Guar Gum

Other Names: Cyamopsis psoraloides, Cyamopsis tetragonoloba, Cyamopsis tetragonolobus, Dietary Fiber, Dolichos psoraloides, Farine de Guar, Fibre Alimentaire, Goma Guar, Gomme de Guar, Gomme de Jaguar, Guar Flour, Indian Guar Plant, Jaguar Gum, Psoralea tetragonoloba.
Guar gum is a type of fiber extracted from guar beans (a plant mainly found in India and Pakistan). Used as an ingredient in certain foods, guar gum is also available in dietary supplement form.

Special Precautions of Guar Gum

• Although guar gum is generally considered safe for most people, it may cause a number of side effects (including loose stools, gas, and diarrhea). When taken in high doses, guar gum may obstruct the esophagus and/or the intestines.
• Since there's some concern that guar gum may alter your blood sugar levels, it's important to avoid use of guar gum within two weeks of surgery. In addition, people taking diabetes medication should seek medical advice prior to using guar gum.
• Ethinyl estradiol interacts with GUAR GUM
• Medications for diabetes (Antidiabetes drugs) interacts with GUAR GUM
• Metformin (Glucophage) interacts with GUAR GUM
• Penicillin (Penicillin VK, Pen VK, Veetids) interacts with GUAR GUM

The benefits of Guar Gum are

Guar gum is often used as a laxative. In addition, guar gum is touted as a natural remedy for the following conditions:

• constipation : Partially hydrolyzed guar gum (a commonly available form of guar gum) may help treat childhood constipation, according to a 2010 study from the Turkish Journal of Gastroenterology. For the study, 61 children with constipation were given either partially hydrolyzed guar gum or lactulose (a laxative) for four weeks. Study results revealed that both treatments were similarly effective in relieving constipation and the associated abdominal pain. However, partially hydrolyzed guar gum appeared to produce fewer side effects than lactulose.
• diabetes : Preliminary research suggests that guar gum may help protect against diabetes. In a 2012 study published in the Iranian journal Pharmacognosy, for instance, scientists demonstrated that guar gum was more effective than the anti-diabetes drug glibenclamide in lowering cholesterol and blood sugar levels in diabetic rats. The study also determined that guar gum helped reduce body weight and food intake. However, it's too soon to tell whether guar gum may have a similar effect on human health.
• diarrhea
• high cholesterol
• irritable bowel syndrome : A study published in Digestive Diseases and Sciences in 2005 indicates that guar gum may be beneficial in the treatment of irritable bowel syndrome. For the study, 86 patients with irritable bowel syndrome took either five or 10 grams of partially hydrolyzed guar gum every day for three months. By the end of the treatment period, both groups showed significant improvement in gastrointestinal symptoms and quality of life.
• Guar gum is also said to promote weight loss and prevent atherosclerosis.