Myrrh a traditional medicine or a multipurpose pharmaceutical excipient

Abstract

A drug dosage form contains excipients as well as active pharmaceutical ingredients. Formerly, excipients were considered inert components that were used by a formulator to provide the suitable volume, weight and consistency of a dosage form. Today, however, excipients are expected to perform multifunctional roles such as enhancing physical, chemical and microbial stabilities of the dosage form, improving the color or odor of the formulation, and influencing the release and bioavailability of the active ingredient. Among various excipients, natural ones seem to be more beneficial to use, since they are economical, safe, biodegradable, and biocompatible. In this article, myrrh oleo-gum-resin is introduced as a potential natural multipurpose excipient that can perform many useful roles in pharmaceutical dosage forms. Scopus and Google scholar electronic databases were searched to find different properties of myrrh as an excipient. Moreover, ten famous traditional Iranian medicine books were studied to find semisolid formulations named Sabgh, which contained myrrh. One of these formulations was prepared, and its physical and microbiological stabilities were assessed. The role of myrrh as an excipient in this formulation is discussed here. Antibacterial and preservative effects shown in the formulation were related to the essential oil of myrrh. The gum portion was found to be a potential surfactant. In addition, myrrh is a natural muco-adhesive and film forming material. These properties were observed for myrrh in the Sabgh formulation in this study as well. So we can conclude that myrrh could be a potential multipurpose excipient in pharmaceutical industries, which needs further research.

Keywords

• Burseraceae
• Excipient
• Film forming agent
• Preservative
• Surfactant