HERBAL EXCIPIENTS: A STEP TOWARDS ECO-FRIENDLY HERBAL DRUG FORMULATION

The Herbal or natural excipients have a great advantage over their synthetic analogues as these are non-toxic, less expensive and freely available. The enhance awareness about herbal excipients, polymers of natural origin, the pharmaceutical industry are more inclined towards their use in formulation development. The plant derived gums, carrageen, thaumatin, lard, storax, agar, gum acacia, tragacanth and many more to comply with many requirements of pharmaceutical excipients. They are a powerful and affordable method of administering active pharmacological ingredients because they can be easily changed to match the demands of each individual patient. In view of their biocompatibility and capacity to provide additional nutrition to the established dosage form, natural excipients have the potential to be utilised as diluents, binder, disintegrants, and lubricants in a variety of formulation. Different kinds of formulations are found to be effective for treating certain diseases. Given that a dosage form is made up of an active pharmaceutical ingredient [API] and an excipient, it follows that an excipient is required for dosage forms. Natural excipients derived from plant sources such as gums, mucilage, starches, and cellulose have demonstrated promising functional properties, including swelling, gel formation, and mucoadhesion, which enhance drug delivery and therapeutic efficacy. Their biodegradability and minimal side effects.