Dietary fibres are vegetable substances not digestible by the enzymes of the alimentary tract. They are derived from plant cell walls and from the non-structural polsaccharides in natural foods. Fibres include cellulose and hemicelluloses, gums, pectin’s and lignin’s.

Dietary Fibre is an integral part of  a healthy diet. Fibre plays an essential role in maintaining the health of the digestive system, and adequate fibre in the diet has significant value in the prevention of cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes and other ailments.  Fibre cleanses the digestive tract and enhances its function. Metabolised by intestinal bacteria into substances that prevent colon cancer, fibre dilutes and speeds the removal of carcinogens and other toxins in foods so that they spare the delicate lining of the GI tract.  Fibre helps achieve optimal blood sugar control and cholesterol levels by slowing digestion and maximising cholesterol excretion.

Fibre comes in two basic forms: soluble (it dissolves in water) and insoluble ( it does not dissolve in water).  Soluble fibres include gums, pectin’s, mucilage’s and some hemicelluloses.  Foods high in soluble fibre include oats and oat bran, barley, psyllium seeds, flaxmeal, beans, peas, carrots, citrus fruits and apples.  Soluble fibre has been shown to lower cholesterol and triglyceride levels, and stabilise blood sugar by slowing the absorption of sugar from the digestive tract.  Soluble fibre is useful for diabetics since it helps lower insulin and triglyceride levels.

Insoluble fibres include cellulose, lignin and some hemicelluloses, and are found in foods such as wheat bran, corn bran, celery, and the skins of fruits and root vegetables. Insoluble fibre helps to reduce the risk of intestinal cancers, and it helps prevent constipation and diverticulitis by absorbing toxins from foods, and reducing the production of bacterial toxins in the GI tract.  Most plant foods supply both the soluble and insoluble forms, and the diet should include a balance of both forms to get the different benefits they provide.

Psyllium Seed Powder

Psyllium seed (Plantago psyllium) is the cleaned, dried, ripe seed of Plantago ovata, commonly known as Blond Psyllium or Indian Plantago Seed.  Psyllium seed is a mixed polysaccharide with xylose as the main constituent sugar. Its medicinal properties are: demulcent, purgative, detergent.

Psyllium, a bulk forming soluble fibre, is sometimes referred to a "colon broom" as it cleanses the colon and intestines of putrefactive toxins. Psyllium seeds can help to relieve both constipation and diarrhoea, and many studies have shown that they lower cholesterol and triglycerides.

Deffated Flax Seed Powder

Flax seed is the cleaned, dried, ripe seed of linum usitatissimum, commonly known as linseed or common flax. Its medicinal properties are: demulcent, pectoral, maturating, mucilaginous, emollient.

Like Psyllium, flax seed is a bulk forming soluble fibre which helps to cleanse the intestines and colon, and it helps to relieve both constipation and diarrhoea. Flax seeds contain lignans, compounds that help balance hormone levels and reduce the chance of hormonal-related cancers.

Slippery Elm Bark Powder

Slippery elm (Ulmus fulva) is a perennial tree that grows throughout North America. It flourishes in high open places and in firm, dry soil. It grows from 50 to 100 feet high, and has red-brown, deeply furrowed bark. It is the dried, inner bark that has medicinal properties: mucilaginous, demulcent, nutritive, diuretic, pectoral.

Slippery Elm Bark is highly mucilaginous, and is used internally to relieve irritability and inflammation in the gastrointestinal tract, and to ease similar problems in the urinary tract. It is effective in diarrhoea, bowel, stomach, bladder, kidney problems and inflammation of the stomach and intestines.

Marshmallow Root Powder

Marshmallow (Althaea officinalis) is a perennial plant found in Europe, North Africa, Western Asia and North America , that grows in moist, swampy places.  The stem is erect, round, and woolly, arising from the pale yellow root. It grows from two to four feet in height It is the root, which is picked in autumn, dried and peeled, that has the principle medicinal activity: diuretic, demulcent, mucilaginous, emollient.

Marshmallow root is one of the best mucilaginous herbs (containing up to 35% mucilage, with homogeneous mucilaginous polysaccharides as high as 12%), and is a favoured treatment for diseases of the respiratory organs.. Its mucilaginous nature makes it ideal for soothing irritated and inflamed mucosal surfaces. Marshmallow is an extremely effective demulcent and emollient, and is the primary herb of choice in catarrh of the upper respiratory tract. It is also very soothing and healing to any inflamed condition of the bowels.

Licorice Root Powder

Licorice (glycyrrhiza glabra) is indigenous to rich low-land river valleys of Southern Europe, the Middle East, and Northern China; it is cultivated in many parts of the world. The rootstock is brown, wrinkled, and woody, producing an erect striated stem two to five feet in height. It is the root, dried and gathered during autumn which has the principle medicinal properties: laxative, tonic, expectorant, demulcent, pectoral, emollient.

Licorice root is one of the most biologically active herbs known. It has strong estrogenic properties as well as antiarthritic, antiphlogistic, antitussive, laxative, expectorant and antipyretic effects. Licorice root has anti-inflammatory and cholesterol lowering properties, and is an effective immune system enhancer.

Dandelion Root Powder

Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) is abundant all over the world, and is found in meadows and pastures. It has a thick, light brown perennial root that produces a rosette of basal leaves. The dried roots that are collected in autumn, and the leaves that are collected in May have medicinal value: hepatic, aperient, diuretic, depurative, tonic, stomachic.

Dandelion is one of the strongest cholagogues and choleretics known. Its ability to promote the flow of bile is unequalled among the common herbs. It is used specifically to promote the health of the liver and related organs and glands, as well as disorders of digestion, such as dyspepsia. Dandelion is also an effective diuretic. It helps to increase the flow of urine in liver problems.

Guar Gum Powder

Guar gum, (Cyampsis psoraloides or tetragonalbus seeds) a galactomannan polysaccharide of mannose and galactose, is a soluble, gel-forming fibre extracted from the ground endosperm of the seeds of the Indian cluster bean. Its medicinal properties are: demulcent, mucilaginous.

Guar gum has been shown to be effective in lowering cholesterol and high blood pressure, and it helps to slow the release of sugar from the GI tract.

Cascara Sagrada Bark Powder

Cascara sagrada (Rhamnus purshiana) is found in mountainous areas of Europe and Western Asia, and in North America, from northern Idaho to the Pacific Coast. It is a small deciduous tree growing from 15-20 feet in height. It has pubescent stems covered with reddish-brown bark and often, grey lichen. The bark, dried, and collected at least a year before use has valuable medicinal properties: purgative, bitter tonic.

Cascara sagrada is perhaps the most common laxative used in both herbal medicine and orthodox pharmacy. It is technically classified as a stimulant laxative, since it induces peristalsis. The active constituents of cascara are the anthraquinones: they are inactive in the gastro-intestinal tract until they reach the colon; there they produce a soft or formed stool within about six to eight hours and cause vigorous peristalsis. Cascara is one of the most reliable remedies for chronic constipation. It is a good intestinal tonic; it increases the secretion of bile, and is an excellent remedy for gallstones and liver complaints.