Due to advances in drug delivery technology, currently, excipients are included in novel dosage forms to fulfil specific functions and in some cases they directly or indirectly influence the extent and/or rate of drug release and drug absorption. Recent trends towards use of plant based and natural products demand the replacement of synthetic additives with natural ones. Today, the whole world is increasingly interested in natural drugs and excipients. These natural materials have many advantages over synthetic ones as they are chemically inert, nontoxic, less expensive, biodegradable, and widely available. This review discusses majority of the plant-derived polymeric compounds (gums and mucilage's), their sources, chemical constituents, uses, and some recent investigations as excipients in novel drug delivery systems.

Turmeric (Curcuma longa L. Family: Zingiberaceae) is a widely cultivated spice in India and other Asian countries. Curcumin is the main coloring substance in Curcuma longa and two related compounds, demethoxycurcumin and bisdemethoxycurcumin are altogether known as curcuminoids. Turmeric is rich in curcuminoids, and recognized for their broad spectrum of biological activities. During isolation and purification of curcuminoids from oleo resin, the volatile oil present turmeric solubilizes curcumin creating problem in recrystallization process. To eliminate the interference of volatile oil and resolve the problem recrystallization, the present research work was undertaken. Various organic solvents and their combinations were tried for selective recrystallization of curcuminoids. Mixture of hot isopropyl alcohol: hexane (1:1.5) was found to be the best recrystallization solvent for purification of curcuminoids. The identity of curcuminoids was further confirmed by thin layer chromatography (TLC) and Fourier Transform Infra-Red spectroscopy (FTIR). The total curcumin content of crude curcuminoid powder was found to be 76.82% W/W whereas in recrystallized powder the purity was increased to 99.45% W/W.

No abstract

Colocasia esculenta (C. esculenta) is a widely cultivated plant for consumption of both leaves and tubers. Taro, a common name for the corms and tubers of several genera of the family Araceae, is a source of edible corms of C. esculenta. It is majorly cultivated in Southeast Asia by several common names like Arbi, Arvi and Eddoe. From this species, a wide range of chemical compounds have been isolated for example, flavanoids, β-sitosterol, steroids, etc. Various parts of C. esculenta are used traditionally to treat number of diseases. Extracts from this plant have been found to possess various pharmacological activities. The leaves of this plant have been studied to possess antihelminthic, anti-diabetic and anti-inflammatory actions. There have also been reports proving hypoglycemic efficacy of C. esculenta due to the presence of cyanoglucoside. The present review tries to cover all the information available on research work of this plant in yesteryears in a nutshell with the intention to serve as a literature platform for further researches on this plant.

No abstract