CAROB Overview Information
Carob is a tree. Don’t confuse carob with Jacaranda caroba which is also known as carob tree. People use the carob fruit for medicine and in foods.
Medicinally, carob is used for digestion problems including diarrhea, heartburn, and the intestine’s inability to properly absorb certain nutrients from food. These absorption disorders include celiac disease and sprue.
Other uses of carob include treatment of obesity, vomiting during pregnancy, and high cholesterol.
In infants, carob is used for vomiting, retching cough, and diarrhea.
In foods and beverages, carob is used as a flavoring agent and as a chocolate substitute. Carob flour and extracts are also used as ingredients in food products.
How does it work?
Carob contains chemicals called tannins, which decrease the effectiveness of certain substances (enzymes) that help with digestion. Carob might cause weight loss, reduce blood sugar and insulin levels, and lower cholesterol levels.
Possibly Effective for:
- Diarrhea. Some research suggests drinking juice extracted from raw carob bean or taking carob pod powder just prior to taking a standard oral rehydration solution (ORS) reduces the duration of symptoms in children and infants with acute diarrhea.
- Acid reflux. Research suggests that drinking milk containing carob gum for up to one week reduces the frequency and amount of spitting up in infants with acid reflux.
- High cholesterol. Early research suggests that taking carob pulp or a specific carob product (Caromax, Nutrinova, Frankfurt, Germany) by mouth for up to 6 weeks reduces total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein (LDL or “bad”) cholesterol in people with moderately high cholesterol.
- Inherited tendency toward high cholesterol (familial hypercholesterolemia). Early research suggests that taking carob gum by mouth for 4-8 weeks reduces total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein (LDL or “bad”) cholesterol levels in children and adults with familial hypercholesterolemia.
- Obesity. Early research suggests that a carob and bean pod extract might improve cholesterol levels and increase excretion of fat in feces of overweight and obese people.
- Celiac disease.
- Vomiting during pregnancy.
- Other conditions.
CAROB Side Effects & Safety
Carob is LIKELY SAFE for most people when taken by mouth in food amounts or as a medicine. There don’t seem to be any unwanted side effects.
Special Precautions & Warnings:Pregnancy and breast-feeding: There is not enough reliable information about the safety of taking carob if you are pregnant or breast-feeding. Stay on the safe side and avoid use in greater than food amounts.
The appropriate dose of carob for use as treatment depends on several factors such as the user's age, health, and several other conditions. At this time there is not enough scientific information to determine an appropriate range of doses for carob. Keep in mind that natural products are not always necessarily safe and dosages can be important. Be sure to follow relevant directions on product labels and consult your pharmacist or physician or other healthcare professional before using.