Journal of Advanced Pharmacy Education & Research1(5) 225-233 (2011) ISSN 2249-3379226

frequently used in the preparation of pickles, curry powders, and pastes [7], and isoften encountered in the cuisine of the Indian subcontinent. The young leaves andsprouts of fenugreek are eaten as greens, and the fresh or dried leaves are used toflavor other dishes. The dried leaves (called

kasturi methi) have a bitter taste and astrong characteristic smell.

Figure 1:

Seeds ofTrigonella foenum graecum

OBJECTIVE:Thepurposeofthestudywastoformulateandevaluateanew,effectivenaturalsuspending agent that can be used as an effective alternative for the formulation ofpharmaceutical suspension.

MATERIALS AND METHODS:Paracetamol (Sunij Pharmaceuticals, Ahmadabad), suspending agent isolated from

Trigonella foenum-graecum(Seed was collected from the local area of Erode, Tamilnadu,South India)

,Distilled Water (vehicle), Tragacanth, Acacia, Benzoic acid (Loba Chemie,Mumbai).

EXTRACTION OF SUSPENDING AGENT FROMTrigonella foenum- graecum(Seed):

Journal of Advanced Pharmacy Education & Research1(5) 225-233 (2011) ISSN 2249-3379227

Dried pods of

Trigonella foenum-graecumwere segregated from pods. The brownmucilagenous covering was isolated from the cleaned seeds by soaking them in warmwater.Themucilaginous portionwere picked manually andcrushed inmortar andfiltered througha muslin clothand theextract wascollected in beaker.Thrice thevolume of acetone wasadded and stirred.Then the purifiedproduct dried and powdered.Thepowderwaspassedthroughsieveno.74.Itisstoredindesiccatorsforfurtherevaluation.

Solubility:Solubility of isolated mucilage was studied using different types of solvents like water,alcohol acetone, Polyethylene Glycols, Propylene Glycol, Glycerin, Sorbitol, EthylAlcohol, Methanol, Benzyl Alcohol, Isopropyl Alcohol, etc..

Percentage yieldin 100 g seeds of

Trigonella foenum graecum.Phytochemical test:Thequalitativeanalysiswascarriedouttodeterminethecompoundsofselectednatural suspending agent to

Trigonella foenum graecum.Table 1: Phytochemical screening of mucilage ofAbelmoschus esculentusTests

Observation1.

Test for Carbohydrates( Molischs test)

Positive2.

Test for Tannins(Ferric chloride test)

Negative3.

Test for proteins ( Ninhydrin test)

Positive4.

Test for alkaloids (Wagners test)

Positve5.

Test for glycosides

(Keller Killaini test)

Negative6.

Test for mucilage ( Ruthenium red test)

Positive7.

Test for flavonoids (Shinoda test)

Negative8.Testforreducingsugar(Felhingstest)

Negative9.Mountingintheiodine

Starch absentDetermination of Swelling Index [8]

: