EVALUATION OF PHYSICAL STABILITY OF GEL WITH CAPA LEAF EXTRACT (Blumea Bassamifera L.) AS ACTIVE INGREDIENT: TRADITIONAL MEDICINES PLANT FROM ACEH-INDONESIA

Capa leaves (Blumea Balsamifera L.) have long been traditionally used by the Acehnese-Indonesian people as a wound medicine. The results of the capa leaf extract test proved to contain active ingredients as anti-bacterial and antiinflammatory. This study aims to test the formulation of gel with active ingredients of capa leaves by examining the stability of the resulting gel. The gel base was made with the main ingredients carbopol 940, TEA, Methyl Paraben, and Propylenglicol, and then combined with the active ingredient capa leaf extract with varying concentrations of extract, carbopol, and TEA. Gel stability was tested for 4 weeks by looking at the pH, spreadability, and viscosity of the gel. The results showed that, physically, the homogeneity of the gel in all variations was homogeneous. Organoleptically, the resulting capa leaf gel is dark green and has a distinctive aroma of capa leaf extract. The pH stability, viscosity, and spreadability for 4 weeks in all variations are still within the limits of pharmaceutical recommendations for gel preparations as wound medicines. The average pH value of the gel was 6.4, the average viscosity value was 4323 cP, and the average spreadability value was 5.8 cm. The capa leaf extract gel is still stable in 1-month storage at room temperature, so this formulation meets the gel standards as a topical medicine.