Scope of herbal mucilage in pharmaceutical formulations. A review

Abstract

Summary The aim of the article was to obtain maximum information about plant mucilage, its sources and applications in the pharmaceutical industry. This study focuses on the scientific articles and books available in Internet resources and college library that deal with the sources, applications, extraction and isolation of plant mucilage. Mucilage is obtained mainly from plant sources and can be isolated easily. Due to the low cost, easy availability, non-toxicity, non-irritancy, and biocompatibility, mucilage is of great demand in the field of pharmaceuticals. Hibiscus rosa-sinensis L., Trigonella foenum-graecum L., Abelmoschus esculentus L, Plantago ovata Forssk. and Aloe barbadensis L. are some common sources of mucilage. The isolation methods vary depending on the part of the plant where mucilage is present. It is commonly used as gelling agent, suspending agent, binder, and disintegrant. Since it is hydrophilic in nature, chances of deterioration are higher. In this review, different mucilage sources and their isolation methods are discussed in detail. Mucilage is used as excipient in many formulations of tablets, suspensions, gels, etc. The study explores the potential of plant mucilage as an excipient in pharmaceutical formulations. The biodegradable and biocompatible properties of this inexpensive excipient make it more favourable for the newer formulation development.

Garden cress seeds: a review on nutritional composition, therapeutic potential, and industrial utilization

“…The study revealed that using a 10% mucilage concentration resulted in a greater dissolution of the tablet. Additionally, mucilage derived from lentil seeds was used to create oral disintegrating tablets of Metformin HCl through the direct compression process (Saju & Sivaraman, 2021 ).…”

From Plants to Wound Dressing and Transdermal Delivery of Bioactive Compounds

“…Although the use of plants’ mucilage was not that often reported between 2010 and 2020, and their applicability was rather limited, the shift to “natural” sparked a research influx recently. Furthermore, modern techniques of extraction/isolation, characterization, and investigation allowed the identification of secondary metabolites in mucilages, especially when obtained from foliar parts of a plant [ 39 ]. Thus, in some cases, a plant mucilage is used solely as a biopolymer with pharmacological activities (antimicrobial, antioxidant), and in other cases, it is the source of the API in a more complex matrix, as can be seen in Table 1 .…”

Formulation and evaluation of functional attributes of low‐fat mozzarella cheese using okra mucilage as a fat replacer

“…The viscosity and solubility of extracted okra mucilage were measured following the method reported by Saju & Sivaraman (2021). To determine viscosity, 200 mL of (1%) homogenous okra mucilage was added to 250 mL of a pre-cleaned glass beaker.…”