Psyllium husk 95%, 98% and 99%: grades, specs and lead testing
By the IndoFolk Wellness Care Team | Last reviewed October 2026
Quick answer: The percentage on a psyllium husk offer (95%, 98%, 99%) is a trade grade describing how much of the lot is clean husk rather than seed fragments and other light material. It is not a pharmacopoeial term. Buyers should write a spec that also covers swell volume, light extraneous matter, total and acid-insoluble ash, water, microbial limits and lead, then ask for a lot-specific CoA. In May 2026, 95% husk traded at about $5.09/kg FOB India versus about $7.85/kg for 99%.
Psyllium husk is one of India's largest botanical exports: ₹3,540 crore in FY2024-25, up 13% (DGCI&S trade data, FY2024-25). Yet the 2025 crop fell an estimated 20–30%, prices have firmed, and lead has become a live compliance issue in California. The grade on the quotation is the start of the conversation, not the end.
What do 95%, 98% and 99% actually mean?
In the trade, the percentage describes husk purity: the share of the lot that is clean seed coat after the seed has been milled and the husk sieved and cleaned. Higher grades go through more cleaning and sieving, so they carry less seed fragment and light extraneous matter.
Two points matter for a buyer:
The method is not standardised between sellers. One supplier's 98% may be measured differently from another's. Ask how purity is tested and put that method in your spec.
The percentage is not a pharmacopoeial test. The USP Psyllium Husk monograph does not grade husk as 95% or 99%. It sets limits for individual parameters, including light extraneous matter of not more than 5%. If your label or dossier claims USP compliance, the lot must meet every monograph test, whatever its trade grade.
Trade grade | Often considered for | May 2026 FOB India (Mundus-Agri) | What to check hardest |
|---|---|---|---|
95% | Cost-sensitive blends, feed and pet applications | ~$5.09/kg | Light extraneous matter, ash, microbial load |
98% | Mid-tier food and supplement blends | Not quoted in our source | Purity method, swell volume |
99% | Capsules, single-ingredient fibre products, pharma-adjacent | ~$7.85/kg | Swell volume, lead, full USP panel if claimed |
What does the USP monograph require?
The USP Psyllium Husk monograph defines the material as the cleaned, dried seed coat (epidermis) separated by winnowing and thrashing from the seeds of Plantago ovata (and, in the current text, Plantago arenaria). The limits below are taken from the monograph text; always check the current official USP–NF before you sign off a spec.
Parameter | USP limit |
|---|---|
Swell volume | Not less than 40 mL/g (powdered); not less than 35 mL/g (whole) |
Light extraneous matter | Not more than 5% |
Total ash | Not more than 4.0% |
Acid-insoluble ash | Not more than 1.0% |
Water (Method II) | Not more than 12.0% |
Insect fragments | Not more than 400 (powdered); not more than 100 (whole) |
Moulds and yeasts | Not more than 1,000 cfu/g; absence of Salmonella and E. coli |
Elemental impurities | Meets USP requirements |
Swell volume is the parameter buyers most often under-specify. It is a functional test: the USP method shakes 3.5 g of husk in simulated intestinal fluid and reads the settled gel volume after 24 hours. A lot can hit 99% purity and still disappoint on swell, so request the result on every CoA.
How does grade change the price?
Our trade research puts psyllium husk at about $5–8/kg FOB India in May 2026, citing Mundus-Agri. Within that range, 95% husk was about $5.09/kg and 99% about $7.85/kg, a gap of roughly $2.76/kg, or about 54% more for the higher grade. Retail prices abroad run from $22 to more than $100/kg, so ingredient cost is rarely what makes or breaks a finished product.
Treat any figure as a snapshot. Prices move with crop size, and a written quotation for your exact grade, mesh and packing is the only number to budget against.
What happened to the 2025 crop?
The 2025 psyllium crop fell by an estimated 20–30%, according to our trade research. A short crop has three practical effects for buyers:
Firmer prices for every grade, and less room to negotiate on 99%.
More variable lots, so lot-specific testing matters more than a supplier's standard spec sheet.
Longer confirmation times for large or organic contracts. Book volume early and agree specs before the price is fixed.
Why is lead testing now a priority?
California's Proposition 65 lists lead as a reproductive toxicant with a Maximum Allowable Dose Level (MADL) of 0.5 µg per day, alongside a cancer-based No Significant Risk Level of 15 µg per day for oral exposure (OEHHA). Products that expose consumers above the relevant level without a clear warning can attract a 60-day notice.
The trend is clear. Our research counted about six Prop 65 notices in 2026 naming psyllium products for lead, and several US brands selling Ayurvedic botanicals received lead notices in 2025–26. Psyllium is taken in gram-level daily servings, so even low lead concentrations add up.
The arithmetic below shows the lead concentration at which a daily serving reaches 0.5 µg. Serving sizes are illustrative, not recommendations, and this is not a legal limit: Prop 65 has other provisions that can change the outcome, so take advice from Prop 65 counsel.
Illustrative daily serving | Lead content that equals 0.5 µg/day |
|---|---|
5 g | 0.10 µg/g (100 ppb) |
10 g | 0.05 µg/g (50 ppb) |
15 g | about 0.033 µg/g (about 33 ppb) |
What to do:
Specify lead (and other heavy metals) by ICP-MS, with a limit of quantification well below your target.
Test each lot, not only the first shipment.
Keep retained samples so you can re-test if a notice arrives.
What should go on your spec sheet and CoA?
Use this as a starting checklist and adapt it to your market:
Botanical name (Plantago ovata), plant part (husk) and country of origin
Trade grade (95/98/99%) and the purity test method
Form: whole husk or powder, with mesh size agreed with the supplier
Swell volume with method (USP or stated alternative)
Light extraneous matter, total ash, acid-insoluble ash, water
Microbial: total plate count, moulds and yeasts, Salmonella, E. coli
Heavy metals by ICP-MS: lead, cadmium, arsenic, mercury
Pesticide residues against your destination market's limits
Lot number, manufacturing and retest dates, packing and storage
A CoA should report results for the lot you receive, signed by the lab, not just "complies". For high-value contracts, commission an independent test on arrival as well.
What is holding up organic lots?
Organic psyllium has been slower to ship in 2026. Our research links this to a 3 July 2026 deadline for individual organic farmer verification under India's National Programme for Organic Production (NPOP); press reports said APEDA would block unverified farmers from TraceNet operations after that date. Without traceable farmer records, exporters cannot obtain Transaction Certificates for those lots.
If you need organic material, ask your supplier to confirm the grower group's verification status and that a Transaction Certificate can be issued for your lot before you fix a shipment date. Rules may have changed since July, so check the current position with your certifier.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is 99% psyllium husk better than 95%?
It is cleaner, not automatically better for every use. A 99% grade carries less seed fragment and light extraneous matter, which suits capsules and single-ingredient fibre products. A 95% grade may be fine for blends or feed. Choose by end use, then specify swell volume, ash, microbial limits and lead, because the purity percentage alone does not cover those.
What is the USP swell volume for psyllium husk?
The USP Psyllium Husk monograph sets swell volume at not less than 40 mL per gram for powdered husk and not less than 35 mL per gram for whole husk. The test measures settled gel volume after 24 hours in simulated intestinal fluid. Check the current USP–NF before relying on these figures.
What is the Prop 65 limit for lead in psyllium?
Prop 65 does not set a concentration limit for psyllium. It sets a safe-harbour exposure level for lead of 0.5 µg per day (the reproductive MADL). The concentration that matters depends on your daily serving. Test each lot by ICP-MS and take advice from Prop 65 counsel on warnings.
Why are psyllium prices higher in 2026?
The 2025 crop fell by an estimated 20–30%, which tightened supply. In May 2026, 95% husk traded at about $5.09/kg and 99% at about $7.85/kg FOB India, according to Mundus-Agri. Ask for a dated written quotation for your exact grade and packing.
Work With IndoFolk Wellness
IndoFolk Wellness is a sourcing and export coordination partner: we work with vetted Indian manufacturers and processors rather than running our own plants. We can help you shortlist psyllium suppliers, agree a written spec, arrange samples and lot CoAs, and coordinate export documents. Request a quote or sample.
Related Reading
Sources
Psyllium husk export value and growth (HS 12119032): DGCI&S trade data, FY2024-25 (TradeStat EIDB)
2025 crop decline estimate, Prop 65 notice count and organic lot delays: IndoFolk Wellness trade research (owner's memo, 2026)
Lead: Proposition 65 listing and safe harbour levels (MADL 0.5 µg/day; oral NSRL 15 µg/day), OEHHA
Proposition 65 Interpretive Guideline No. 2011-001 (lead NSRL and MADL values), OEHHA
Proposition 65 60-day notice search, Office of the California Attorney General
This article is general information, not legal, regulatory or veterinary advice.
Comments