Medical Benefits of Guar Gum Powder

Guar gum is extracted from the endosperm of the plant seeds of the legume guar, consumed in india. This powder is highly utilized in different industries, due to its inherent gelling properties. Since aeons, it has been used as a therapeutic agent by the farmers to cure several diseases. It has also found its way to pharmaceutical industry. Let us look over to the applications of guar gum in medical field.

Pharmaceutical Guar gum due to its inherent stabilizer and viscifier agent properties, is used in tablets and capsules as a binding agent and also as a thickening agent in syrups. The biggest advantage of guar gum powder is that it can causes thickening without the application of heat. Thus it can be used in the formation of those medicines that are likely to be damaged by high heat conditions.

Bulk Forming Agent Guar gum being a fibre can not be digested by the human small intestine. Thus it reaches the large intestine in its original form. The bulky fibre increases the bulk in the intestine and helps to retain water osmotically. It also mixes with the faeces and softens the stool. Thus the passage of the stool becomes easy. So the guar gum powder can be used as a laxative in the patients of constipation.

Same bulk forming property also explains its use in diverticulosis. In this condition a small diverticulum of intestine may retain faeces which harden and may cause morbidity and digestive problems. Guar gum is beneficial in these cases.

Inflammatory bowel disease is a condition characterized by formation of ulcers in intestine and constipation. The guar gum powder helps to reduce the inflammation and softens the stool. Soft stool can easily pass over the inflamed mucosa of the large intestine. Easier passage of the stool through the intestine prevents the pain over the ulcerated mucosa and also prevents the attending constipation.

Management of Diabetes Diabetes mainly manifests as high blood sugar level. It can be controlled by medicines, but some individual measures may help to prevent the complications. Guar gum powder may decrease the absorption of sugars from the intestine thus benefiting in diabetes.

Cancer Cancer manifests as uncontrolled division of one kind of cells of the body. This leads to the growth of the organ. It can be hazardous as it may encroach upon surrounding structures and cause injury to them. It may also release different hormones, that may affect distant tissues of the body causing physiological abnormalities. The use of guar gum in cancer is not verified. But it is utilized to control the new growth formation. It may also benefit the regression of the original tumor and also in metastases.

Obesity Guar gum powder may be used to control obesity. Being a bulky food, it gives a feeling of fullness and satisfaction. It also decreases the absorption of glucose thus controlling the obesity.

Hypercholesterolemia This is a familial condition that is characterized by high levels of ‘bad cholesterol’. guar gum powder binds to the dietary cholesterol and also the cholesterol that is secreted In the intestines from the liver. Thus it prevents its re absorption in the body and helps.

Conjunctivitis This condition is characterized by the infection of the conjuctiva. Conjuctiva is a thin membrane that covers the outer surface of the cornea and sclera and thus protects the internal structures from possible infections. When bacteria infect the conjuctiva, body’s defense mechanisms act and cause physiological changes in the conjuctiva which leads to inflammation.This powder can also be used in conjunctivitis as an anti-inflammatory agent. It also helps to combat the infections.

Skin diseases Skin diseases due to infection from various micro organisms can be treated with the help of topically applied guar gum powder. These include ring worm, itching, psoriasis, dermatomycosis, tinea, etc.

Apart from all these medical uses of guar gum, it may have certain side-effects: