# Plant Monograph: Carob
**Name of plant:**
Carob
**Catch phrase (Carmina Gadelica or traditional invocation if available):**
**“The tree of the sweet pod, food of the wilderness.”**
No Carmina Gadelica invocation specifically associated with carob has been identified. Carob nevertheless possesses an unusually rich Mediterranean religious and cultural history. Its biblical associations have contributed to its later reputation as a food of austerity, charity and wilderness.
**Family:**
Fabaceae
**Genus and species:**
*Ceratonia siliqua* L.
**Other names:**
* Carob
* Carob tree
* St. John's bread
* St. John's bread tree
* Locust bean
* Locust tree
* Algarrobo
* Kharoub
* Kharrub
* Ceratonia
* *Ceratonia siliqua*
* Carob bean
* Locust bean pod
**Brief introduction:**
Carob is an evergreen Mediterranean tree native to the eastern Mediterranean and western Asia and now cultivated throughout Mediterranean climates. It produces leathery, dark-brown pods containing a sweet, edible pulp surrounding hard seeds.
The pods have been an important traditional food for thousands of years, particularly in regions where drought-resistant crops were essential. The dried pulp can be ground into a naturally sweet powder resembling cocoa in appearance and is used in beverages, confectionery and baking.
Carob has also been used medicinally, particularly for digestive complaints. The seed produces **locust bean gum**, an important soluble polysaccharide used today as a thickening and stabilizing agent in food and pharmaceutical preparations.
**Traditional uses:**
* Pod pulp used as a nutritious food and sweetener.
* Used traditionally for diarrhea and intestinal upset.
* Used as a soothing food during digestive illness.
* Used traditionally as an expectorant or remedy for cough.
* Used as a source of nourishment during periods of scarcity and convalescence.
**Historical use:**
* Carob has been cultivated throughout the Mediterranean for thousands of years.
* Dried pods were historically eaten directly or ground into flour and used in breads, porridges and beverages.
* Carob was traded extensively as a durable food and animal feed.
* Traditional Mediterranean medicine used carob preparations for diarrhea and digestive complaints.
* The plant acquired important Jewish and Christian associations, including traditions connecting its pods with John the Baptist and with the food of ascetics and the poor.
**Parts used and method of use:**
* Ripe fruit pods and pulp.
* Seeds.
Used as:
* Dried pod pulp eaten as food.
* Ground carob powder used in beverages, baking and confectionery.
* Decoction or infusion of the pod traditionally used for digestive complaints.
* Locust bean gum extracted from the seeds and used as a food and pharmaceutical thickener.
**Use in healing (modern herbal practice):**
* Carob pod preparations have traditionally been used for acute diarrhea.
* Carob has been investigated as a dietary aid for gastrointestinal health.
* Carob fiber may contribute to improved bowel regularity.
* Polyphenol-rich carob preparations have been investigated for antioxidant activity.
* Carob fiber and polyphenols have been studied for possible effects on blood lipids and glucose metabolism.
Carob is better regarded as a **functional food and traditional digestive remedy** than as a pharmaceutical herb. Some clinical evidence exists for its use in particular gastrointestinal situations, but evidence varies substantially by preparation and condition.
**Pharmacology and biochemistry:**
* **Tannins and polyphenols** — particularly abundant in the pod and associated with antioxidant and astringent activity.
* **D-pinitol** — a cyclitol found in carob that has attracted interest for possible metabolic effects.
* **Galactomannan (locust bean gum)** — a soluble polysaccharide obtained primarily from the seed endosperm.
Mechanisms:
* Tannins may exert an astringent effect on intestinal mucosa and help reduce intestinal secretion.
* Soluble fiber and galactomannan increase intestinal viscosity and may slow nutrient absorption.
* Polyphenols demonstrate antioxidant and other cellular activities in experimental models.
**Overall profile:**
Carob is a **nutritious Mediterranean food plant with significant traditional digestive use and useful modern nutritional pharmacology**. Its tannins and polyphenols contribute antioxidant and astringent properties, while its seed-derived galactomannan is a valuable soluble fiber. Unlike cocoa, carob contains little to no caffeine and is naturally sweet.
**Common dosage:**
* **Carob powder:** approximately 10–20 g/day as a food ingredient.
* **Dried pod:** approximately 20–50 g/day as a traditional food preparation.
* **Pod decoction:** approximately 5–10 g dried pod simmered in water as a traditional digestive preparation.
* **Locust bean gum:** approximately 5–10 g/day as a dietary fiber ingredient, divided and taken with adequate fluid.
Dosage depends substantially upon whether the material is being used as food, fiber or a concentrated medicinal preparation.
**Safety factors (including side effects):**
* Carob is generally well tolerated as a food.
* Large quantities of concentrated tannins or fiber may cause constipation, bloating or abdominal discomfort.
* Locust bean gum and other concentrated soluble fibers should be taken with adequate fluid to reduce the risk of gastrointestinal obstruction.
* Individuals with allergy to legumes should use caution with concentrated preparations.
* Excessive consumption of carob products may contribute significant dietary sugar and calories despite carob's lower glycemic characteristics compared with some refined sweeteners.
**First aid / adverse reaction response:**
* **Mild bloating or constipation:** reduce or discontinue use and increase appropriate fluid intake.
* **Diarrhea:** discontinue concentrated preparations if symptoms worsen or persist.
* **Suspected allergic reaction:** discontinue use and seek medical attention if symptoms are significant.
* **Difficulty swallowing or suspected obstruction after concentrated fiber:** seek urgent medical attention.
* **Difficulty breathing, facial swelling or severe allergic reaction:** seek emergency medical attention immediately.
**Drug interactions:**
* High-fiber carob preparations may reduce or delay absorption of orally administered medicines if taken simultaneously.
* Concentrated soluble fiber may influence post-meal blood-glucose levels and theoretically have additive effects with glucose-lowering medicines.
* Tannin-rich preparations may theoretically reduce absorption of some minerals and medicines.
* Separate concentrated fiber preparations from important oral medications by an appropriate interval unless a pharmacist advises otherwise.
**Horticultural requirements:**
* **USDA / Canadian zone:** USDA zones approximately 9–11; generally unsuitable for year-round outdoor cultivation in most of Canada.
* **Soil pH:** Approximately 6.0–8.5; tolerant of moderately alkaline soils.
* **Light requirements:** Full sun.
* **Moisture:** Dry to moderately moist; highly drought tolerant once established and poorly tolerant of waterlogged soil.
**Other notes (growth habit, harvest timing, etc.):**
* **Growth habit:** Large evergreen tree, commonly 5–15 m tall, with a broad, dense crown and thick leathery leaves.
* **Flowering/fruiting:** Small greenish flowers develop directly from older branches and are followed by long, thick, flattened pods that mature from green to dark brown.
* **Harvest timing:** Pods are harvested when fully mature and darkened, generally in late summer through autumn depending upon climate.
* **Habitat:** Mediterranean woodlands, dry hillsides, coastal areas and cultivated agricultural landscapes.
* **Propagation/cultivation notes:** Usually propagated from seed, although selected cultivars may be propagated vegetatively. Requires a long, warm growing season and excellent drainage. Young trees require protection from frost. Trees are drought resistant once established.
**Sampling of clinical reports / studies:**
* **Clinical study:** Carob-containing preparations have been investigated for acute childhood diarrhea and other gastrointestinal complaints, with some studies reporting benefit, although evidence is not uniform and preparations differ.
* **Pharmacological study:** Experimental research demonstrates antioxidant, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory and gastrointestinal effects associated with carob polyphenols and tannins.
* **Phytochemical study:** Carob pods contain substantial amounts of polyphenols, tannins, sugars, dietary fiber and D-pinitol; seeds are particularly rich in galactomannan.
* **Ethnobotanical evidence:** Carob has an exceptionally long Mediterranean history as food, animal feed and traditional medicine and is deeply embedded in Jewish, Christian, Arab and Mediterranean cultural traditions.
* **Overall assessment of evidence:** **Strong nutritional and ethnobotanical evidence; plausible and experimentally supported digestive and antioxidant activity; some clinical evidence for gastrointestinal applications; insufficient evidence to regard carob as a treatment for chronic metabolic disease.**
Educational Use Only: The information presented on this page is provided for educational, historical, and informational purposes only. ArdNemeton na Tuatha and Bhùth Draoi do not provide medical advice. Always consult your physician and pharmacist before using any herb, mushroom, supplement, or botanical product for medicinal purposes. Traditional uses described herein do not constitute medical claims.