Non-thermal and thermal compatibility studies of binary blends of amlodipine and common spices; clove, ginger and turmeric

A lot of people on anti-hypertensives including amlodipine often take their medications with their tea or beverages. Many are conscious of the health benefits of medicinal plants and prefer going with green or common spices like clove, cinnamon, turmeric, ginger, garlic, etc. In spite of that, the compatibility or otherwise of consumption of these spices simultaneously with amlodipine is questionable. The aim of this study is to assess the solid-state compatibility of amlodipine with some selected spices: clove, ginger, turmeric using Fourier Transform InfraRed (FT-IR) and Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC). FT-IR spectra show that the combination of amlodipine with the spices brought about some shifts in wavenumbers, reduction in intensity, broadening to varying degrees but no significant chemical interactions were detected. On the other hand, DSC analysis showed disappearance of amlodipine peak in the drug-spice combination with some changes in the temperature of different events. This suggests that the combination of amlodipine with the spices could compromise its thermal stability. It is therefore inferred that whereas many people enjoy taking their medications along with these beverages or spices, this combination proves to be unsuitable especially in the light of formulation as a combination product.