ISAPGOL

ISAPGOL

Synonyms

lspaghula, lsabgul, Indian Psyllium, lsabgol.

The origin of the word isapgol is form the Persian words ISAP (the horse) and GHOL (the ear). Thus, the literal meaning of word isapgol is the ear of the horse. The seeds and the husk of the seeds are used in medicine since eighteenth-century. About 10 species of the drugs are available in India.

seeds are very small in size. One thousand seeds weigh about 01.5 g. Isapgol has high export potential.

Biological Source

lsapgol consists of dried seeds of the plant known as Plantago ovata (Syn: Plantagoindica; Plantagoafra) Forskal, family Plantaginaceae. In the pharmaceutical field, the seeds and the dried Seed Coats – known as isapgol husk – are used.

Geographical Source

 The plant is cultivated largely in Gujarat, Punjab and South Rajasthan. The factory for preparation of husk is located at Sidhpur in North Gujarat. In Maharashtra, it is found to be grown successfully near Pune. About 50 thousand hectares of area is said to be under cultivation for the drug in India.

Cultivation and Collection

lsapgol  is a Rabi Crop and needs well-drained loamy soil with a pH 7.5 to 8.5 and cool and dry weather. Heavy rains and cloudy weather at its maturity affect the yield adversely. The drug is cultivated by broadcasting method, in the month of November. About 6-12 kg seeds are needed per hectare. RI-87, RI-89, G-1, G-2, HI-1, HI-2, HI-5, MIB-121 are some of the species preferred for cultivation in Gujarat state. Irrigation is done 7-8 times at an interval of 8-10 days.

Ammonium sulphate is found to be satisfactory fertilizer for the plant. 25 kg of nitrogenous fertilizers and 25 kg per hectare are most suitable spray of 5.0% aldrin on the soil controls root-eaters. Aerofungin is used to control mid-dew. The crop is harvested in March/April and the average yield of the seeds per hectare is 7.4 quintals. It is collected by cutting the plant just above the ground, Converting it to sheaves and drying. Thrashing is done and the thrashed material is winnowed and sieved to maintain quality.

India is producing 48000 tones of seeds annually at present.

The world demand for psyllium and isapgol seeds and husk is - increasing (approx. 50,000 tonnes) and the main markets are in U.S.A., France, West Germany, and U.K. The export of isapgol husk and seeds mical Tests together during 1995-96 was R 155 crores and during 1996-97 it was - Κ 137 Crores .

Uses

1.      The seeds, as well as, husk are used as demulcent, laxative, emollient in the treatment of chronic constipation, amoebic and bacillary dysentery.

2.      Isapgol husk is preferred to the seeds as the husk contains more mucilage and seeds are said to be irritant as Compared to the husk.

3.      Mucilage of the isapgol is used in the preparation of tablets and also as a stabilizer in the ice Cream industry.

4.      The crushed seeds are, many a time, used in the form of poultice for rheumatic pain. Gujarat Drug Chemical Ltd. at Mehsana is engaged in manufacturing of isapgol formulations.

The product formed by removing cations from the mucilage by treatment with cation exchange resins followed by spray drying is an acid form of polysaccharide. This finds special pharmaceutical applications as enteric Coating material, tablet disintegrator and also used in the sustained release drug formulations. The mucilage of isapgol has a property of glairiness or stringiness, which is desired in certain Cosmetic formulations.

Substitutes

Several other species of Plantago have been investigated of which Plantago, rhodosperma distributed in Missouri and Louisiana and PlantagoWrightiana are important. The earlier variety Contains 17.5 per cent of mucilage, while the latter contains about 23.0 per cent. In all respects, these two varieties favourably compare with the official drugs.

Plantagopurshii and Plantagoaristata are substitutes of official drug with good mucilage forming capacity. Plantagoasiatica, found in Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu is also used as a substitute for isapgol seeds.