Page 126 - 2018 SP Product Guide

Excipient

Glossary

Tablet Excipients
MediHerb uses a range of pharmaceutical grade excipients in the manufacture of its tablet range. These excipients are carefully chosen
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using experience gained from over 15 years of manufacturing herbal tablets and are necessary to aid the manufacturing process, stability,
disintegration and to allow ease of swallowing. MediHerb aims to achieve maximum clinical efficacy in the lowest daily dosage, hence
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our tablets contain high levels of herbs and very low levels of excipients. Most commonly used excipients are:

Calcium Phosphate Hypromellose (Cellulose Derivative)

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Dibasic calcium phosphate dihydrate is the binder or filler which Hypromellose is used as a film coating agent on most MediHerb
actually holds the tablet together and allows it to be compressed tablets. It is applied as a thin inert layer and has four important
to form a tablet. It also assists in formulation flow and resists the actions:
uptake of moisture, thus reducing the risk of poor stability. Dibasic 1. The thin layer makes the tablet much more resistant to dust
calcium phosphate dihydrate is not a significant source of dietary formation in the packaging.
calcium.
2. When the tablet surface gets wet in the mouth a lubricant,
Cellulose mucilagenous layer is formed on the tablet which facilitates
swallowing.
Microcrystalline cellulose acts with dibasic calcium phosphate 3. The inert layer acts to hide any unpleasant odors or tastes that
dihydrate as the binder that holds the tablet together. It also works are found in many herbal tablets.
to assist with tablet disintegration.
4. It aids in enhancing the stability of the product by forming a
Silica barrier to the external environment.

Silicon dioxide is used as a glidant to assist with the flow Enteric Coating
properties of the tablet powder as it travels through the tablet
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machine. Good flow characteristics are crucial to the manufacture Some MediHerb tablets and capsules have a specialized enteric
of tablets with consistent weight and active content. Silicon dioxide coating which makes them acid resistant. This is important
is also used to increase the hardness of the tablets to ensure they for some herbs which can cause gastric discomfort and for
are robust enough to handle coating, packaging and transport. herbs that have actives which are damaged by stomach acid.
Enterically coated tablets and capsules pass through the highly
Sodium Starch Glycolate acidic environment of the stomach safely, then dissolve once
they reach the pH neutral environment of the small intestine.
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Due to the high proportion of herb used in the MediHerb tablets,
an aid to distintegration is required to ensure that the tablets Solubility Test: Enterically coated tablets and capsules must be
disintegrate in less than 30 minutes. Sodium starch glycolate from stable for 2 hours in dilute hydrochloric acid and then dissolve
potato performs this function best for the high potency tablets within 1 hour when placed in pH 7 buffer.
manufactured by MediHerb .
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Maltodextrin
Magnesium Stearate – Vegetable Origin Maltodextrin is usually used as a carrier substance in the
Most tablets need some form of lubrication to assist in the manufacture of herbal extracts used in tablets.
removal of the tablet from the tableting machine die. Magnesium
stearate of vegetable origin is the most effective ingredient for this
purpose. The vegetable form of magnesium stearate is a naturally
occurring long-chain saturated fatty acid and is not hydrogenated.

Health Care Professional Resources • MediHerb Product Catalog 2018 125
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