But getting enough soluble fiber into the diet can be a problem. Most foods only contain small amounts. Even oat brain is a mere 7 percent soluble fiber. Otherwise, it is used commercially in place of agar-agar, as a filler for wheat starch, an ingredient in chocolate candy, a stabilizer in ice cream and in the making of cosmetics and pharmaceutical tablets.
Psyllium is an annual herb native to Mediterranean climates.
All parts of the plant are used by some cultures, but the seed and seed-hulls are preferred. The husk mucilage is used as a thickener or stabilizer in certain frozen dairy desserts. It is also used as a bulking agent. Essentially, it is a form of dietary fiber that adds bulk to the intestinal tract because it has the capacity of absorbing huge amounts of water. The hulls have a remarkable ability of absorbing water many times their own weight, which makes them swell.