I've been using this daily (1 tablespoon) for my morning pancakes that consist of 2 eggs, flaxseeds, whey protein isolate, and some crushed nuts cooked in a bit of coconut oil .... and all of a sudden I'm having progressively better solid bowel movements in the morning?! How is that possible??? I have chronic diarrhea from everything I eat and it's been a long case of trial and error to figure out my triggers and what I CAN eat. The more leafy greens and squashes for both insoluble and soluble fiber hasn't been helping. Less fiber has been helping a lot with bloating so I've been lowering the amount of vegetable fiber I've been consuming lately. But I kept reading about ppl's experience with psyllium husk for ibs-d (which is a mixed response) and was curious about it. I mistakenly thought psyllium husk was solely insoluble fiber but it's mostly SOLUABLE. I was worried it would cause fermentation in my gut ... and for the first few days, yes it sure did. You can hear the gurgling and bubbling, but it wasn't uncomfortable. It seemed to settle down 20 mins or so later, and then I felt fine. I would have some gas at night but it wasn't really anything different from usual. Now here is the interesting part, I started to sleep better ... just a taaaaad more without the need to have urgent midnight pee. SIBO, IBS, insomnia and multiple wake ups to urinate go hand in hand and it's been hard for me to get a good night's sleep. I have a lengthy de-bloating routine I go through each night just so I can get a few hours of sleep. Adding this in addition to my extensive health routine, my morning bowel movements were slowly turning more solid each day. I figured it was just a fluke, but each day it's been better! I rarely see solid form EVER. Maybe once a month or once every 2 months. Even tho there is some fermentation going on, perhaps the prebiotic effect is something my gut have been needing? I am going to continue experimenting taking psyllium husk with just water, as a drink before I eat. Maybe that would work even better at clearing the extra bile acids in my gut. I also woke up today with one of the lowest fasting blood glucose I've seen in awhile! I don't think it's placebo. I think the viscous gel slows absorption of whatever is ingested, it also soaks up extra liquid/ toxins/ bile from my incomplete bowel movements, and provides a coating that possibly protects the lining of my impaired gut. As for smell: the psyllium husk has a medicinal scent which I find pleasant. You can taste it, slightly medicinal herb essence but its not overpowering. No bitterness. I am very happy I decided to try this!
