Plantago psyllium / Psyllium Husks

Plantago ovata commonly known as ‘Psyllium’ in English and, Isabgol in Hindi belongs to the family of Plantaginaceae. Plantago is an annual or perennial, stemmed, or stemless herb widely distributed all over the world, which has more than 200 species.

Plantago is used in folk medicine, functional food, and dietary supplement products. The husk of Psyllium is the actual coating of mucilage around the seed. It is considered pure dietary fibre and is the only part of the plant used in manufacturing Psyllium products. ‘Psyllium’ has been used as a traditional herb to treat IBD in India and Iran.

There are several effective chemical constituents in Plantago, such as flavonoids, alkaloids, terpenoids, phenolic acid derivatives, iridoid glycosides, fatty acids, and polysaccharides. Among them, polysaccharides are the most abundant component, and their multiple functions have been widely studied and reported. We at Nature’s Laboratory produce various products from Plantag; Psyllium whole husks, husk powder and Psyllium husk capsules.

Herbal Capsules

We produce Plantago psyllium / Psyllium Husks using powdered herb. The powder is very fine, allowing it to flow into the encapsulation machine. Fine powder is also easier for the body to absorb. Sometimes we produce the powder ourselves, from whole or cut herbs. Other times we source powdered herbs directly from our suppliers.

Empty capsules are positioned in the the capsule manufacturing machine. We use vegetarian capsules, size '0'. The empty capsules are then filled with the finely-ground powdered herb. A sufficient quantity of herb is pressed into the empty capsules. Once the capsules are full of powdered herb the tops of the capsules are positioned and firmly pressed into position.

The finished capsules are removed from the machine. Initially we store them in bulk bags. Depending on the type of capsule we may then use our capsule counting machine to dispense capsules into bottles.

Plantago psyllium / Psyllium Husks are a very convenient way to store and prescribe this herb. Less energy is used in the production process and they take less space to store.

At Herbal Apothecary we produce a wide range of single herb capsules as well as capsules made with blended herbs. The process for producing a blended capsule involves combining 2 or more powders together before encapsulation. Special care is taken to ensure the herbs are thoroughly blended, ensuring an equal distribution of herb through all capsules. Blended herb capsules are a fantastic way of prescribing more complex remedies in a way which is easy for the patient to take.

Powdered Herbs

Powdered herbs like Plantago psyllium / Psyllium Husks are exactly that. We take high quality whole or cut herbs and process them using our powdering machine. Sometimes we source powdered herbs directly from our suppliers.

Using our powdering machine we can choose the size of the ground herb particle. This means we can produce everything from a course powder, which might be used in a herbal tea or infusion, to a very fine powder.

Powdered herbs like Plantago psyllium / Psyllium Husks might be used by herbalists in the production of herbal capsules. Powdered herbs are also sometimes used in tincture or fluid extract production.

Whole Herbs

Whole herbs like Plantago psyllium / Psyllium Husks are herbs which are a suitable size to use whole. They are often petals and flowers, which tend to be smaller than leaves, stems and roots. Our whole herbs are dried.