| |  | | What are the Actions of Glucomannon and Guar Gum?
Answered by: Susan Eagles
Question from: Fr. Dominic
Posted on: April 25, 2004
What are the actions of glucomannan gums made in caps form from seeds. Alternatively could you direct me to a Web site to look for this info?
Thomas Bartram, "Bartram’s Encyclopedia of Herbal Medicine" (available at Richters) states that guar gum is from the Indian bean Chyamopsis tetragonobulus. It has been found to reduce blood sugar levels and cholesterol, both actions beneficial in diabetes. Although it is used for weight loss, there is no information available that proves its effectiveness for this purpose. Because this gum swells when combined with liquid, it is known to have caused blockage of the throat. It must be taken with sufficient water to wash it down well, to avoid swelling in the throat and esophagus. It is contraindicated in intestinal obstruction and throat or swallowing problems.
Glucomannan is a water-soluble dietary fibre that is used for intestinal cleansing and for lowing blood sugar and cholestrol. It is commonly derived from the konjac root (Amorphophallus konjac). I don’t have experience with this product but clinical studies have shown that it helps in weight loss and cholesterol reduction with no adverse reactions (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=6096282&dopt=Abstract).
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