Questions Regarding Psyllium

Diet and Nutrition
1

I’ve started taking psyllium daily about 4 months ago, and generally have had a lot of success with it. In the past I’ve tried increasing fiber intake, but nothing like this: keeps me very regular, and eliminates the unpleasantness and pain of IBS. From that aspect, I’d highly recommend it to others with similar issues.

I kind of dove into it head first, and now I’m starting to wonder about a few aspects of it:

  1. Is it safe to keep taking it without breaks? So far, I haven’t had to increase my intake (I quickly built up to 1 tbps taken once daily), but I have seen that I can regress by missing a day (Doesn’t happen often, and I’ve gotten back into it everytime without much discomfort). Is there an problems with taking it long terms, in terms of overall effects on the body and or developing dependence to the point you can’t stop using it?

  2. Is there a recommended time in the day to take it? I usually do sometime between breakfast and lunch, either right after one or with a short break. I find that with the liquids needed to take it, I can’t take it anywhere near dinner, as it’ll wake me up.

  3. Is there anything else recommended to be taking along with it (aside from lots of water)? The only other supplement I’m taking right now is 1 round tsp of milled flax seed. Since it drains so much liquid, should I be taking additional anti-oxidents, sodium, etc? Since I’m taking just the husks, is there anything added to metamucil that is worth considering?

  4. FInally, if anyone has any scientific literature about psyllium, I’d appreciate it, as all I could find where “oh yeah, psyllium, it works” used in examples of some papers, and not much else.

Thanks for your help

2

I used to be constipated and had ANAL fissures. cause i didn’t get enough fiber. (yah i ate fruits like mad. the high fiber ones), and also took milled flax with my meals.

Then i took psyllium, and holy god… and i have been taking it since.

I’m not too sure about Long term effects, but i know not to take it with my Multi-vits, and too early in the AM when my body is very hungry, since Psyllium slows down digestion.

3

pysillium is great.

Its about timing, I like a teaspoon upon waking and one before bed.

Drop the husks. Get pysillium husk powder. And take a teaspoon at a time. It expands in the digestive track and acts like a sponge if you will. You will notice your load looks a little puffier, if you will. If your degestive track gives you’d trouble, I’d reccomend using digestive enzymes with meals.

And you might consider this thread, this cleansing has rave reviews:
intensemuscle.com/19652-heckman-flush.html?highlight=heckman+flush

And no it won’t hurt you. A tbs at a time is too much though because of the expansion in the digestive track, that can almost cause blockage. I’d say 1-1.5 teaspoons in the morning and at night, and you should give birth comfortably and regularly. But deffinitely read through that thread, it will be well worth it.