Plant-derived Gums and Mucilages: A Food for Thought for Researchers to Develop Pharmaceuticals

Humans have been using plant-derived gums for a variety of purposes since the beginning of time. Gums and mucilages are common natural materials utilised in both traditional and innovative dosage forms. Natural polymers are found to be very effective after incorporation in novel dosage forms to fulfill specific roles, resulting in improvements in drug delivery by increasing the drug expulsion rate and absorption. Natural medicines and excipients are becoming increasingly popular worldwide because of their inert nature, less toxicity, cheap and biologically degradable, and ease of availability. Many patents like WO/2018/199924A1 and WO/2004/094443A1 have been published on the uses of gums and mucilages in pharmaceuticals. The plant-derived polymeric compounds (gums and mucilages) are discussed in this study, along with their application and reported research and patents on their utilization in innovative drug delivery methods.