a bulking agent (see laxative) used to treat constipation, *diverticular disease, *irritable bowel syndrome, and other conditions of disturbed bowel habit.
Keynote: kidneys. Part used: pods without beans.
Action: hypotensive, diuretic, anti-diabetic, resolvent, glycaemic – to regulate blood sugar.
Uses: Water retention. Albuminuria (proteinuria), especially of pregnancy. Oedema of cardiac origin. Premenstrual tension. Diabetes mellitus. Hyperinsulinism. To induce loss of weight. Swollen legs and ankles. Hypoglycaemia. Sometimes given in combination with Bladderwrack.
Preparations: Capt Frank Roberts Bean Cure. 40 grams of the dried herb soaked for 6 hours in 750ml (1 and a half pints) cold water. Boil, half an hour. Drink all over 1-2 days for water retention.
Roasted beans: nutritious coffee substitute.
French bean water (after cooking beans without salt) used traditionally in France for a soaked-lint compress for leg ulcer.
Powder. Capsules, 200mg. Dose: 8 capsules: 2 in morning, 3 at midday, 3 in the evening, at beginning of meals. (Arkocaps) ... bean husks
Constituents: mucilage, triterpenes, alkaloids.
Action: gentle bulk laxative without irritation; antidiarrhoeal, demulcent, bacteriostatic. Increases stool output while decreasing transit time in healthy people. Anti-inflammatory.
Uses: Chronic constipation, particularly in the elderly. Irritable bowel syndrome, mucous colitis. Amoebic dysentery. (Indian traditional) To assist management of diverticular disease. To reduce incidence of bowel complaints. An alternative to constant use of purgatives that decrease sensitivity of alimentary mucous membranes. Useful in pregnancy. Hyperlipaemia. Lowers cholesterol level by eliminating excess bile salts. To assist slimming regime in obesity.
Preparations: Average dose: 3-5 grams (2 grams, children).
Seeds: 1-2 teaspoons once or twice daily, helped down with sips of water. (May be soaked overnight in warm water.) In the intestines seeds swell into a gelatinous mass many times their normal size thus ‘lubricating’ contents of the bowel for easy defecation. Isogel.
“Regulan” Ispaghula husk BP. Sachets containing 3-6 grams. Average dose: 1 sachet thrice daily. Psyllium seed husks, plus pectin, Vitamin C and Guar gum to cleanse the colon while leaving behind important nutrients. Aids detoxification and absorption of iron. Regulates blood sugar levels and nutrient absorption. (JAM. Nov 86, p.23) Poultice. With Slippery Elm for boils, abscesses, etc. ... ispaghula seeds
As ispaghula travels through the intestine, it absorbs water from surrounding blood vessels, thereby softening and increasing the volume of the faeces.
Ispaghula is also used in people with chronic, watery diarrhoea and in patients who have had a colostomy or an ileostomy to control the consistency of faeces.
Adverse effects include flatulence, abdominal distension, and discomfort.... ispaghula
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