You're right about the price at health food stores, I think I paid $12 a small bag. I had to buy more because I used just a little then decided to put it in a container and I still haven't found it so I bought some when I saw it at WW and it was about $5.
WW has it for $10 online, HMMMM. But I found this while looking, almost makes me wanna rethink using it now. Good thing we don't use much.
Xanthan gum is a sugar-like compound made by mixing aged (fermented) sugars with a certain kind of bacteria. It is used to make medicine.
Xanthan gum is used for lowering
blood sugar and total
cholesterol in people with
diabetes. It is also used as a
laxative.
Xanthan gum is sometimes used as a
saliva substitute in people with
dry mouth(
Sjogren's syndrome).
In manufacturing, xanthan gum is used as a thickening and stabilizing agent in foods,
toothpastes, and medicines. Xanthan gum is also an ingredient in some sustained-release pills.
How does it work?
Xanthan gum swells in the intestine, which stimulates the digestive tract to push stool through. It also might slow the absorption of sugar from the digestive tract and work like saliva to lubricate and wet the
mouth in people who don't produce enough saliva.
https://www.webmd.com/vitamins-supplements/ingredientmono-340-xanthan%20gum.aspx?activeingredientid=340