Powder can be consumed by sprinkling it over your food or mixing it with a syrup such as maple or chocolate. You could also mix it with orange juice. The citric acid in the orange juice will help to mask any unpleasant powder tastes.

This herb is BULK DISCOUNTED in our 10 lb & 25 lb bulk packs. To find the bulk packs, just copy and paste the herb name into our Search, or refer to our Bulk By The Kilo & Ton category.

Other common names: Guar, Guar Flour, Jaguar Gum, Guara, Cluster Bean

Guar Gum is a water-soluble, dietary fiber that binds with and absorbs undesirable intestinal substances, including excess cholesterol, glucose and toxins, and removes them from the system. Moreover, its high-bulking laxative action stimulates healthy bowel function, relieves chronic constipation, and helps to control colitis, irritable bowel syndrome, Crohn's disease, diverticulosis and other bowel ailments. Its bulking action may also help in weight loss programs by filling the intestines and giving one the feeling of fullness and reducing the appetite.

History:
Guar Gum is a water-soluble, dietary fiber that is mechanically extracted from the seed of the Guar bean by mechanical separation of the endosperm from hulls and germs of the seeds. The Guar shrub is a coarse, summer-growing, leguminous annual that is probably native to India and is widely distributed across Africa and Asia, and found cultivated in small quantities the United States and Australia. It is deep-rooted and well adapted to semiarid regions; and in India, when farmers realized its drought-tolerance, they grew it as a forage crop for cattle, which gave the plant is name, Guar, meaning "cattle fodder." Food reserves are stored in the beans as a gum, which, when extracted, forms viscous solutions that gel in cold water.

The development of Guar's industrial uses took place mainly after World War II, when traditional suppliers of locust bean gum were unable to meet the increasing demand for water-soluble polymers. Guar Gum is a cold-water-soluble polysaccharide, consisting of mannose and galactose units. The ability to hydrate without heating makes it useful in many industrial, food, and medicinal applications. It is used as an emulsifier and stabilizer because it prevents oil droplets from coalescing.

The largest market for Guar Gum is in the food industry, where it is used as a thickener and binder of free water in sauces, salad dressings, ice creams, instant noodles, processed cheeses and meats, to name a few. Guar Gum is widely used commercially in the textile and paper industries, where it is employed as sizing to improve finishing and density of papers and fabrics. In addition, it is used as a waterproofing agent in the explosives industry and also in oil drilling and mining industries. In the pharmaceutical and cosmetics sector, Guar Gum is employed as a thickener and stabilizer in toothpastes, shampoos and a binder in tablets.

Guar beans are eaten green as tasty (and healthy) vegetables like snap beans, and, of course, Guar Gum is an important dietary fiber that enhances good health. Guar Bean endosperms contain the polysaccharide, galactomannan gum (consisting of mannose and galactose units), a fiber that forms a gel in water. Other constituents include protein, ash and amino acids.

Beneficial Uses:
Guar Gum may be very helpful in maintaining a healthy heart. A diet high in water-soluble Guar bean fiber (Guar Gum) is associated with decreased risk of heart attacks, because fiber is known to lower overall cholesterol levels. The glucomannan content in Guar Gum is believed to lower cholesterol by binding with it and keeping it from being absorbed through the intestines. In addition, the bulk forming fibers swell in the intestines and fill the intestinal tract, not only preventing cholesterol and lipid absorption, but the increased bulk-forming mass helps to rid the intestines of the excess cholesterol by facilitating its passage through the system. Guar Gum is believed to significantly decrease total cholesterol levels, triglycerides, and LDLs (bad cholesterol), and lowered cholesterol levels help to reduce blood platelet aggregation (clotting), improve circulation and, thus, work to reduce the risk of arteriosclerosis, stroke and heart attack.

Guar Gum is a water-soluble bulk-forming laxative, and as such, it is said to be effective in promoting regular bowel movements and relieve constipation and chronic related functional bowel ailments, such as diverticulosis, Crohn's disease, colitis and irritable bowel syndrome, among others. The increased mass in the intestines stimulates the movement of waste and toxins from the system, which is particularly helpful to good colon health, because it speeds the removal of waste and bacteria from the bowel and colon. In addition, because Guar Gum is soluble, it is also able to absorb toxic substances (bacteria) that cause infective diarrhea.

Guar Gum has been used to improve glucose tolerance in some studies. Research has revealed that the water-soluble fiber in it may help people with diabetes by binding with glucose and preventing its absorption. The movement of the bulk-forming mass through the intestines not only helped removed cholesterol but also decreased glycosylated hemoglobin, a measure of chronically high blood glucose levels. Diabetics must always monitor their blood-glucose levels carefully.

For weight control, Guar Gum provides a low-calorie, bulk-forming, gelatinous substance in the gastrointestinal tract that gives one the feeling of fullness and satiety and may curb the urge to eat. Furthermore, its laxative action also helps to clear the system of excess weight by removing it in waste products.