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Browse medicines, supplements, herbs, and health foods. Each profile brings community reports and linked research into one clear view.
Browse medicines, supplements, herbs, and health foods. Each profile brings community reports and linked research into one clear view.
Soluble, gel-forming fibre from the seed husk of Plantago ovata (ispaghula). Meta-analyses of 28 and 29 randomised trials found it lowers LDL ('bad') cholesterol by about 0.33-0.35 mmol/L, and pooled trials show lower fasting blood sugar and HbA1c, mostly in people who already have type 2 diabetes. Reviews of its effect on body weight disagree.
9 of 15 results reported a benefit, from 3 published studies.
3 studies, including a review of trials
These are the figures the studies reported, not a prediction for any one person. Where several studies measured the same thing in the same unit, we show a simple average and say so. Every individual result is listed below.
See every resultInsulin resistance, pre-diabetes, type 2 diabetes, and metabolic syndrome.
Also known as: Psyllium, Ispaghula, Plantago ovata
Every published result for this pair, extracted and audited.
These charts group published studies by what they reported and how they were run — green marks studies that reported a benefit for this pairing. Tiers run from pooled analyses of many trials (strongest) to one-off observational reports.
Direction of reported outcomes for Psyllium Husk in blood sugar control.
Study designs behind these findings.
Hand-selected PubMed studies, linked to the originals.
Ordered by strength of evidence, then result direction.
01Adjunctive berberine for schizophrenia with metabolic syndrome: a systematic review and meta-analysisXie K, et al. · Frontiers in psychiatry · 2026PMID 42433212 ↗02The Effect of Berberine Supplementation on Glycemic Control and Inflammatory Biomarkers in Metabolic Disorders: An Umbrella Meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled TrialsNazari A, et al. · Clinical therapeutics · 2024PMID 38016844 ↗03Effect of Fenugreek on Hyperglycemia: A Systematic Review and Meta-AnalysisShabil M, et al. · Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania) · 2023PMID 36837450 ↗04Effect of saffron and fenugreek on lowering blood glucose: A systematic review with meta-analysisCorreia AGDS, et al. · Phytotherapy research : PTR · 2023PMID 36992660 ↗Be the first to share what you noticed with Psyllium Husk for blood sugar control. Why counts start empty.
Outcomes reported as percentage changes for Psyllium Husk. Other units sit in the table above.
Every measured outcome, one row per finding - numbers exactly as reported.
| Study | Design | n | Duration | Outcome measured | Reported result | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PMID 38844885 2024 | Systematic review | 962 | - | Fasting blood sugar (FBS) | -6.89 (95% CI: -10.62, -3.16; p < .001) | Benefit |
| PMID 38844885 2024 | Systematic review | 962 | - | Hemoglobin A1C (HbA1c) | -0.75 (95% CI: -1.21, -0.29; p < .001) | Benefit |
| PMID 38844885 2024 | Systematic review | 962 | - | Homeostatic Model Assessment of Insulin Resistance (HOMA IR) | -1.17 (95% CI: -2.11, -0.23; p < .05) | Benefit |
| PMID 38844885 2024 | Systematic review | 962 | - | Insulin levels | -2.08 (95% CI: -4.21, -0.035; p > .05) | No benefit |
| PMID 31919936 2020 | Meta-analysis | 395 | - | body mass index | reported qualitatively | No benefit |
| PMID 31919936 2020 | Meta-analysis | 395 | - | cholesterol | reported qualitatively | No benefit |
| PMID 31919936 2020 | Meta-analysis | 395 | - | fasting blood sugar | -31.71 ml/dl (95% CI [-50.04, -13.38]) | Benefit |
| PMID 31919936 2020 | Meta-analysis | 395 | - | hemoglobin A1c | -0.91 % (95% CI [-1.31, -0.51]) | Benefit |
| PMID 31919936 2020 | Meta-analysis | 395 | - | high-density lipoprotein | reported qualitatively | No benefit |
| PMID 31919936 2020 | Meta-analysis | 395 | - | low-density lipoprotein | -8.96 mg/dl (95% CI [-13.39, -4.52]) | Benefit |
| PMID 31919936 2020 | Meta-analysis | 395 | - | triglycerides | -19.18 mg/dl (95% CI [-31.76, -6.60]) | Benefit |
| PMID 31919936 2020 | Meta-analysis | 395 | - | weight | reported qualitatively | No benefit |
| PMID 26561625 2015 | Meta-analysis | - | - | Blood glucose in people with normal blood sugar (euglycaemic) | reported qualitatively | No benefit |
| PMID 26561625 2015 | Meta-analysis | - | - | Fasting blood glucose in people treated for type 2 diabetes | -37.0 mg/dL (P < 0.001) | Benefit |
| PMID 26561625 2015 | Meta-analysis | - | - | HbA1c in people treated for type 2 diabetes | -0.97 % (P = 0.048) | Benefit |