DESIGN AND EVALUATION OF COST EFFECTIVE CONVENTIONAL TABLETS FROM MONECHMA CILIATUM SEEDS EXTRACT

The use of medicinal plants as raw material in the production of drugs is again gaining popularity. Monechma ciliatum has many traditional uses and applications in African folk’s medicines, e.g. the seed’s powder macerated in water and drunk or burnt as an inhalation for treatment cold and allergic conditions. The aim of this study is to formulate a suitable dosage form (tablets) from Monechma ciliatum seed’s ethanolic extract. In the process of formulating of low cost, safe, effective and reproducible dosage form the wet granulation method was used. After preformulation studies, two formulae were prepared, formula-1 by using starch as a binder and disintegrant, formula-2 by using polyvinyl pyrrolidine (PVP) and cross carmellose cellulose (CCS) as a binder and disintegrant respectively. The use of starch as disintegrant in tablets of formula- 1, gave the disintegration time of 8: 33 min: sec, while the disintegration time for tablets of formula- 2 was 11: 667 min: sec by using the high cost super disintegrant CCS. Coloring agent was not needed, as the extract was mutually colored (acceptable pale brown color). Also sweetening agent was not added, as the high content of lactose per tablet masked the bitter taste of the extract. The quality control (QC) tests were carried out and good results were obtained for both formulae. QC test results complied with the requirements stated in official British and American pharmacopeias. The carried out tests were: weight variation, friability, hardness, disintegration and dissolution tests (carried out by using two different dissolution mediums and the dissolution rate was measured at different time intervals).  The ongoing stability studies were carried out for tablets of formula-1 and gave positive results.