Psyllium is the common same for several species in the genus plantago in the family plantaginaceae. Plantago ovata and Plantago psyllium are the most commonly grown commercially.

Plantago ovata is annual. It gets 30–46 cm (12 to 18 inches) high. Leaves are placed oppositly

the leaves are long and narrow,  linear or linear lanceolate, 1 cm × 19 cm (0.4 inches × 7.5 inches). The plants has a well prominent tap root with few fibrous secondary roots.

The plant grows flower after 60 days of growth. Many flowering shoots grow from the base of the plant. Flowers are numerous, small, and white. Capsules contain the seeds and these open up when mature.

Commercial uses of psyllium

Psyllium are grown for their seeds. The outer coat of the seeds is separated. From the skin one produces psyllium mucilage by fine grinding and then by ceparating the psyllium fibres from the rest of the material. The psyllium fibre obtained is around 25 % of the total seed weight.

The psyllium husk is used in the pharmaceutical industry to make drugs to regulate the stomach function.

Psyllium muscilage is also used as a soil improver and in techical applications where it is important to bind water.

The inner parts of the seeds are used as food for domestic animals. It contains much carbohydrates (mainly starch) and fat,

The properties of psyllium musilage.

Psyllium mucilage or psyllium husk is a glucoprotein. It consists of long molecules of sugar units combined with long protein units There are many loaded atomic groups in the molecules. This make the substance highly attractive to water and other polar flids.

The dry mucilage is white and fibrous. It is able to absorbe large amounts of water and thereby swell to a gelatinous mass.

All plants contain mucilage. The substance aids to store water, It also helps to give parts of plants enough thickness and stiffness. Succulents such as cacti contain much mucilage and water bounded by the mucilage.

Medical uses of psyllium mucilage

Psyllium mucilage will absorbe water in the intestines. The content inside the intestines will by this effect get a greater volume and soft in an appropriate degree.

If the content in the first place tend to be too dry as by constipatiion, the mucilage will hold on the water and provide the content to be soft enough.

If the content tend to be too loose as with diarrhoea, the mucilage will absorbe much of the water and hold it to provide some firmness.

The substance also stimulate the intestines to move stronger.

Because of these properties psyllium mucilage helps aginst constipation and can also help aginst mild diarrhoea.

Since constipation or hard stool is a direct cause of hemorrhoids, it can also help against this ailment.

Psyllium mucilage is used both in the ordinary pharmaceutical industry and by procucents of althernative products as ingredients in stomach-regulating products and producta to treat constipation and hemorrhoids. The product metamucil contains psyllium husk.

Horse Chestnut (Aesculus hippocastanum) is a tree in the genus Aescululus, which are included in the family Sapindaceae. Earlier it was considered a separate family.  Despite the name, the tree is not related to the chestnut.

The full botannical classification of the tree is: Kingdom: Plantaem, (unranked): Angiosperms, (unranked): Eudicots, (unranked): Rosids, Order: Sapindales, Family: Sapindaceae, Genus: Aesculus, Species: A. hippocastanum


Horse Chestnut can be 25-30 meters, it can also be old, 200 to 400 years. The name Horse Chestnut has it that the seeds have been used in animal feeding in the bad years. The leaves are large, they are composed of 5.7 smaller leaves. In spring, the buds on the tree have sticky. Horse Chestnut flowers in June, with flowers that are large and white with patches of yellow and red. Horse Chestnut is a fruit that is round with spikes on, containing the big chesnut-like seed.

The tree naturally belong to the mountainous areas in the Balkans, but has spread far norhwards, from gardens and parks.

Nuts on the Horse Chestnut is slightly toxic to humans when eaten in some amount as food, and will then cause stomach tropuble and voimiting.

The seeds contain the saponin aescin and the related glucoside aesculin that are used for health purposes.

These compounds or extracts from the seeds containing the compunds are used against venous insufficiency a condition composed of the components varicose veins, edema and sprains. It is strong scientific support for the effect of the substance against this condition.

Since hemorrhoids are venous insufficiency in the rectal region with varicose veins and swelling, hemorrhoids can be treated with xtracts of horse chesnut seeds.

Aesculus hippocastanum is used in Bach flower remedies. When the buds are used it is referred to as "Chestnut Bud" and when the flowers are used it is referred to as "White Chestnut".
 

This picture shows how external hemorrhoids are places in the rectal mucosa (A free picture from wikipedia.org)

CAUSES OF HEMORRHOIDS

Since hemorrhoids are caused by conditions making increaced pressure in the anal veins, like lazy colon, constipation or diarrhea, the ultiate cause of hemorrhoids are factors causing these conditions. Such factors are:

1. Lifstyle adjustments

2. Agents to regulate the digestive function

3. Topical balms