KONJAC AMORPHOPHALLUS KONJAC

KONJAC (Amorphophallus konjac K. Koch) ++

Synonyms:
- A. rivieri Durieu, A. rivieri var. konjac (K. Koch) Engl.

Activities (Konjac) :
- Antitumor (1; APA); Hypocholesterolemic (1; APA); Hypoglycemic (1; APA).

Indications (Konjac) :
- Cancer, lung (1; APA); Constipation (1; APA); Diabetes (1; APA); Enterosis (1; APA); Gas (1; APA); High Cholesterol (1; APA); Obesity (1; APA); Tumor (1; APA).

Dosages (Konjac) :
- 2 (500 mg) tablets glucomannan 1 hour before meals (APA).

Contraindications, Interactions, and Side Effects (Konjac) :
- Not covered (AHP; KOM; PHR). May cause diarrhea. Severe esophageal obstructions reported for glucomannan tablets (always take with plenty of water) (APA). “Australian health authorities have banned tablets containing glucomannan” (APA). May alter insulin requirements (APA). Glucomannan, the
polysaccharide extracted from the tubers of Amorphophallus konjac, is indigestible in the human GI tract, lacking enzymes to break it down. Hence, it passes through the body, mostly undigested. In addition, the glucomannan swells in the gut, or wherever it contacts water, sometimes absorbing 60 times its weight in water. Hence, it is often recommended, perhaps too enthusiastically, for constipation, high cholesterol, and obesity. According to APA, in one study of 20 obese patients, those who took 2 capsules of 500 mg of purified glucomannan, 60 minutes before meals, lost an average 5.5 pounds after 8 weeks, cf. 1.5 pounds for placebo patients. In another study, total cholesterol fell some 10% in 63 men taking 3900 mg glucomannan for 4 weeks, in a doubleblind crossover trial.