, having a soothing and regulatory effect upon the system[4, 9]. Their regulatory effect on the digestive system means that they can also be used in the treatment of diarrhoea and by helping to soften the stool they reduce the irritation of haemorrhoids[254]. The jelly-like mucilage produced when psyllium is soaked in water has the ability to absorb toxins within the large bowel. Thus it helps to remove toxins from the body and can be used to reduce auto-toxicity[254]. The oil in the seed embryo contains 50% linoleic acid and has been used as a preventative of atherosclerosis[240]. It is also effective in reducing cholesterol levels in the blood[240].

Other Uses
Starch. A mucilage found in the seed coat is sometimes used as a starch to stiffen linen[4].

Cultivation details
We have very little information on this species and do not know if it will be hardy in Britain, though judging by its native habitat it should succeed outdoors in most parts of the country. This plant is cultivated for its seed in India[46, 61]. The following notes are based on the general needs of the genus. Succeeds in any moderately fertile soil in a sunny position[200].

Propagation
Seed - sow spring in a cold frame. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and plant them out in early summer. A sowing can be made outdoors in situ in mid to late spring if you have enough seeds.

Expert comment

Author
Forssk.

Botanical References
50

Links / References

[4]Grieve. A Modern Herbal.

Not so modern (1930's?) but lots of information, mainly temperate plants.

[9]Launert. E. Edible and Medicinal Plants.

Covers plants in Europe. a drawing of each plant, quite a bit of interesting information.

[46]Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants.

An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.

[50]? Flora Europaea

An immense work in 6 volumes (including the index). The standard reference flora for europe, it is very terse though and with very little extra information. Not for the casual reader.

[61]Usher. G. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man.

Forget the sexist title, this is one of the best books on the subject. Lists a very extensive range of useful plants from around the world with very brief details of the uses. Not for the casual reader.

[105]Tanaka. T. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World.

The most comprehensive guide to edible plants I've come across. Only the briefest entry for each species, though, and some of the entries are more than a little dubious. Not for the casual reader.

[165]Mills. S. Y. The Dictionary of Modern Herbalism.

An excellent small herbal.

[171]Hill. A. F. Economic Botany.

Not very comprehensive, but it is quite readable and goes into some a bit of detail about the plants it does cover.

[177]Kunkel. G. Plants for Human Consumption.

An excellent book for the dedicated. A comprehensive listing of latin names with a brief list of edible parts.

[183]Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants.

Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.

[200]Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992.

Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.

[240]Chopra. R. N., Nayar. S. L. and Chopra. I. C. Glossary of Indian Medicinal Plants (Including the Supplement).

Very terse details of medicinal uses of plants with a wide range of references and details of research into the plants chemistry. Not for the casual reader.

[254]Chevallier. A. The Encyclopedia of Medicinal Plants

An excellent guide to over 500 of the more well known medicinal herbs from around the world.

Readers comment

Elizabeth H.
Tom Peterson	Sun Oct 24 10:58:59 2004

Medicinal Uses: Maintaining remission in ulcerative colitis

Am J Gastroenterol. 1999 Feb;94(2):427-33. Randomized clinical trial of Plantago ovata seeds (dietary fiber) as compared with mesalamine in maintaining remission in ulcerative colitis.

Link: National Center for Biotechnology Information Abstract of study

Elizabeth H.
Dr. Ketan Shah	Sat Nov 3 2007

Dr. Ketan Shah http://www.psylliumexport.com

Elizabeth H.
Ian Salomon	Tue Dec 8 2009

To state that there are no known hazards is a serious error. Psyllium fibre has been known to cause skin allergies and also anaphyllaxis.

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Subject : Plantago ovata

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