In traditional herbal medicine: The pulp in the seedpods of carob is very nutritious and, due to its high sugar content, sweet-tasting and mildly laxative. However, the pulp in the pods is also astringent and, used in a decoction, will treat diarrhoea and gently help to cleanse and also relieve irritation within the gut. Whilst these appear to be contradictory effects, carob is an example of how the body responds to herbal medicines in different ways, according to how the herb is prepared and according to the specific medical problem.The bark is also strongly astringent and used in a decoction for the treatment of diarrhoea[Chevallier. A. The Encyclopedia of Medicinal Plants Dorling Kindersley. London 1996]. The seedpods are also used in the treatment of coughs. The seed husks are astringent and purgative[Chopra. R. N., Nayar. S. L. and Chopra. I. C. Glossary of Indian Medicinal Plants (Including the Supplement). Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, New Delhi. 1986].