Plantago ovata
Encyclopedia
Plantago ovata is a medicinal plant native to Western Asia and Southern Asia.
It is a common source of psyllium seed husks
, a material used as dietary fiber
.
The plant can be found growing wild in the southwestern United States, where it is an introduced species
.
It is a common source of psyllium seed husks
Psyllium seed husks
Psyllium seed husks also known as ispaghula, isabgol, or psyllium, are portions of the seeds of the plant Plantago ovata, , a native of India. They are soluble in water, expanding and becoming mucilaginous when wet...
, a material used as dietary fiber
Dietary fiber
Dietary fiber, dietary fibre, or sometimes roughage is the indigestible portion of plant foods having two main components:* soluble fiber that is readily fermented in the colon into gases and physiologically active byproducts, and* insoluble fiber that is metabolically inert, absorbing water as it...
.
The plant can be found growing wild in the southwestern United States, where it is an introduced species
Introduced species
An introduced species — or neozoon, alien, exotic, non-indigenous, or non-native species, or simply an introduction, is a species living outside its indigenous or native distributional range, and has arrived in an ecosystem or plant community by human activity, either deliberate or accidental...
.