Address for correspondence: E-mail: DOI: **** Pharmacognosy Journal | February 2011 | Vol 3 | Issue 20 17 orIgInal artIcle PHcog J. Address for correspondence: E-mail: rupalisingh04py43@gmail.com Ph.: +919758395798 DOI: 10.5530/pj.2011.20.4 Extraction and Characterization of Tamarind Seed Polysaccharide as a Pharmaceutical Excipient Rupali Singh*, Rishabha Malviya, Pramod Kumar Sharma Department of Pharmaceutical Technology, Meerut Institute of Engineering and Technology Baghpat Crossing, Delhi Roorkee Highway, NH-58, Meerut-250005, U.P. India abstract Objective: the objective of the present work was extraction of polysaccharide from tamarind seed and further characterization as pharmaceutical excipient. study includes phytochemical screening, micromeritic properties. Work also emphasize to study gelling properties of extracted polysaccharide. Methods: Water based extraction procedure was used to extract polysaccharide from tamarind seed. Pharmacopoeial procedures were used to study the micromeritic properties, solubility, organoleptic properties and pH. Different concentration based solution were prepared to evaluate gelling properties of seed polysaccharide. Key findings: results obtained from the study showed that used procedure was effcient to extract gum from tamarind seed. Obtained results easily predict the fact that extracted polymer can be used as pharmaceutical excipient in terms of micromeritic properties and fow behavior. It was also found that obtained gum showed gelling behavior at 8% w/v solution of water. Conclusions: It can be concluded from whole study that tamarind seed polysaccharide can be an important pharmaceutical excipient for solid. obtained results also showed that extracted seed polysaccharide may be used as natural gelling agents in different pharmaceutical formulations. Key words: tamarind gum, rheological studies, natural polymers, polysaccharides, excipient. INTRODUCTION Natural polymers are obtained in the form of macromolecules. The natural polymers demands in the households, agriculture, food industries and in packaging and it also help in reducing the environmental pollution and resulting in disposal in landflls. Natural polymers are act as an environment cleaner, renewable and help in recycling of global carbon. The natural gums are biodegradable, nontoxic and biocompatible in nature and swells when comes in contact with the aqueous media so it has been used in the preparation of sustained release or controlled release types of dosage form. [1, 2] In the present investigation it shows that plant polysaccharide have been useful for the construction of specifc drug delivery systems . [2] The polysaccharide that is present in tamarind gum is known as tamarind seed polysaccharide (TSP). Gum is present in the tamarind seed and it is a hydrophilic polymer and had been used as gelling, thickening, suspending and emulsifying agents. [3, 4, 5, 6] Gum consisted 65% of the seed components. [7, 8, 9] It is used as a thickening, stabilizing and gelling agents in food. [10] The gum can also be act as a binder in pharmaceutical tablets, as a humectants and emulsifer in the different types of formulations. [11] This shows that the Tamarind gum is highly viscous, mucoadhesive and biocompatible in nature. Now the regular research is going on in feld of natural occurring biocompatible polymeric material in designing of dosage form for oral controlled release administration. The Tamarind gum has a widest scope in the pharmaceutical industries and it is act as a binder in tablet dosage form, ocular drug delivery system and in sustained release drug delivery systems. It is a novel mucoadhesive polymer, can be used in the delivery system for the ocular administration of hydrophilic and hydrophobic antibiotics. [12] METHOD Isolation of gum from tamarind seed Take the tamarind seeds and peel out the outer cover and obtaining the white part of seeds and crush them. The crushed seeds of Tamarindus indica were soaked in water for 24 h and then take the muslin cloth and the soaked seeds were put into it for the release of gum from it. The marc was removed from the gum and