Moringa Gum

Moringa gum is used as an abortifacient, to treat headaches, fevers, dysentery, asthma and intestinal cancer. The gum is diuretic, astringent and abortifacient and is used against asthma.
Gums are widely employed in the pharmacy as thickeners, suspending agents, emulsifying agents, binders and film formers. With the increase in demand for natural gums, it has been necessary to explore the newer sources of gums to meet the industrial demands. India, due to its geographical and environmental positioning has traditionally been a good source for such products among the Asian countries1. There are reports about the successful use of Ocimum gratissimum, Butea monospermama and Leucaena leucocephala seed gum as suspending agent 2, 3, 4.
Gum of the tree Moringa oleifera has been reported to have gel forming potential for topical application5.  In view of the easy availability of the plant, the exudates from the stem of the tree Moringa oleifera was investigated for its application as suspending agent in pharmaceutical formulations. Moringa oleifera is a small genus of quick growing tree distributed in India. The stem of the tree exudes a gum which is initially white in colour but changes to reddish brown or brownish black on exposure. It is sparingly soluble in water but swells in contact with water giving a highly viscous solution. It is a polyuronide consisting of arabinose, galactose and glucoronic acid in the proportion of 10: 7: 2 moles