GUAR GUM: A VERSATILE MATERIAL FOR PHARMACEUTICAL INDUSTRIES

Guar gum (GG) is galactomannan, derived from guar ( cyamopsistetragonolobus ) kernels which belong to family Leguminosae . The solution of guar gum in water has the highest viscosity amongst all the natural polysaccharide discovered till the date. Further it has better bio-degradability and bio-compatibility. Due to these properties, guar gum finds application in various industries like, Textile, Food, Petrochemical, Mining, Paper, Explosive etc. But due to uncontrollable rate of viscosity, uncontrollable rate of hydration, instability of its solution for a long time and susceptibility to microbial contamination restricts its use in pharmaceutical industries. To overcome these draw back guar gum should be chemically modified. Modified guar gum is widely used in pharmaceutical application due to its viscosity enhancing properties. Guar gum and derivatives are used as binders and disintegrate in tablet and also used as a control-released agent for the drug. In this review article we summarized different pharmaceutical applications of native guar gum and its derivatives.